How to Copy and Download a Transcript from YouTube

Updated November 3, 2026 · Summ team

YouTube will show you a transcript, but it doesn't make it easy to take the text with you. There's no Copy button, no Download button, and the timestamps get pasted in alongside every line. This guide covers how to copy a clean transcript, how to remove timestamps, and how to download it as a TXT, SRT or VTT file.

Short answer: to copy it for free on YouTube, open "Show transcript" under the description, use the panel's three-dot menu to toggle timestamps off, and select and copy the text. To get the whole transcript as a file, share the video to the Summ app and export it as TXT, SRT or VTT.

Copy or download with the Summ app

1. In the YouTube app, tap Share and choose Summ. Or copy the video link and paste it into Summ.
2. Open the transcript. Each line shows its timestamp.
3. Copy the text, or export it: TXT for plain text, SRT or VTT for a subtitle file with timings.

Summ is available for iPhone, iPad and Android, with a free plan for daily use and Premium for unlimited use and longer videos. You also get an AI summary of the video. On the web, summ.site/youtube-transcript shows the transcript, with Copy and TXT or SRT download, for videos already in Summ's library. For file formats specifically, see YouTube Transcript Download, and for plain text, YouTube to Text.

How to copy a transcript directly from YouTube (desktop)

This works in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox on a computer.

1. Open the video on youtube.com.
2. Click ...more under the video to expand the description.
3. Scroll down and click Show transcript. The transcript panel opens next to the video.
4. Click the three-dot menu at the top of the panel and select Toggle timestamps if you want text only.
5. Click just before the first word, scroll to the bottom of the panel, then Shift+click after the last word.
6. Press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac) and paste wherever you need it.

A few things to expect. Each caption line pastes as its own line, so you'll get short broken lines rather than paragraphs. On long videos, selection inside the scrolling panel can stop partway, and you may need to copy in chunks. If the "Show transcript" button isn't there, the video probably has no captions. Our main guide on how to get a YouTube transcript lists the reasons.

How to copy a YouTube transcript on iPhone or Android

In the YouTube app you can view the transcript (tap the description, scroll down, tap Show transcript), but you can't select and copy it in any useful way. Some app versions don't show the option at all. On mobile, use the Summ app:

1. In the YouTube app, tap Share and choose Summ.
2. Open the transcript in Summ.
3. Copy the text, or export it as TXT, SRT or VTT.

If you were going to paste the transcript into an AI to get the main points, the Summ app for iPhone and Android skips that step too. The same video gives you an overview, key points and timestamped chapters.

YouTube transcript without timestamps

There are three ways to get rid of the timestamps:

• On YouTube: the transcript panel's three-dot menu → Toggle timestamps, before you copy.
• With the Summ app: export the transcript as a TXT file, which has no timing at all. See YouTube to Text.
• After pasting: if you already have a transcript full of times like 12:04, most text editors with find-and-replace (and regular expressions) can strip them. This is the slowest option.

Keep timestamps if you plan to cite specific moments or jump back to check something. Drop them if you're reading, editing or pasting into a document.

YouTube SRT download: when you need subtitle files

TXT is for reading. SRT is for video software. An SRT file splits the text into numbered blocks, each with an exact start and end time, which is what players and editors need to show subtitles in sync.

Use SRT if you want to:

• Load subtitles into a video player such as VLC.
• Import captions into an editor like Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or CapCut as a starting point.
• Translate subtitles line by line while keeping the timing.

YouTube doesn't give viewers an SRT download. Creators can download captions for their own videos from YouTube Studio, but for anyone else's video, share it to the Summ app and export SRT or VTT. If the video is already in Summ's library, summ.site/youtube-transcript also offers an SRT download.

Comparison: ways to copy or download a YouTube transcript

Cleaning up a copied transcript

Auto-generated captions are rarely ready to publish. A few quick fixes help:

• Join the short caption lines into paragraphs, breaking where the speaker changes topic.
• Fix names, brands and technical terms. Auto-captions often spell these phonetically.
• Add punctuation where it's missing. Some auto-caption tracks have little or none.
• Remove filler like "[Music]" or "[Applause]" markers if you don't need them.

If what you really want is the content in a shorter, organized form, try YouTube to Notes or read our guide on how to summarize a YouTube video.