How to get a YouTube transcript

A YouTube transcript is the full text of what is said in a video, usually with a timestamp at the start of each line. It is the fastest way to find a quote, skim a long talk, or reuse what was said in notes, an article or subtitles. There are two practical ways to get one: with gistmint, which gives you the text as a file you can download, and with the transcript panel YouTube has built in. This guide walks through both.

Option 1: Get the transcript with gistmint

gistmint takes a YouTube link and gives you back the transcript as text you can copy or download.

1. Copy the video link. In YouTube, use the address bar or the Share button. Links like youtube.com/watch?v=… and youtu.be/… both work.
2. Open the YouTube transcript tool and paste the link into the URL field.
3. Sign in. Getting a transcript uses credits, so it needs an account. New accounts start with 5 free credits; current costs are on the pricing page.
4. Run it. When the transcript comes back it appears next to the input, with timestamps when timing is available.
5. Copy or download it. Use Copy transcript to paste the text somewhere else, or pick a format and download it:
   • TXT — plain text, best for reading and editing.
   • TXT with timestamps — each line keeps the time it was said, handy for quotes and notes.
   • SRT or VTT — subtitle files you can load into a video editor or player.

If you mainly want the video's captions as a file, the YouTube caption downloader and subtitle downloader run the same steps with the subtitle formats in mind. For a video file on your own device rather than a link, use video to text.

Option 2: Use YouTube's own "Show transcript"

YouTube can show a transcript for videos that have captions — either captions the creator uploaded or the automatic ones YouTube generates.

On a computer:

1. Open the video on youtube.com.
2. Under the video, click the description to expand it (the …more link).
3. Scroll to the end of the description and click Show transcript.
4. The transcript opens in a panel next to the video. Click any line to jump to that moment.
5. To copy it, select the text in the panel and copy it. The three-dot menu at the top of the panel lets you turn timestamps on or off first, and the menu at the bottom switches language when more than one caption track exists.

In the YouTube app, tap the description under the video, scroll down and tap Show transcript. Copying long transcripts is awkward on a phone, so a computer is easier for anything longer than a few minutes.

Limits to know about:

• There is no Show transcript button when a video has no captions, or when the creator has turned captions off.
• Copying from the panel gives you raw text — you get no TXT, SRT or VTT file, and long videos mean a lot of scrolling and selecting.
• Automatic captions often get names, numbers and technical terms wrong, so check those before you quote them.

YouTube's menus change from time to time; if a button has moved, look for Show transcript in the expanded description.

Which one to use

Use YouTube's panel when you only need to read along or copy a few lines from a video that has captions. Use gistmint when you want the whole transcript as text or a subtitle file you can keep, search and reuse — especially for long videos or when you need SRT or VTT.

Tips for a cleaner transcript

• Check proper nouns. Names, brands and numbers are where transcripts most often go wrong.
• Keep the timestamped copy. Even if you publish plain text, the timestamps make it easy to verify a quote later.
• Pick the right format up front. TXT for writing, SRT or VTT for anything that goes back onto a video.