Learn how to transcribe a YouTube video on your phone or computer using free and paid third-party services like Descript.
Learn how to transcribe a YouTube video on your phone or computer using free and paid third-party services like Descript.
June 19, 2024
This makes the editing process so much faster. I wish I knew about Descript a year ago.
Matt D., Copywriter
This makes the editing process so much faster. I wish I knew about Descript a year ago.
Matt D., Copywriter
Have you ever stumbled upon a good YouTube video, only to wish you had a written version for reference? Perhaps you’re a content creator who wants to make videos on your YouTube channel more accessible to your subscribers, or repurpose the content into social media posts that reach a wider audience.
In either of these scenarios, and many others, having a full transcript of a YouTube video can be quite helpful.
But how do you extract such a goldmine of information from YouTube without paying for a Premium account to download videos? Whether you’re on a computer or mobile device, you’ll learn the process of getting YouTube video transcripts in the step-by-step guide below—even as a complete beginner.
Creating YouTube transcriptions might seem like an unnecessary step in your content creation workflow, but the document has lots of hidden potential:
💡 Pro tip: Streamline your video uploading workflow by letting AI do all the work for you. Descript’s YouTube Description Generator will write a concise description—including timecodes and chapters—on your behalf.
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Go to YouTube in your web browser and search for the video you want a transcript of. Make sure closed captions are enabled on the video. Music videos, lectures, and other professional content most likely have them.
Open the video. Beneath the video title there’ll be a set of options, including the option to view More.
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After clicking More, the video description will appear. You’ll also see the option to Show transcript. This is the gateway to accessing the written content of the video.
The transcript will appear on the right hand side of the video.
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Fortunately, YouTube’s auto-generated captions work in multiple languages. You can select any language of your new YouTube transcription from the dropdown list.
There aren’t many transcript options to adjust YouTube’s default text. You can only toggle time stamps on and off. YouTube also doesn’t have direct download options.
If you want the transcript, you’ll have to copy and paste without formatting into a Google Doc or Microsoft Word file. For Macs, the paste without formatting keyboard shortcut is Command + Shift + V. For Windows, it’s Ctrl + Shift + V for most apps.
Be warned: The newly pasted YouTube transcript isn’t very sexy. You’ll have to fix it up to get a good looking transcript that’s ready to use.
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Pulling a YouTube video transcript on an iPhone or Android device is pretty much the same as doing it on your desktop. The only difference is you can’t copy and paste the transcript to a document—you can only read it. Below is a tutorial with more detail.
On your phone, tap on the YouTube app icon to open it. Use the search bar at the top to type in keywords, titles, or the name of the channel to find the video you’re interested in.
Tap the video you want a transcript for. Once it’s loaded, tap . More underneath the title.
Next, you’ll see details about the video, including the amount of likes, number of views, publish date, and a description. Scroll down until you see the Show transcript button, and tap it.
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Once you have the transcript open, there will be a toggle option for time stamps. You can turn these on or off, depending on your preference. Clicking on a specific timestamp will jump to that part of the video.
Not all videos will have translated transcripts, but if they do, there will be an option to choose from the available languages.
Unfortunately, YouTube doesn’t provide a direct download option for transcripts. You can’t copy and paste the text into another document to edit, either. If you just need to grab a quote, your best bet is to type it into a document manually. If you want the entire transcript, you'll need to go on a computer and grab the transcript there.
YouTube’s default transcript tool is a little hit and miss. Its accuracy isn’t the greatest—you’ll likely need to spend time combing through the text file to fix errors. That’s where these four alternatives come in handy.
In the past, transcription was a labor-intensive process that required manual effort or outsourcing. Automated transcription services like Descript have emerged as a result of machine learning, drastically cutting transcription time and effort.
Descript is an audio and video editing software that allows users to edit multimedia content like a text document. With it, you can automatically transcribe audio and video files. You can even import YouTube videos with just a link.
If you want to go through with a fine-tooth comb, you can manually correct the transcript in a user-friendly editing interface. It even has keyboard shortcuts that let you automatically change capitalization and punctuation without typing them out manually.
Descript can distinguish between different speakers and label them accordingly in the transcript. Your transcript is also time-coded and synced with the audio or video. So, you can click on a word in the transcript and immediately jump to that part in the audio or video.
Podcasters, video editors, and creators can all benefit from automated transcription. Say you’re editing an interview and realize there’s a section you want to cut. You can simply edit the text version, and the audio will adjust automatically, leaving you with a highly accurate transcript.
Pros of Descript’s YouTube transcription tool:
Cons of Descript’s YouTube transcription tool:
Before AI technology, transcribing was done manually. This involved someone diligently typing out every word with the help of headphones and a foot pedal. Even today, manual transcription is preferred for important projects like legal cases or qualitative research.
It can take hours to transcribe a long video, or even just an hour of content. If you’re not a professional transcriptionist, you probably won’t enjoy manually transcribing YouTube videos.
Pros of manual transcription:
Cons of manual transcription:
If you want manually generated YouTube transcripts without actually typing it out yourself, consider leaning on a professional transcription service. Popular options include Rev, GoTranscript, and TranscribeMe.
While accuracy is high with this YouTube transcription option, turnaround times can be slow. It’s also more expensive since you’re paying a person (not a free tool) to transcribe the content for you.
Pros of professional transcription services:
Cons of professional transcription services:
Gone are the days of trying to transcribe an audio clip or podcast episode, or paying an expensive transcription service to do the hard work for you. With Descript, you can easily convert spoken words into written ones with our free audio-to-text tool.
Simply paste in the YouTube link to Descript, and within minutes you’ll have an accurate, time stamped transcript ready for editing. Even if your video has multiple people speaking, Descript identifies and labels them accurately.
We’re biased, but Descript is the best YouTube transcription tool for YouTubers. And we’re not the only ones who think so. Millions of creators rely on Descript’s video editing suite to produce top-notch videos.
All free plans include advanced features that let you create world-class transcriptions, including:
Millions of brands and creators are already using Descript for their audio and video content. Join them by signing up for your free account today.
To turn a YouTube video into a transcript, locate the three dots beneath the video and choose Show transcript from the drop down menu. YouTube will show the auto-generated transcript in the side menu.
To turn your YouTube video transcript into a Word Document, upload the file into Descript. Use AI features to remove filler words and add speaker tags, then copy and paste the edited YouTube transcript into a new Google Doc.
YouTube doesn’t create an automated transcript for every video. If the creator has disabled the transcript for a video you want to transcribe, download the file and upload it into Descript. The transcription software will automatically generate one for you.
Mina is a writer, video game narrative designer, and all-around word nerd. When not writing, she embarks on adventures with her husky, Moro.
