YouTube TranscriptGet any YouTube video transcript — free, right on the page
View the full transcript next to the player. Click any line to jump to that moment, search with Ctrl+F, and copy as plain text — in one click.
Three steps, no setup
Install once. The transcript shows up on every video automatically.
Open any YouTube video
The transcript panel appears right next to the player — no new tab, no link to paste.
Click any line to jump
Tap a timestamp and the video seeks to that exact moment. Skim long videos in seconds.
Search & copy as text
Press Ctrl/Cmd+F to find any word, then copy the part you need as plain text.
Everything you need to turn video into text
A clean, readable transcript reader built right into the YouTube watch page.
Full transcript on the page
See the complete video transcript inside YouTube — no new tabs, no external sites.
Click to jump
Click any line and the video instantly jumps to that timestamp. Perfect for studying and research.
Search the transcript
Use Ctrl/Cmd+F to find any word or moment in the whole video at once.
Copy as plain text
Select and copy any part of the transcript as clean text for notes, summaries or AI prompts.
Clean, readable text
Removes [Music], [Applause] and speaker noise so you read only what matters.
Cached & auto-load
Transcripts load instantly on repeat visits, and can open automatically on every video you watch.
A transcript reader, not another AI sidebar
Most extensions push you into an AI summary behind a sign-up. gistcap just shows the real words on the page.
| gistcap | AI summarizers | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | On the YouTube page | New tab or sidebar |
| Account | None required | Sign up required |
| What you get | The exact transcript | An AI paraphrase |
| Privacy | Zero tracking | Accounts & analytics |
| Speed | Instant, cached | Waits on AI calls |
Read, don't just watch
Turn any video into text you can scan, search and reuse.
Study & note-taking
Skim lectures and tutorials as text, copy the parts that matter straight into your notes.
Research
Search inside a video to find the exact moment a topic is mentioned, then jump right to it.
Scan long videos
Read a 40-minute video in two minutes and decide if it's worth watching in full.
Quotes & AI prompts
Copy clean transcript text to quote in an article or paste into ChatGPT or Claude.
Privacy first — by design
- No account, no sign up
- No tracking, no analytics
- Data never shared with third parties
- Settings stay on your device
- Nothing ever leaves your browser
- Works only on YouTube
Read the full Privacy Policy.
Questions, answered
Is it really free?
Yes — completely free, with no account and no sign up. Install it and open any YouTube video.
Do I need to create an account?
No. There is no sign up, no login and no email required. The extension works the moment it's installed.
Where does the transcript appear?
Right on the YouTube watch page, next to the player — no new tabs and nothing to copy-paste. You can turn on auto-load to show it on every video.
Can I copy the transcript as text?
Yes. View and copy any part of the transcript as clean plain text — great for notes, study, or pasting into an AI tool.
How do I search inside a video?
Press Ctrl/Cmd+F to search the transcript on the page, then click any matching line to jump the video to that exact moment.
Does it work on YouTube Shorts?
Yes, whenever a Short has captions available the transcript appears the same way as on regular videos.
How is it different from AI summarizers?
It shows the real transcript on the page — no account, no AI sidebar, no new tab. You read, search and copy the exact words instead of an AI summary.
What about my privacy?
The extension collects no personal data. There's no tracking or analytics, nothing is shared with third parties, and your settings stay on your device. It only runs on YouTube.
Learn more about YouTube transcripts
Step-by-step help for the most common tasks and questions.
How to get a YouTube transcript
The full guide: view it on the page, jump, search and copy. Start here.
Copy a full transcript
Get the whole transcript as plain text — not just the title or first lines.
Free transcript extractor
No paywall, no daily limit, no hidden subscription. Just the text.
Without logging in
Read transcripts with no account and no Google sign-in required.
In different languages
Pick any caption language a video offers, right in the panel.
For note-taking & study
Turn lectures and tutorials into notes you can search and reuse.
Start reading YouTube as text
Free, no account, no sign up. Add it to Chrome and open any video.