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How to Get Transcripts of YouTube Videos

by Ravi Teja KNTS

The closed captions feature on YouTube comes in handy while watching videos in other languages. Especially, when you are in a loud environment, hard of hearing, or deaf. But there are a few problems too. Captions appear in real-time while playing videos which can be hard to follow for some people. More importantly, captions are not available for all YouTube videos. So here’s how to get transcripts of YouTube videos when captions aren’t available and use them to read captions at your own pace.

How to Get YouTube Video Transcript on Desktop

The transcript option has been available natively on the YouTube web app for a while now. If you think captions are too fast, here’s how to switch to the transcript option on YouTube web app.

1. Open YouTube on your browser and play any YouTube video.

2. To get the transcript, click on the three-dot menu below the title of the YouTube video.

Three-dot menu below the YouTube video

3. Here, select the Show transcript option in the menu.

Show transcript option on YouTube desktop

4. The Transcript box opens to the right of the YouTube video you are playing. You should see the captions along with their timestamps.

Transcript box in YouTube desktop

5. While the YouTube video is playing, the transcript will automatically scroll down in sync with the video. You also have the option to click on any line in the transcript to quickly move to that part of the video.

Clicking on the transcript to surf the video

How to Get YouTube Video Transcript on Android and iOS

YouTube recently added an option to get transcripts for videos even on Android and iOS versions. The process is similar on both platforms. Here’s how to do it?

1. Open the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device and play any video.

2. While the video is playing, tap on the down-arrow beside the title of the YouTube video to open the video description.

Opening description in YouTube mobile

3. Here scroll down to the bottom of the YouTube video and tap on the Show Transcript button

Show Transcript option on YouTube mobile

4. Transcript will open towards the bottom of the video.

Transcript box on YouTube mobile

5. You can open the full-screen mode if you want to. The transcript will be shown beside the YouTube video on the right automatically.

Transcript on YouTube mobile in full screen mode

6. Just like on the desktop, the transcript will scroll automatically along with the video and you also have the option to tap on any line in the transcript to quickly move to that part of the video.

How to Get a Transcript of YouTube Videos Without Captions

The transcript feature on YouTube takes advantage of captions and displays it as a transcript. Though YouTube does a great job at providing captions for every video possible, there can be a few exceptions like the video being recently uploaded or the video is too long, etc. In such cases, even transcripts of those videos will not be available. Then you switch to third-party apps to get the transcript.

1. Open the Type Studio web app and create an account by clicking on the Signup for free button at the top right.

Signing up in Text Studio app

2. Login using email or either your Google, Apple, or Facebook account.

Logging in to Text Studio app

3. Here click on the New project option.

New Project on text Studio app

4. On the next page, select the language in the video and paste the YouTube video link. Press Enter and give the app a couple of minutes to load the video.

adding video from YouTube in Text Studio app

5. Once done, you should see a transcript beside the video.

Transcript option in text Studio app

The transcript will scroll in sync with the video, but you cannot click on the transcript to move a specific part of the video. A small price to pay to watch YouTube videos without captions and transcripts.

Compared to YouTube, the subtitles or translation is a bit off on the Type Studio but can be reliable for the most part. Text Studio is a text-based video editor app, so you can find options related to editing and trimming videos. Anyhow, the app is minimal and can be used for transcription purposes.

Transcript – Lyrics for YouTube Videos

Transcripts are not just subtitles, they offer other benefits apart from showing multiple lines at once. They help you to navigate the YouTube video as you can see captions for the entire video. You can also copy a specific part of the transcript to take notes from it, instead of taking notes manually. Also, they are more helpful if you find captions are too fast for a specific video.

Also Read: How to Download Subtitles from YouTube on Desktop and Mobile

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