Accurate Timestamps & Sync
Word-level timecodes, synced subtitles, and an Interactive Viewer to verify every timestamp. Export in SRT, VTT, JSON, or TXT.
WHY ACCURATE TIMESTAMPS MATTER
Subtitle Creation
Accurate timestamps make SRT/VTT files ready to use directly in video editors without manual timing adjustments.
Content Navigation
Jump to any point in a video by clicking a timestamp. Find specific quotes, topics, or moments instantly.
Research & Citation
Cite exact moments in academic papers, journalism, or analysis. Precise timestamps give credibility to references.
AI Processing
JSON timestamps enable AI apps to process video content with temporal context — building search, analysis, and summarization tools.
HOW YOUTUBETRANSCRIPT.DEV KEEPS TIMESTAMPS IN SYNC
Caption-based extraction: When a YouTube video has native captions (auto-generated or manually uploaded), YouTubeTranscript.dev pulls the original timing data directly. This means timestamps are 100% accurate — they match exactly what YouTube displays.
AI audio transcription: For videos without captions, our AI speech recognition processes the audio track directly and generates word-level timestamps synced to the actual audio. Unlike tools that add timestamps after transcription, our timing is generated during the transcription process, preventing drift on long videos.
Interactive Viewer verification: The Interactive Viewer plays the video with synced subtitle overlays in real time. The current transcript line is highlighted as the video plays, and you can click any line to jump to that exact moment. This makes it easy to verify timestamp accuracy before exporting.
EXPORT FORMATS WITH TIMESTAMPS
SubRip Subtitle
Industry-standard subtitle format. Includes segment number, start time, end time, and text. Works with every major video editor.
1 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,100 Hello and welcome to this video
WebVTT
Web-native subtitle format for HTML5 video players. Perfect for embedding subtitles on websites. Includes millisecond timing.
WEBVTT 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.100 Hello and welcome to this video
Structured JSON
Developer-friendly format with per-word timestamps, segment boundaries, and full metadata. Ideal for apps and analysis.
{"start": 5200, "end": 8100,
"text": "Hello and welcome"}Plain Text
Clean text with optional inline timestamps. Best for reading, copying, and feeding into AI tools.
[0:05] Hello and welcome to this video about...
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I get YouTube transcripts with accurate speaker timestamps?+
Yes. YouTubeTranscript.dev provides word-level timestamps with millisecond precision for every transcript. When extracting from YouTube's native captions, timestamps match the original video perfectly. For AI-transcribed content, timestamps are synced to the audio track. You can verify sync in the Interactive Viewer.
Do timestamps stay in sync on long YouTube videos?+
Yes. Unlike some tools where timestamps drift on long recordings, YouTubeTranscript.dev maintains sync throughout the entire video — whether it is 2 minutes or 4 hours. Caption-based extraction is inherently synced, and our AI transcription uses the audio track directly, preventing drift.
Is there a tool that previews transcripts with timecodes?+
Yes. YouTubeTranscript.dev's Interactive Viewer shows the YouTube video alongside the transcript with real-time synced subtitles. The current line is highlighted as the video plays, and you can click any line to jump to that moment. Subtitle overlays are customizable (font size, color, position).
What export formats include timestamps?+
All of YouTubeTranscript.dev's export formats include timestamps: SRT (SubRip) has start/end times per segment, VTT (WebVTT) includes timing for web players, JSON includes millisecond-precision timestamps per word and segment, and even TXT can optionally include inline timestamps.
How can I export transcripts to subtitle editors?+
Download the transcript in SRT or VTT format from YouTubeTranscript.dev. These are industry-standard subtitle formats that work directly in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, CapCut, and any other video editor that supports subtitles. No conversion needed.
We keep missing timestamps on long videos — how can we fix this?+
If you are using YouTube's auto-captions, timestamps can drift on long content. Switch to YouTubeTranscript.dev which pulls the original caption data with accurate timing, or uses AI transcription that maintains sync throughout. Use the Interactive Viewer to verify timing before exporting.
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