YouTube transcript – read a video as text
Chat shortcut: /transcript
With your account, paste the link of a YouTube video and get the spoken words as a YouTube transcript. That way you read talks, tutorials and interviews instead of watching them, and keep working with the text right away.
With Account
Where the text comes from
The tool fetches the text via the Supadata service, which reads a video's subtitle track. These can be subtitles the channel uploaded itself or automatically generated ones. The link is passed to this service for that; the transcript is stored as an attachment at ChatX.
The quality depends on this track: the channel's own subtitles are usually cleaner, automatic subtitles often come without punctuation and make mistakes with names, technical terms and background noise. With “Continue in Chat” you can have the text cleaned up with paragraphs and punctuation in one step.
This is practical wherever reading is faster than listening: to look up a passage in a lecture, for quotes in a paper, for show notes and blog posts from your own videos, or to have a foreign-language video translated afterwards.
How it works
- 1
Copy link
Copy the address of the YouTube video from the address bar or via “Share”.
- 2
Paste link
Sign in, paste the address into the field and click “Get transcript”.
- 3
Use the text
Copy the transcript, save it as TXT or open it in the chat to summarize, translate or structure it.
Typical uses
Learning and looking things up
Search a lecture or tutorial as text instead of scrubbing back and forth through the video.
Research and quotes
Record statements from interviews or talks verbatim and cite the source.
Show notes and blog
Have a summary, chapters or a blog post created from your own video in the chat.
Foreign-language videos
Get the transcript and have it translated into English or the key points explained in the chat.
Good to know
- Suitable for public and unlisted videos with subtitles; private videos can't be fetched, and fetching can fail in individual cases, for example with age restrictions.
- If a video returns no text, for example because subtitles are missing, use Audio transcription with an uploaded file.
- There is no language selection; the transcript usually comes in the language of the video, and you do the translation afterwards in the chat.
- Output as plain text without timestamps; download as a TXT file or copy to the clipboard.
- You need an account to fetch it. Further processing in the chat is billed by usage like any chat reply.
- The link goes to the Supadata service. The transcript stays as an attachment in the chat until you delete it; if it doesn't end up in any chat, it is deleted after two days.
- The rights to the content remain with the video's creator; what you may do with the text is governed by copyright and YouTube's terms.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work with every video?
Usually with public and unlisted videos that have subtitles, including Shorts. Private videos are not supported; with age-restricted videos or disruptions at the service, fetching can fail.
What do I do if the video has no subtitles?
Then usually no text comes back. In that case, upload the audio or video file to Audio transcription, where the speech is recognized directly.
How accurate is the transcript?
As accurate as the subtitle track. Subtitles created by the channel are usually cleaner; automatic subtitles contain errors with names, technical terms and poor audio quality and often come without punctuation.
Are there timestamps?
No, the transcript is plain flowing text. If you're looking for a passage, use your browser's search or have an outline created in the chat.
Which language does the text come in?
Usually in the language of the video; there is no language selection. You can translate the transcript afterwards in the chat.
Can I keep working with the transcript?
Yes. With one click you open the transcript in the chat and have it summarized, translated, structured or turned into bullet points.
Am I allowed to use the transcript?
The rights to the content remain with the creator. What is permitted is governed by copyright and YouTube's terms; for your own notes and research you use the text within that scope, while publishing the whole text needs the creator's permission.