TranscriptYTHow to get a YouTube transcript
- 1
Copy the video link
From the YouTube app or browser: Share → Copy link. Shorts and youtu.be links work too.
- 2
Paste it above
Hit Get transcript. Most videos load in a second or two.
- 3
Copy or download
Copy the text with or without timestamps, or save it as TXT, SRT, or VTT.
For developers
Need transcripts at scale? Use the API.
The same transcripts are available through the TranscriptYT YouTube Transcript API: timestamped JSON, text, SRT, VTT, CSV, or Markdown, 150+ languages, and AI transcription for videos without captions. Or connect the MCP server to Claude, Cursor, or Codex and just paste links in chat.
curl "https://transcript-yt.com/v1/transcript?url=dQw4w9WgXcQ&format=text" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ts_live_..."
Frequently asked questions
Is this YouTube transcript generator free?
Yes. You can get a few transcripts a day with no account. For more, a free API key includes 100 transcripts, and paid plans start at $3 a month.
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?
Paste the video's link into the box above and click Get transcript. On YouTube itself you can expand the video description and click Show transcript, but that view is hard to copy cleanly and can't be downloaded as a subtitle file.
Can I download YouTube subtitles as SRT or VTT?
Yes. After the transcript loads, use the SRT or VTT buttons to download a subtitle file with the original timings.
What if the video has no captions?
This free tool only reads existing captions. The TranscriptYT API can transcribe videos without captions using AI speech-to-text.
Does it work in other languages?
The tool returns the video's original caption track. The API can return any available language or translate the transcript into 150+ languages.
Can I get transcripts for many videos at once?
Use the API. One HTTP request per video returns JSON, text, SRT, or VTT, and it works from any programming language or AI agent.