YouTube to Text Converter - Free, Instant, No Sign-Up

From video to usable text, in one paste

To convert a YouTube video to text, copy the video link, paste it into the box at the top of this page, and the spoken words appear as readable text within seconds. No account, no software, no limits, and you can copy the text or download it as a file.

Video is great for watching and terrible for working with. You can't skim it, quote it, or paste it into a document. Converting a YouTube video to text fixes that: the whole video becomes something you can read in a fraction of the runtime, search for the one sentence you need, and reuse in your own writing.

Two views, depending on the job

The timestamped view keeps every line tied to its moment in the video, which is right for checking quotes and jumping the player around. The plain-text view merges the lines into readable paragraphs, which is right for pasting into notes, documents, or a blog draft. Both views come from the same text, so you can flip between them at any time, and the copy and download buttons always export whichever version suits the task.

Text that stays faithful to the video

The text comes from the video's own captions: the subtitles the creator uploaded when they exist, or YouTube's auto-generated captions otherwise. Nothing is paraphrased or summarized behind your back; what was said is what you get. For auto-generated captions that arrive without proper sentences, the optional "Fix punctuation" checkbox tidies the punctuation and capitalization while leaving every word exactly as it was spoken.

What people turn videos into

Blog posts and newsletters built on a talk the author already gave. Study notes from lectures, with the searchable text standing in for scrubbing through hours of playback. Meeting-style minutes from recorded webinars. Quotes for articles, with timestamps to prove them. If the end product is words on a page, converting the video to text is the first step, and it takes about five seconds here.

Need subtitle files instead of plain text? Use the YouTube subtitle downloader to export SRT and VTT with exact cue timings, or read about everything the tool does on the home page.

YouTube to text: common questions

How do I convert a YouTube video to text?

Copy the video link from YouTube, paste it into the box above, and the spoken words appear as text on this page within seconds. Switch to the plain-text view for clean paragraphs without timestamps, then copy the text or download it as a .txt file.

Is converting YouTube to text free?

Yes, completely. There is no account, no trial, no watermark, and no cap on the number or length of videos. The text comes from the captions YouTube publishes for each video, so serving it costs almost nothing.

Can I turn a YouTube video into a blog post or article?

That is one of the most common uses. Convert the video to text, copy the plain-text version, and edit it into your draft. The "Copy for AI" option also wraps the text in a ready-made prompt, so an AI assistant can produce a first draft, a summary, or key points for you.

Does it work for videos in other languages?

Yes. If the video has caption tracks in other languages, the language picker above the text switches between all of them, including YouTube’s auto-generated tracks.

Editing a transcript into something worth publishing

A caption feed and a finished paragraph are not the same thing. Here is how to turn what the converter gives you into notes, an article draft, or study material you would actually want to read again, without retyping a single word of what was actually said.

Step by step

1
Switch to the plain text view first
The timestamped view is built for scanning back to a moment in the video. Switch to plain text before you start reading or copying, since it merges the same words into paragraphs with no timestamp breaking up a sentence.
2
Turn on Fix punctuation for auto captions
Captions a creator typed by hand usually read fine as is. Auto generated captions often arrive as one long run of words with no punctuation. Fix punctuation adds sentence breaks and capitals without changing a single word.
3
Check the reading time before you commit
Each transcript shows a word count and an estimated reading time. Use it to decide whether you need the whole video or just the section that answers your question, before you read a ninety minute talk end to end.
4
Copy the paragraphs and edit for your own voice
The plain text output is exactly what was said, spoken language and all. Treat it as a first draft. Trim filler words, break up long sentences, and add your own headings once it is pasted into your notes or your draft.
5
Search first if you only need part of the video
Before copying the whole thing, type a phrase you remember into the search box in the timestamped view. It jumps straight to the matching line, so you can decide whether you need the full paragraph view or just that one section.

Good to know

Auto generated tracks are labeled (auto), so you know in advance whether Fix punctuation is worth turning on.
There is no length cap. A three hour panel discussion converts the same way a three minute clip does.
The timestamped and plain text views come from the same transcript, so switching between them never loses your place.
The text is what was said, not a summary of it. Editing it into prose is a separate step you do afterward.
Word count and reading time update for whichever caption language you have selected, since a translation is rarely the same length as the original.

Worked examples

A recorded lecture

Paste the lecture link, switch to plain text, and turn on Fix punctuation since lecture captions are usually auto generated. Copy the paragraphs that cover the topic you need and drop them into your study notes, trimming the asides the lecturer made out loud.

A conference talk becoming a blog post

Convert the talk to text, then edit out spoken filler such as 'so' and 'you know' that reads fine out loud but clutters a written page. Add subheadings where the speaker changed topic, and the transcript is most of a first draft.

A recipe video

Short recipe videos usually carry captions the creator wrote, so Fix punctuation is rarely needed. Copy the ingredient list and steps directly. They tend to need only formatting into a numbered list, since the spoken order of steps and the order you would print them are usually the same.

Editing a transcript into something worth publishing: frequently asked

What is the difference between the timestamped and plain text views?

The timestamped view keeps every line tied to a moment in the video, useful for checking a quote or jumping the player. The plain text view merges those same lines into paragraphs with no timestamps, useful for reading or pasting into a document.

Does converting a video to text change any of the wording?

No. The text is the video's own captions, creator uploaded or auto generated, with nothing paraphrased or summarized. Fix punctuation only adds punctuation and capitals, it never changes a word.

How do I know if a video's captions are auto generated?

The language picker labels every auto generated track with (auto), so you always know the source before you read or export it.

Can I convert just one part of a long video to text?

The output always covers the whole video. To work with one stretch, use the search box in the timestamped view to find it, then copy that portion by hand.

Will the text include false starts and filler words?

Yes, since it comes straight from the captions. A recorded lecture or interview will include the pauses and asides a speaker made out loud, which is why a light edit is worth doing before you publish anything.

Is there a limit on how long a video can be?

No. A five minute clip and a five hour livestream convert the same way, with no cap on length or on how many videos you convert.

Can I convert a video that has no captions at all?

Only if YouTube has generated automatic captions for it. A small number of videos have no caption track of any kind and cannot be converted yet, though YouTube typically adds auto captions within hours of upload.