YouTube transcript guide

How to Get a YouTube Transcript

If you need the words from a YouTube video instead of the video itself, there are a few simple ways to get them.

Quick answer

If you need the words from a YouTube video instead of the video itself, there are a few simple ways to get them.

Get the transcript with FlowTranscript

Paste the YouTube URL into FlowTranscript to retrieve an accessible transcript or caption track.

Use YouTube’s built-in transcript

Some videos expose a transcript directly inside YouTube. Look for the transcript option in the video details or additional controls.

Get a transcript on mobile

On mobile, you can check YouTube’s available controls or paste the video URL into FlowTranscript in your browser.

If the transcript is unavailable

Not every video exposes an accessible transcript or caption track. Check the URL, confirm captions exist, and try again later if access is temporarily limited.

01

Copy the video URL

Open the YouTube video and copy its link.

02

Open FlowTranscript

Go to the main transcript tool.

03

Paste the URL

Paste the link into the YouTube URL field.

04

Work with the text

Read, copy, or save the available transcript.

Tip

Transcript availability depends on the source video and what YouTube exposes for it.

Need the transcript now?

Paste the YouTube link into FlowTranscript and retrieve the available caption text.

Open FlowTranscript →

Common questions

Can I get a transcript from every YouTube video?
No. A video needs to expose an accessible transcript or caption track.
Does FlowTranscript transcribe the audio itself?
Not in the current version. It retrieves transcript or caption tracks already available for the video.
Can automatically generated captions work?
Yes, when YouTube exposes an accessible automatically generated caption track.

Continue with a related transcript task