TXT · SRT
This YouTube transcript generator extracts the captions of a public video as clean text, timestamped text, or an SRT subtitle file. Paste a link, then copy or download the transcript free, with no signup.
How to get a transcript
Choose the right format
Clean text
Reading, notes, summaries, and editing
Continuous text without timestamps
Text with timestamps
Research, quoting, and finding moments
One timestamp beside every caption cue
SRT subtitles
Video editors and subtitle uploads
Numbered cues with start and end times
This tool reads an available YouTube caption track. It does not listen to or upload the video itself.
Use clean text for reading, timestamps for research, and SRT when subtitle timing matters.
Names, accents, jargon, and overlapping speech can be misheard. Check important text before publishing.
Common questions
What the tool can retrieve, what each export contains, and when a transcript may be unavailable.
Create a timestamp linkThe video must be public and have an accessible caption track. Private, members-only, age-restricted, region-restricted, or uncaptained videos may not return a transcript.
No. Cutlark reads caption tracks that YouTube already makes available for the video. It does not upload the video or run a separate speech-to-text model.
Yes. Choose SRT subtitles before running the tool, then use Download SRT. The file includes numbered cues with start and end timestamps.
Clean text removes cue times for easier reading and editing. Timestamped text keeps a time marker beside each caption line so you can find the matching moment in the video.
No. Automatic captions can mishear names, accents, technical terms, overlapping speakers, or unclear audio. Review important quotations and subtitle files before publishing them.
Use the YouTube Chapters Generator to format timestamps or the YouTube Description Generator to draft publishing copy.
Transcript guide
A transcript is the quickest way to search, quote, or repurpose a video. This guide explains where YouTube captions come from and why their quality varies, compares the file formats you will meet, lists practical uses for a transcript, and shows creators how to fix the automatic captions on their own videos.
| Caption type | Who makes it | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Uploaded captions | The creator or a captioning service | Usually the most accurate, with names and terms spelled correctly |
| Automatic captions | YouTube’s speech recognition | Available quickly, but quality varies |
| Auto-translated captions | Machine translation of an existing track | Good for the gist, not for exact wording |
| Live automatic captions | Speech recognition during a live stream | Available in English only |
The transcript generator labels each result as creator captions or auto-generated, so you know how carefully to check it before you rely on it.
YouTube notes that automatic captions come from machine learning, so their quality varies. The usual trouble spots are:
Captions may not be created at all when the audio is poor, the language is not supported, or the video opens with a long stretch of silence.
| Format | What it looks like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Clean text | One continuous block of plain text | Reading, quoting, and summarizing |
| Timestamped text | Each line starts with a time such as [1:05] | Notes, show notes, and finding a moment again |
| SRT (.srt) | Numbered cues with timings like 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,500 | Video editors and caption uploads |
| WebVTT (.vtt) | Similar cues, a WEBVTT header, and dots instead of commas in timings | Web players and HTML5 video |
Corrected captions help viewers who rely on them, and they give everyone who generates a transcript later a much cleaner text.
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