How to Get a YouTube Transcript or Download Subtitles

To see a YouTube video’s transcript, open the video, expand the description and select Show transcript. This works for any video that has captions, and you can click a line to jump to that moment. To download a subtitle file for your own video, go to YouTube Studio > Subtitles, select the video and language, and choose Options > Download subtitles.

Key points

• Transcripts are available on any video that has captions, either uploaded or automatic.
• Clicking a transcript line jumps to that part of the video.
• Creators can download caption files for their own videos in YouTube Studio.
• To fix automatic captions, use “Duplicate and edit” in Studio, then publish.
• Reusing someone else’s transcript can raise copyright issues. Quote briefly and credit the source.

How do I open the transcript of a YouTube video?

On desktop

1. Open the video on youtube.com.
2. Click the description below the video to expand it.
3. Click Show transcript. The transcript opens beside the video and scrolls along as it plays.
4. Click any line to jump to that moment.

On mobile

1. Open the video in the YouTube app.
2. Tap the description to expand it.
3. Scroll down and look for Show transcript. If you don’t see it in the app, open the video on youtube.com in a browser.

YouTube notes the transcript can also help you find chapters, and things mentioned in the video such as people, places and products.

Why is there no transcript option?

Transcripts depend on captions. If a video has no captions, there’s no transcript. That can happen because the creator hasn’t added any, automatic captions aren’t available for the video’s language or audio, or captions have been removed. You can check whether captions are on through the CC button on the player.

How do I download subtitles for my own YouTube video?

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. Select Subtitles from the left menu.
3. Click the video.
4. Click Edit next to the language you want.
5. Click Options and select Download subtitles.

Your browser downloads the caption file. You can edit the text or timestamps in a plain text editor and upload it again. This is a desktop task, because YouTube Studio’s caption tools are built for the web version.

How do I fix automatic captions before downloading?

1. In YouTube Studio, go to Subtitles and choose the video.
2. Next to the automatic track, select Duplicate and edit.
3. Click any caption line to correct the text, or use Edit timings to adjust timing.
4. Click Publish, then download the corrected track.

Clean captions make your video easier to follow for viewers who watch without sound, and give you an accurate transcript for show notes, blog posts or chapters.

Can I download subtitles from someone else’s video?

YouTube’s built-in download is only for your own videos. For other videos you can read and copy from the Show transcript panel. Our YouTube subtitles downloader links to the transcript and to subtitle tools for a video you enter. Be careful how you reuse the text: a transcript is part of someone else’s work, so quote short passages with credit rather than republishing it in full.

How can transcripts help my channel?

A transcript is an easy starting point for a written version of the video, a list of chapters, or a pinned summary. Reusing your own spoken words in the description can also help the title and description match what people search for. See how to check your YouTube ranking. To find the exact wording people use, check the YouTube search terms in your traffic sources.

Working towards monetization? Our YouTube watch hours packages help you reach the 4,000-hour threshold.

Sources

• YouTube Help: View video transcripts
• YouTube Help: Edit or remove captions