What's the difference between a transcript, subtitles, and closed captions?
A transcript is the full text of everything spoken in a video, presented as a document you can read, search, copy, or download. Subtitles are timed text shown on screen, usually translations for viewers who don't speak the video's language. Closed captions (CC) are also timed on-screen text, but include sound cues like [music] or [applause] for viewers who can't hear the audio. This tool takes a video's caption data and turns it into a clean, readable transcript.
Is this YouTube transcript generator really free?
Yes — completely free, with no hidden limits, trials, or paywalls. Paste a link, get the transcript. The site is supported by ads, so heavy use costs you nothing.
Do I need a YouTube or Google account to use it?
No. You don't need to sign in, create an account, or install anything. The tool only needs the public video URL — nothing about you.
How accurate are the transcripts?
It depends on the source captions. If the creator uploaded their own captions, the transcript is usually near-perfect. If the video only has YouTube's auto-generated captions, expect very good but not flawless accuracy — occasional misheard words, especially with heavy accents, background music, or technical jargon. A quick proofread fixes most issues.
What languages are supported?
Any language the video has captions in. If a video has caption tracks in multiple languages, the tool fetches English by default when available, otherwise the video's original language. Auto-generated captions exist for dozens of languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, and more.
Can I download the transcript?
Yes. Once the transcript appears, click Download .txt to save it as a plain-text file, or click Copy to put the whole thing on your clipboard. You can also toggle timestamps on or off before copying or downloading.
Why does a video sometimes have no transcript?
A few reasons: the uploader disabled captions entirely; the video is too new and YouTube hasn't finished auto-generating captions yet; the video is private, age-restricted, or region-locked; or it's a music-only video where auto-captioning was skipped. If captions don't exist on YouTube's side, no tool can extract them.
Is it legal to use YouTube transcripts?
Getting a transcript for personal use — studying, note-taking, research, accessibility — is generally fine. The video's content still belongs to its creator, so if you plan to republish a transcript or build content from it, quote responsibly, add your own value, and credit the source.