How to Download YouTube Transcript as Text File [2026]

To download a YouTube transcript as a text file, use a free online tool like NoteLM.ai. YouTube doesn't provide a native download option—you can only view and copy transcripts within the platform. This guide shows you how to download transcripts in TXT, SRT, and JSON formats.

Why YouTube Doesn't Have a Download Button

YouTube's transcript feature is designed for on-screen viewing, not downloading. The platform allows you to:

• ✅ View transcripts alongside videos
• ✅ Click timestamps to navigate
• ✅ Copy text (without timestamps)
• ❌ Download as a file

This limitation exists because YouTube prioritizes keeping users on the platform. However, third-party tools can extract and format transcript data for download.

Download Formats Explained

Before downloading, choose the right format for your needs:

TXT Format Example

[0:00] Welcome to this tutorial
[0:05] Today we'll cover three main topics
[0:12] First, let's look at the basics

SRT Format Example

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Welcome to this tutorial

2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:12,000
Today we'll cover three main topics

3
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:18,000
First, let's look at the basics

JSON Format Example

{
  "transcript": [
    {"start": 0, "duration": 5, "text": "Welcome to this tutorial"},
    {"start": 5, "duration": 7, "text": "Today we'll cover three main topics"},
    {"start": 12, "duration": 6, "text": "First, let's look at the basics"}
  ]
}

Method 1: NoteLM.ai Transcript Download (Recommended)

The fastest free way to download YouTube transcripts with multiple format options.

Step-by-Step Instructions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID

• Click "Download TXT" for plain text
• Click "Download SRT" for subtitle format
• Click "Copy" to paste elsewhere

File Naming

Downloaded files are typically named:

[Video Title]_transcript.txt
[Video Title]_transcript.srt

This makes organizing multiple transcripts easy.

Method 2: YouTube-DL / yt-dlp

For power users comfortable with command-line tools, yt-dlp can download subtitles directly.

Installation

On Windows (using pip):

pip install yt-dlp

On Mac (using Homebrew):

brew install yt-dlp

On Linux:

sudo apt install yt-dlp

Download Commands

Download auto-generated subtitles:

yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download "VIDEO_URL"

Download manual subtitles:

yt-dlp --write-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download "VIDEO_URL"

Convert to SRT format:

yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --sub-format srt --convert-subs srt --skip-download "VIDEO_URL"

Output Files

yt-dlp creates files like:

Video Title [VIDEO_ID].en.vtt
Video Title [VIDEO_ID].en.srt

Method 3: Browser Extension Download

Some browser extensions offer download functionality for YouTube transcripts.

How Extensions Work

1. 1.Install the extension from Chrome Web Store
2. 2.Navigate to a YouTube video
3. 3.Click the extension's download button
4. 4.Choose format and save

Considerations

• Verify extension permissions carefully
• Check recent reviews for reliability
• Some extensions require payment for downloads
• May stop working when YouTube updates

Batch Downloading Multiple Transcripts

If you need transcripts from multiple videos, here are efficient approaches:

Using NoteLM.ai

Process videos one at a time—each takes only 2-3 seconds:

1. 1.Open tool in one tab
2. 2.Open YouTube playlist in another
3. 3.Copy URL → Paste → Download → Repeat

Using yt-dlp

Download all subtitles from a playlist:

yt-dlp --write-auto-sub --sub-lang en --skip-download "PLAYLIST_URL"

This creates individual subtitle files for each video.

What to Do With Downloaded Transcripts

For Studying

1. 1.Import into note-taking apps (Notion, Obsidian, Evernote)
2. 2.Highlight key passages
3. 3.Create flashcards from important points
4. 4.Search across multiple transcripts

For Content Creation

1. 1.Repurpose video content as blog posts
2. 2.Create article outlines from video structure
3. 3.Extract quotes with timestamps for references
4. 4.Generate social media content

For Accessibility

1. 1.Share with hearing-impaired viewers
2. 2.Translate to other languages
3. 3.Create alternative formats (audio descriptions)
4. 4.Archive video content as text

For Research

1. 1.Analyze speech patterns
2. 2.Keyword and topic analysis
3. 3.Create searchable archives
4. 4.Citation and reference gathering

File Size Expectations

Transcript file sizes are small:

Even long lectures produce small files—storage is never an issue.

Troubleshooting

Download Button Not Working

Possible causes:

• Browser blocking downloads
• Ad blocker interference
• JavaScript disabled

Solutions:

• Check browser download settings
• Disable ad blocker temporarily
• Enable JavaScript
• Try a different browser

File Opens as Gibberish

• Open with UTF-8 encoding specified
• In Notepad: Open → Encoding → UTF-8
• In VS Code: Auto-detects correctly

Transcript Missing Parts

Possible causes:

• Original video has gaps in captions
• Auto-captions failed for some sections
• Music/silence periods

Solution:

• Check the video for those sections
• Fill in manually if needed
• Note gaps for completeness

Quick steps:

1. 1.Copy YouTube video URL
2. 2.Paste into NoteLM.ai
3. 3.Click download (TXT or SRT)
4. 4.File saves to your Downloads folder

Start downloading transcripts now—it's free and takes just seconds.

Try NoteLM.ai Transcript Download →