YouTube Video to Text from a Link

Paste a video link and get a transcript with timestamps. Copy the text or download TXT and SRT - free and with no sign-up.

How to turn a YouTube video into text

saved.video pulls the text of a YouTube video from its captions - either the ones the creator uploaded or the automatic ones YouTube generates. Paste the link and in a few seconds you get a transcript split into paragraphs with timestamps. No video download, software, or extensions needed.

  1. Copy the video link - Take the address from your browser bar, or use Share → Copy link in the YouTube app.
  2. Paste it into the field above - Click "Get text" - the service finds the captions and builds a transcript from them.
  3. Copy or download - Copy the text in one click or save a file: TXT, TXT with timestamps, or SRT.

Formats you can get

  • Plain text (TXT) - Paragraphs of text - for notes, an article, finding a quote, or pasting into an AI chat to get a summary.
  • Text with timestamps - Each paragraph starts with a time mark, so you can jump to the right moment in the video.
  • SRT subtitles - A standard subtitle file that opens in video editors and players like VLC.

Where the text comes from and how accurate it is

  • Creator captions - If the creator uploaded captions, the text is the most accurate - with punctuation and correct names.
  • YouTube automatic captions - YouTube recognizes the speech itself. This text often lacks punctuation and may misspell names and terms, but it conveys the meaning well.
  • Several languages - If a video has captions in more than one language, switch between them in the list above the text.

If you cannot get the text

  • The video has no captions - The creator may have turned captions off, and very new videos get automatic captions only after a while. Videos without speech, such as music, have no text either.
  • The language is not supported - YouTube does not generate automatic captions for every language. Without them or creator captions, there is no text to get yet.
  • An error while fetching - YouTube sometimes responds slowly. Wait a minute and try again.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes. Getting the text is free, with no sign-up and nothing to install.

Why is there no punctuation in the text?

That is how YouTube automatic captions look: the speech is recognized but punctuation is mostly missing. If the video has creator captions, pick them in the language list - they keep punctuation.

Can I get the text of a video without captions?

Not yet: the text is built from the video captions. If a video has none, the service will tell you.

Can I translate the text into another language?

The service shows the caption languages the video has. To translate, copy the text into a translator or an AI chat.

How do I get a short summary of a video?

Copy the text with the Copy button and paste it into an AI chat, asking it to summarize the main points. It is a quick way to see what a long video is about without watching all of it.

Do you store transcripts?

A video transcript is kept on the server for a few hours so repeat requests open faster, and it is not linked to any user. We do not keep a history of your requests.