Converting a YouTube video to text is three steps. The only branch is whether the video already has a caption track — and the tool handles both branches for you.
Step 1 — Paste the video
Copy the YouTube URL (watch?v=… or youtu.be/…) — or just the 11-character video ID — and paste it into the tool.
Step 2 — Get the text (the tool picks the source)
The tool checks for a caption track first. If one exists, it pulls the exact source text — fast and word-for-word. If not, it transcribes the audio with AI speech recognition. Either way the result is the same: timestamped segments.
| Source | Speed | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| Captions | Instant | Exact (source text) |
| AI transcription (ASR) | Minutes | Very high (Whisper-class) |
Step 3 — Export in the format you need
- TXT — timestamped lines for reading and notes.
- SRT — subtitle file for VLC, Premiere, DaVinci, OBS.
- VTT — web subtitle file for HTML5 players.
- JSON — machine-readable segments for scripts and LLM context.
Optional: another language
Before exporting, pick a target language and the whole transcript comes back translated (timestamps preserved), ready to save as a translated subtitle file.
Common gotchas
- Private / age-restricted videos can't be processed — only public videos are accessible.
- Very long videos on the ASR path take longer (proportional to audio length) — the job runs async and you poll it.
- Spot-check proper nouns in AI-transcribed output, especially names and numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install any software?
No. The whole flow is browser-based: paste the URL, get the text, download the file. If you prefer scripting, the same thing is available through the API.
What if the video has no captions?
The tool automatically transcribes the audio with AI (Whisper-class) and gives you a timestamped transcript anyway. You get a video-to-text result even when YouTube has no caption data.
Which format should I download?
TXT for reading/notes, SRT or VTT for subtitle files in a player or editor, and JSON for scripts and LLM pipelines.
Does it keep the timestamps?
Yes — every line carries its start time, and SRT/VTT carry exact per-segment timings.