Get a YouTube Transcript and Return to the Spoken Line

For a video with captions, open Show transcript to read its timed text and click a line to return to that moment. Retrieving existing captions and transcribing new audio are separate paths.

Open the existing transcript

Open the video description and select Show transcript. Choose the available language you need and click a line to jump to its time. Use a video with captions and an accessible caption track.

Sources: YouTube

Save readable text

Select and copy the transcript into a plain-text document when the interface permits selection. Keep the video URL, language and the times of important quotes with the text. For a download tool, check its supported input and export format before using its download control; a transcript panel itself is a viewing feature.

Sources: YouTube

When the transcript is absent

Check whether captions exist and whether the video is accessible. For your own video, use YouTube Studio → Subtitles to review its tracks and processing. To create text from audio, use media you own or that the rights holder supplies, then choose a tool that accepts that file. Keep private or restricted material within its access permissions.

Sources: YouTube

Check the retrieved words

Compare names, numbers and quotations with the original sound at the recorded time. Keep corrections in your saved document. If the text comes from a different language track, return to the intended track first. For local-file transcription, see the existing Caption guide; YouTube’s transcript panel belongs to YouTube.

Sources: YouTube · YouTube

Open product: Caption