Free YouTube Transcript Extractor — copy or download TXT & SRT, no sign-up
Paste any YouTube video URL and get the full transcript in seconds. Copy it clean, quote it with timestamps, or download it as TXT or SRT — free, unlimited, no account.
How this YouTube-to-text tool works
TranscriptGrab reads the caption track that YouTube already stores for the video — the same data the “Show transcript” button reveals on desktop, but without the clicks, the clunky side panel or the copy restrictions. When you paste a URL, the tool resolves the video, lists every caption language available (manual captions and auto-generated alike), and converts the track into clean, readable text. Because there is no transcription running in the cloud, results appear almost instantly even for two-hour podcasts. You choose whether you want timestamps for quoting and subtitle work, or plain text for notes, articles and translation. One click exports the whole thing as TXT or as a standards-compliant SRT file that drops straight into video editors, subtitling suites and LLM prompts.
- Copy the video link from YouTube (or just its ID).
- Paste it above and press Get transcript.
- Copy or download as TXT or SRT — timestamps on or off.
What people use YouTube transcripts for
Content & SEO
Bloggers and newsletter writers turn talks and interviews into article drafts in minutes, repurposing spoken material without replaying the video twenty times. Students and researchers quote lectures precisely, and journalists cite interviews with exact timestamps instead of paraphrasing from memory.
Accessibility & translation
Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, language learners and translators work with the full written text of any captioned video. A clean TXT export can be pasted into any translation tool, and an SRT export makes videos usable in players and courses that need subtitle files.
Notes & knowledge
Podcast listeners capture show notes from episodes, course students review lectures before exams, and teams extract decisions from recorded meetings that were published to a channel. Searchable text makes any video skimmable again.
AI workflows
paste the transcript into any chatbot or writing assistant to summarize, outline or expand long videos. A three-hour conference talk becomes a one-page brief while you grab a coffee — something impossible with the raw video alone.
Frequently asked questions
Is TranscriptGrab free and do I need an account?
It is completely free and unlimited, and there is no account, email or login. Paste a YouTube URL and the transcript appears in seconds.
Which videos can I extract transcripts from?
Any public YouTube video that has captions — either uploaded by the creator or auto-generated by YouTube. Age-restricted or private videos cannot be extracted.
Can I download the transcript as a file?
Yes. You can download the transcript as a plain TXT file (with or without timestamps) or as an SRT subtitle file ready for editors and video tools. Both options are free.
Does it work with auto-generated captions?
Yes. Auto-generated (ASR) captions are extracted exactly like manual captions, and you can pick any available language when a video offers several.
Can I copy the transcript to paste it elsewhere?
Yes, one click copies the whole transcript to your clipboard — with timestamps for quoting, or clean text for notes, blog posts, summaries and translation tools.
Is there a video-length limit?
No. Short clips and multi-hour podcasts are extracted the same way, and the word count is displayed so you always know what you got.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The page is fully responsive and lightweight, so it works on phones and tablets as comfortably as on desktop.
Is downloading YouTube transcripts legal?
Transcripts are the creator's content. Extract them for personal use, study, quoting or accessibility — always respect YouTube's Terms of Service and the creator's rights.