vidmagpie.

YouTube to text

Paste a YouTube link and get the spoken words as plain text you can read, search or copy.

Download type

How to use it

  1. Copy the YouTube link from the Share button or the address bar.
  2. Paste it above and keep Transcript and TXT selected.
  3. Press Download and open the file in any notes app or text editor.

At a glance

Output
Plain text (TXT)
Also available
SRT and VTT with timings
Speech-to-text limit
1 hour per video
Price
3 free, then from $2.50
Works on
iPhone, Android, Mac, PC

Home YouTube to text · Updated

How do I convert a YouTube video to text?

Paste the video's link into the box above and press Download. The selector is already on Transcript and the format on TXT, which gives you the words with no timestamps in the way. Open the file in Notes, Word, Google Docs or any text editor. Reading a long talk this way takes a fraction of the time it takes to watch it.

What can I do with the text?

Most people skim it before deciding whether to watch, or search it for the part they need. You can paste it into your notes, pull quotes for an article, translate it, or hand it to a summarising tool. Plain text has no timings or formatting, so it drops cleanly into anything that accepts text, from an email to a spreadsheet.

Does it work on videos without captions?

Yes. If the video has captions we use those. If it has none, our speech-to-text (Whisper) writes the text from the audio, for videos up to one hour. It does well on a single clear speaker. Music, crosstalk and strong accents lead to mistakes, so check anything important against the video before you rely on it.

Is YouTube to text free?

Yes, for your first 3 downloads. Make a free account with an email and password and you get 3 downloads to try it. After that, A Little More is $2.50 for 20 downloads, paid once. Pro is $5.99 a month for unlimited downloads, or $14 a quarter, or $45 a year. If a download fails, it doesn't use a credit.

We build your file on our server and delete it 15 minutes after it's ready. Your account history keeps the link, the title and the format you picked, and you can clear it whenever you like. There's no app to install: it all runs in the browser on iPhone, Android, Mac and PC.

More downloaders

Browse all guides (English)

Questions, answered.

Can I get the text with timestamps?

Yes. Choose SRT or VTT instead of TXT, and each line keeps its time. The subtitle downloader page explains the difference.

How long can the video be?

Up to 3 hours when the video has captions. If we need speech-to-text, the limit is 1 hour.

Which languages does it support?

Captions come in whatever languages the video has. Speech-to-text handles many common languages, best when one is spoken clearly.

Can I copy the text on my phone?

Yes. On iPhone the TXT opens from the Files app, and on Android from Downloads. Press and hold to select and copy.

Does it work for TikTok or Instagram videos too?

Yes. Any supported site works. Paste the link the same way.

Is it free?

You get 3 free downloads when you make an account. After that it's $2.50 for 20 downloads, or Pro at $5.99 a month for unlimited. Failed downloads don't count.

Do you keep my files?

No. Each file is deleted from our server 15 minutes after it's ready. Your history only stores the link, title and format, and you can clear it.