YouTube Transcript Downloader
A YouTube transcript downloader saves the full text of a video, everything that is said, as a file you can keep, edit or feed to other tools. YouTubeTranscript.dev downloads it as TXT, SRT, VTT or JSON, with or without timestamps.
Paste a link, then download the transcript in the format you need. Videos without captions are transcribed from the audio by AI.
Four formats
Plain text for reading and AI tools, SRT and VTT for subtitles, JSON for code.
Timestamps your way
Keep a timestamp on every line, or download clean text without them.
Whole playlists and channels
Download transcripts for every video in a playlist or channel in one job.
HOW TO DOWNLOAD A YOUTUBE TRANSCRIPT
Copy the video link
Any YouTube video, Short, playlist or channel URL works.
Paste it and click Extract
Captioned videos come back in seconds. Videos without captions are transcribed from the audio.
Pick a format
Choose TXT, SRT, VTT or JSON, and whether to keep timestamps.
Download or copy
Save the file, or copy the whole transcript to your clipboard in one click.
WHICH FORMAT SHOULD YOU DOWNLOAD?
TXT
Plain text. Best for reading, notes, and pasting into ChatGPT or Claude.
Hello and welcome to the show. Today we're talking about…
SRT
Numbered subtitle blocks with start and end times. Works in VLC, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and YouTube Studio.
1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,500 Hello and welcome to the show.
VTT
The web subtitle format for HTML5 video players.
WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.500 Hello and welcome to the show.
JSON
Every line with its start and end time, ready for code and data pipelines.
[{ "start": 0, "end": 2500,
"text": "Hello and welcome to the show." }]WHAT PEOPLE DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPTS FOR
- ✓Turn videos into blog posts, newsletters and social posts
- ✓Feed long videos to ChatGPT or Claude for summaries and answers
- ✓Add or fix subtitles in your own video projects
- ✓Quote speakers accurately in articles and research
- ✓Study lectures and tutorials at your own pace
- ✓Keep a searchable archive of the videos that matter to you
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I download the transcript of a YouTube video?
Copy the video's link, paste it into YouTubeTranscript.dev and click Extract. When the transcript opens, click Export and choose TXT, SRT, VTT or JSON.
Is the YouTube transcript downloader free?
Yes, to start. Every account gets 10 free credits a month, and a video with captions costs 1 credit. No credit card is needed.
Can I download a transcript without timestamps?
Yes. Turn timestamps off before you export, and you get clean text with one paragraph after another.
Can I download transcripts for a whole playlist or channel?
Yes. Paste a playlist or channel link and every video's transcript is extracted in one job. Free accounts can do up to 10 videos per job.
What if the video has no captions?
We transcribe the audio with AI, at 1 credit per 2 minutes of video, so you still get a downloadable transcript.