How To Get Transcripts of a YouTube Video？
YouTube transcripts play a crucial role in enabling viewers to swiftly locate the information they need and gain a more profound comprehension of the video's content. By making sure that viewers have access to the transcript of your YouTube video, you are enhancing its accessibility. This not only caters to those who prefer visual learning methods but also accommodates a wide range of hearing capabilities.Uncover the steps on how to generate and obtain a transcript from YouTube.
- Author: Shine
- Update: Mar 11, 2025
Why Should You Use Transcripts and Captioning in YouTube Videos
Video-sharing platform for watching, sharing, and creating content.
Accessibility: These written transcripts significantly boost accessibility. For the deaf community and non - English speakers, they open the door to engaging with YouTube content. By enhancing accessibility, a video's reach is broadened, allowing it to impact a more extensive and diverse audience.
YouTube SEO: YouTube's algorithm determines video rankings based on various elements, including engagement, watch time, and keyword utilization. Transcripts are a powerful tool for search engine optimization (SEO). They enable the YouTube algorithm to analyze the text, thereby understanding the core of your video. This, in turn, heightens the likelihood of your content being promoted by the algorithm. Additionally, YouTube transcripts are rich in valuable anchor text, which can be used to create internal links to your website or other social platforms. These links guide your viewers to relevant content, fostering deeper engagement with your channel.
Audience engagement: Transcripts play a pivotal role in increasing audience engagement. They capture and maintain the audience's attention, and also allow viewers to quickly scan the video content for key points. This added functionality encourages a more profound connection with the video, and might prompt viewers to recommend or share it, further expanding its reach.
Viewing experience: Textual transcripts enhance the overall viewing experience by providing multiple ways for viewers to absorb video content. Instead of relying solely on pausing, rewinding, and fast - forwarding the video, viewers can leisurely read and reread the transcript. This is particularly advantageous for in - depth tutorials with numerous steps, such as DIY and educational content. It enables viewers to fully understand the written instructions and easily refer back to them whenever needed.
By default, transcripts remain concealed. To view them, you need to open the video description box and click on the “Show Transcript” button. While YouTube automatically creates transcripts using the video's audio, some content producers choose to upload transcripts manually instead. Regardless of whether you rely on YouTube's auto - generated transcripts or create your own, it is advisable to edit the text to ensure its accuracy.
How to get the transcript of a YouTube video on a desktop
Here are the steps you should take if you are using a web browser on your desktop computer or laptop to access YouTube.
Step 1: Choose the YouTube Video
Navigate to YouTube. Then, pick the video for which you want to generate a transcript.
Step 2: Expand the Video Description
Open the selected video. Scroll down to the video description box located beneath the video. Search for the ‘...more’ option within the description and click on it to expand that section.
Step 3: Tap on ‘Show transcript’
Subsequently, scroll down the page until the ‘Show transcript’ option becomes visible within the description.
Click this button, and the transcript will appear on the right - hand side of the video.
This is how the transcribed video is presented on the web page. By clicking on a timestamp, you can instantly skip to the corresponding moment in the video.
You will observe that, by default, the transcript shows timestamps for each individual line item and, in certain instances, for partial sentences. If necessary, click the three vertical dots to turn off the timestamps.
Step 4: Choose the Appropriate Language
In the bottom - left corner of the transcription box, there is a drop - down menu presenting the languages available for that specific video. Click on the down arrow, and a list will be displayed. Select the proper option to alter the language of the transcript.
It should be noted that not every video offers multiple language choices. As a result, you may only be presented with the default language option.
Step 5: Copy, Paste, and Save the Transcript
Now, you are set to save the transcript for your requirements. Since YouTube does not provide a direct download option for transcripts, you will have to copy the text and paste it into a Google Doc, a Microsoft Word document, or Notepad, based on your personal preference.
Once you've done this, you will possess a raw file that can be saved and examined. However, be prepared for the subsequent task; the text will still require editing and formatting to transform it into a functional transcript.
How to get the transcript of a YouTube video on mobile
Obtaining a YouTube video transcript from your mobile device bears a strong resemblance to the method used on a computer browser. Nevertheless, you cannot directly copy and paste the transcript into a document for saving.
The following is a five - step process to follow.
Step 1: Find the Video in the YouTube App
Open the YouTube application, search for the video that you wish to obtain the transcript for, and then open the video.
Step 2: Tap on ‘...more’ in the Description
In this case, the ‘...more’ button is situated right beneath the video title.
Tap on it, and then scroll down below the description box. Right beneath the ‘Shorts remixing’ section, you will spot the ‘Show transcript’ button.
Step 3: Tap the ‘Show Transcript’ button
Press the ‘Show Transcript’ button, and the transcript will appear on your screen, positioned beneath the video.
Step 4: Choose Your Desired Language
Tap on the three vertical dots. Then, select the language you want from the list of available languages. Once more, it should be noted that not every video will offer multiple language options. Additionally, when using a mobile device, you won't have the ability to turn off the timestamps.
Step 5: Preserve the Transcript
Regrettably, downloading a YouTube transcript directly onto a mobile device is not feasible. Moreover, you are unable to copy and paste the textual content into another document for the purpose of editing. Should you wish to save the text, you can take screenshots of the relevant information, or jot it down either manually on paper or using a note-taking app on your phone, enabling you to retrieve and refer to it at a later time.
