Free YouTube tool
Free YouTube Transcript Generator
Paste a supported YouTube link to get its available caption text with timestamps — free, no sign-up, no extension required.
Free · No sign-up · Requires retrievable captions
Readable caption text from a YouTube link
YouTube hides its transcript behind a menu, strips the formatting, and gives you no way to search or export it. This tool pulls the same caption data and gives it back to you as clean, timestamped text you can actually read, search, and copy.
It works with supported public YouTube videos when JumpWatch can retrieve a creator-provided or auto-generated caption track. Availability can vary with video restrictions, language, region, and temporary upstream conditions.
Timestamped throughout
Every line carries its timecode, so you can find the exact moment a point was made and jump straight back to it.
Free and no sign-up
No account, no credit card, no extension. Paste a link and read the transcript.
Built to be searched
Scan a long video for one term instead of dragging the scrubber back and forth hoping to land on it.
How to get a YouTube transcript
- 1
Copy the video link
Open the YouTube video and copy its URL from the address bar or the Share button.
- 2
Paste it above
Drop the link into the box at the top of this page and press the button.
- 3
Read, search, or copy
When captions are retrievable, the timestamped text appears for you to search, copy, or use to jump to that moment.
Who uses this
Students
Turn a long lecture into text you can search, quote, and revise from without scrubbing the video for one definition.
Researchers
Pull the actual argument out of a conference talk or interview, with timestamps you can cite, without watching the whole recording.
Professionals
Catch up on webinars, earnings calls, and industry talks by searching or skimming their transcripts before deciding what to watch.
Creators
Mine podcasts and interviews for quotes, scripts, and references, or repurpose your own videos into blog posts and show notes.
Need transcripts inside an AI agent?
JumpWatch MCP lets Claude Code, Cursor, and Streamable HTTP clients fetch timed transcripts without copying them from the browser.
YouTube transcript FAQ
How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?
Paste a supported public video link into the box at the top of this page. JumpWatch requests its caption track and returns timestamped text when that track is retrievable.
Is there a limit on video length?
JumpWatch does not advertise a fixed duration limit. Longer videos can take longer, and retrieval still depends on caption availability, service limits, and upstream conditions.
Why does a video have no transcript?
The video has neither creator-uploaded captions nor YouTube auto-captions. Auto-captions are also unavailable on some live streams and in some languages, so there is no caption track to read.
Do I need an account or an extension?
No account or extension is required for the public transcript tool, which is free and subject to rate and capacity limits. The JumpWatch Chrome extension is free to install; its AI summaries and chat require sign-in and follow your account's plan limits.
Keep the context
Take transcripts, summaries, and Ask onto YouTube.
Add the free extension for transcript search and assistant handoffs. Premium adds server-powered Brief and Ask on the video page.
Add to Chrome — FreeOr browse recent transcripts.