Real captions
RegiAI uses the captions provided with the video. It does not pretend to transcribe captionless videos.
Free · no sign-up required
YouTube Transcript Generator
Paste a public, captioned video to get a readable transcript with timestamps, then copy or download it without creating an account.
Caption-based transcript, timestamps, copy, and download are free.
Sign in only if you want to save →
Your transcript will appear here
Paste a public YouTube link with captions and press Generate transcript.
Reading the available captions…
Long videos can take a little longer.
Free result
Built on the video's real captions
Useful timestamps
Every transcript segment links back to the exact moment in the original YouTube video.
Optional source library
Use the tool without an account, or sign in when you want the source, transcript, and notes saved together.
This free YouTube transcript generator gives you the full text of a YouTube video in seconds. Paste a link to a public video with captions, and RegiAI lines up every caption segment with a clickable timestamp that jumps to that moment in the video. Copy the transcript or download it as a .txt file, without creating an account.
Want a summary instead of every word? YouTube to Notes turns the same video into key ideas, a timeline and review questions. To make slides from a video, paste its link into the AI Presentation Maker. For audio files that are not on YouTube, use AI Speech to Text.
How to use YouTube Transcript Generator
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1
Paste a YouTube link
Copy the URL of a public video with captions from your browser or the YouTube app, and paste it into the box.
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2
Generate the transcript
Press Generate transcript. RegiAI reads the caption track and splits it into timestamped segments.
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3
Copy or download
Copy the whole transcript, or download it as a .txt file. Click any timestamp to open the video at that point.
What you can make
Quotes for articles
Copy an exact quote from an interview, speech or talk, with the time it was said.
Study from lectures
Read a lecture instead of rewatching it, and search it for the parts you need.
Find a moment fast
Search the transcript for a word, then click the timestamp to jump there.
Repurpose your own videos
Turn your videos into blog posts, newsletters, show notes and social captions.
Language learning
Read along with a video in the language you are learning, and replay tricky lines.
Accessibility
Give people who prefer reading, or cannot hear the audio, a text version of a video.
Feed other AI tools
Paste the transcript into your own AI assistant, or into the AI Presentation Maker for slides.
Research and fact-checking
Check what was actually said in a video before you cite or share it.
How to get a transcript of a YouTube video
Getting a YouTube transcript with RegiAI takes three steps and no software:
- Copy the link. On a computer, copy the address bar or use Share, then Copy link. In the YouTube app, tap Share, then Copy link. Standard watch links, short youtu.be links and Shorts links are accepted.
- Paste and generate. Paste the link into the box above and press Generate transcript.
- Use the text. Scroll the timestamped transcript, click a timestamp to open the video at that moment, copy the text, or download it as a .txt file.
YouTube also shows a transcript panel inside the video page, but it is awkward to copy from and cannot be downloaded as a file. This generator gives you the same captions as clean, copyable text with timestamps in one click.
The transcript appears in the same page, usually within seconds, with one row per caption segment. Long videos simply give a longer transcript; the panel scrolls, and the download always includes the complete text.
Captions, accuracy and which videos work
The transcript comes from the caption track that YouTube provides with the video, either captions uploaded by the creator or YouTube's automatic captions. RegiAI does not re-transcribe the audio, so it is fast and free, and it never pretends to have a transcript for a video without captions. If a video has no caption track, you see "Transcript unavailable".
Accuracy depends on those captions. Creator-uploaded captions are usually very accurate. Automatic captions are good for clear speech but can mishear names, technical terms and accents, and they often lack punctuation. Check important quotes against the video using the timestamps.
The video must be public. Private videos, members-only content and some restricted videos cannot be read. If you own the recording, or it is not on YouTube, download or export the audio and upload it to AI Speech to Text for an AI transcript at $0.05 per file.
Tip: automatic captions often run sentences together. When you paste a transcript into a document, a quick pass to add paragraph breaks at topic changes makes it much easier to read.
Free, no account needed, with optional saving
Generating, copying and downloading transcripts is free, with no sign-up and no payment. To keep the free tool fast for everyone, each visitor can make up to 10 requests an hour.
Signing in with Google is optional. When you are signed in, each video is saved to your workspace as a source with its transcript, so you can reopen it later, create notes from it, or turn it into a presentation without pasting the link again.
Related free tools: YouTube to Notes summarizes a video into study notes, and the YouTube Thumbnail Downloader saves a video's thumbnail in full resolution. For subtitle files (SRT) from your own video files, use the AI Subtitle Generator.
Signing in never costs anything on this page. The transcript tool does not use credits or the daily free generation.
Need the transcript in another form? Paste it into a document and save it as a Word file or PDF, or paste it into the AI Presentation Maker as notes to build slides from it.
YouTube Transcript Generator FAQ
Still stuck? Contact us.
Is the YouTube transcript generator free?
Yes. Transcripts, timestamps, copy and .txt download are free and need no account.
Do I need to sign in?
No. Sign in with Google only if you want transcripts saved to your workspace, where you can reopen them later or turn them into notes and presentations.
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?
Copy the video link, paste it into the box and press Generate transcript. The timestamped text appears on the page, ready to copy or download.
Can I download the YouTube transcript?
Yes, as a plain .txt file. You can also copy it to your clipboard with one click.
Does it include timestamps?
Yes. Every segment has a timestamp that links to that moment in the video.
Does it work for videos without captions?
No. It uses the video's caption track, including automatic captions. Without captions, you see "Transcript unavailable". For your own recordings, use AI Speech to Text.
Does it work with YouTube Shorts?
Yes, if the Short has captions. Many Shorts do not, in which case no transcript is available.
What language is the transcript in?
The language of the video's caption track. RegiAI does not translate it. For a translated voice track of a short clip, see the AI Audio Translator.
How accurate is the transcript?
As accurate as the captions. Creator-uploaded captions are usually excellent; automatic captions can mishear names, technical terms and accents, and may lack punctuation. Use the timestamps to check important quotes.
Can I get subtitles (SRT) instead?
This tool gives plain text with timestamps. For SRT subtitle files from your own video, use the AI Subtitle Generator.
Can I summarize the transcript?
Yes. YouTube to Notes creates a summary with key ideas, a timeline and review questions from the same video, also free.
Is there a limit?
Up to 10 requests an hour per visitor. That keeps the free tool fast for everyone; if you reach the limit, wait a little and try again.
Can I get a transcript from a YouTube playlist?
One video at a time. Paste each video link from the playlist separately; each one takes only a few seconds.
Can I get the transcript of a live stream?
Yes, once the stream has ended and YouTube has added captions to the recording. Streams without captions cannot be transcribed here.