Does this use AI to transcribe the video's audio?

No. PodText retrieves the captions that already exist on the YouTube video — either auto-generated by YouTube or uploaded by the creator — and converts them into clean text. It doesn't re-transcribe the audio.

What if a video has no captions available?

If a video truly has no captions — no creator-uploaded track and no auto-generated captions — we can't produce a transcript from it. This is rare: most YouTube videos, including Shorts, have at least auto-generated captions.

Does this work with YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Paste a Shorts link the same way you would a regular video link.

What languages are supported?

Any language YouTube has captions for — the platform auto-generates captions in 50+ languages, and many creators add their own.

What export formats are available?

Export as plain text (TXT), Markdown, SRT subtitles, or VTT subtitles — ready to use in documents, video editors, or publishing platforms.

Captions, Instantly Extracted

YouTube to Text, Instantly

Paste any YouTube link and get the video's captions as clean, searchable text — no software, no waiting on AI transcription. Works with regular videos and Shorts.

Get YouTube Transcript FreeNo credit card required · 30 min free

TXTSRTVTTMarkdown

Built for Every YouTube Workflow

From full-length videos to Shorts — turn existing captions into text you can search, edit, and reuse.

Content Creators

Turn video captions into blog posts, show notes, and social captions without re-typing.

Researchers & Journalists

Search and cite exact quotes from long interviews and talks without scrubbing the timeline.

Students

Turn lecture and tutorial videos into study notes you can search and highlight.

Marketers & SEO Teams

Repurpose video captions into articles and landing pages built around what was actually said.

Shorts Creators

Pull captions from Shorts just as easily as long-form videos for quick repurposing.

Accessibility & Localization

Get a clean text version of any video's captions to review, translate, or repurpose.

Three Steps to Your YouTube Transcript

No software, no downloads — just a link. Most transcripts are ready in seconds.

Paste a YouTube Link

Drop in the URL for any video or Short. PodText fetches it directly — no download required.

We Pull the Captions

PodText retrieves the video's existing captions — auto-generated or creator-uploaded — and formats them into clean text.

Review, Edit, and Export

Clean up wording, then export to TXT, Markdown, SRT, or VTT.

Everything You Need From YouTube Captions

Accurate, fast, and ready to publish — no extra tools required.

Works With Auto & Creator Captions

Pulls whichever captions the video has — auto-generated or manually created by the channel.

Shorts Supported

Extract captions from YouTube Shorts just as easily as full-length videos.

Timestamps Included

Keep time markers from the original captions for easy reference and subtitle export.

Multi-Language Subtitles

Works with caption tracks in 50+ languages, wherever the video provides them.

Export-Ready Outputs

Download TXT or Markdown for documents, plus SRT/VTT for subtitles.

Private & Secure

Your transcripts are yours. Never shared or used for training.

“I used to copy YouTube captions by hand for every show notes doc. Now I paste a link and it's done in seconds.”

Alex T.

YouTube Creator

How YouTube Transcripts Work

What "YouTube to text" actually pulls, and how PodText fits in.

YouTube videos usually come with captions — either auto-generated by YouTube's speech recognition or uploaded by the creator. Getting a "YouTube transcript" means retrieving those existing captions and turning them into readable text, not re-transcribing the audio from scratch.

People want this for different reasons: creators repurpose video content into blogs and social posts; researchers and journalists cite exact quotes; students turn tutorials into study notes; marketers build content around what was actually said — all without watching hours of video.

PodText's approach is simple: paste a link, and PodText retrieves the video's caption track, cleans up the formatting into readable paragraphs, and lets you export the result. Because it relies on captions that already exist, this works instantly for the vast majority of YouTube videos and Shorts that have them.

Related tools: Video to Text, Podcast to Text

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about getting text from YouTube videos.

Get Any YouTube Video's Transcript

Paste a link and get clean, exportable text in seconds. No credit card, no software.

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Also try:Podcast to Text Video to Text