How to Get a Transcript of a YouTube Video

While I edit and write “how to” articles, sometimes I also need instructions on how to do it. But when I’m looking for guidance on, say, a difficult crochet stitch, it often helps to have a detailed text explanation that I can have on hand without having to sit down and watch a video over and over again.

For this, there is the transcription automatically generated by YouTube. A transcript is not only useful when you want to view text of what is being said while watching the video, but it is also useful as a reference point later. For example, if you don’t have the time or patience to watch an entire video, simply skim the transcript to get the gist of it and save it for future reference.

Here’s how to find and use YouTube’s transcription feature:

You can also create a transcript using the YouTube mobile app – but while the instructions for finding the transcript are largely the same, you can’t remove the timestamps. I also couldn’t copy/paste the text (if there is a way to do this, please let me know in the comments).

One more note: As anyone who has used YouTube’s automatically generated captions or transcripts knows, the text can sometimes be inaccurate to the point of hilarity. If you are looking for a more accurate transcription, you can try Google Recorder app, which is built into your Pixel phones but is available for other Android phones. I compared the two, and while the accuracy of the text was about the same, Recorder adds actual sentence structure – you know, periods, capitalization and things like that – making it much easier to read.

There are also several third-party apps for Android and iOS devices that you can try, although most are not free.