Free YouTube tool
YouTube Transcript Downloader
Get the available caption text from a supported YouTube video and copy or save it — free, with timestamps, no account needed.
Free · No sign-up · Requires retrievable captions
Get the transcript out of YouTube and into your notes
YouTube's own transcript panel is read-only in practice: you can select text, but you lose the formatting, the timestamps run together, and there is no export. This tool gives you the whole transcript as clean text ready to copy into a document, a notes app, or an AI chat.
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.
Copy the whole thing at once
One action takes the entire transcript, not the visible portion of a scrolling panel.
Timestamps preserved
Timecodes stay attached to their lines, so the saved text is still navigable later.
Plain text, no lock-in
Output is ordinary text. Paste it anywhere — Docs, Notion, Obsidian, ChatGPT, a script file.
How to download a YouTube transcript
- 1
Paste the video link
Copy the YouTube URL and paste it into the field above.
- 2
Generate the transcript
JumpWatch requests the caption track and returns timestamped text when it is retrievable.
- 3
Copy and save
Copy the text and paste it into whatever document or tool you want to keep it in.
Who needs a saved transcript
Note-takers
Keep the caption text alongside your notes so you can trace a passage and verify it against the video later.
Researchers
Pull the actual argument out of a conference talk or interview, with timestamps you can cite, without watching the whole recording.
Creators
Mine podcasts and interviews for quotes, scripts, and references, or repurpose your own videos into blog posts and show notes.
Anyone using AI tools
Paste a full transcript into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to summarize or interrogate it yourself.
Transcript download FAQ
How do I download a YouTube transcript?
Paste the video link above, wait for JumpWatch to retrieve the available caption text, then copy and save it wherever you like.
Does it include timestamps?
Yes. Every line keeps its timecode so the saved transcript remains navigable.
Is there a limit on how many transcripts I can get?
Yes. The public tool is rate- and capacity-limited. If a limit is reached, wait before retrying.
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.