How to Get Transcript from YouTube Video Without Subtitles

To get a transcript from a YouTube video without subtitles, use an AI speech-to-text tool like Otter.ai, Rev.com, or Whisper. These services process the video's audio directly to generate transcripts, bypassing YouTube's caption system. This guide shows you how to transcribe any video, regardless of whether it has captions.

Why Some YouTube Videos Don't Have Subtitles

Before solving the problem, let's understand why it occurs:

Reasons for Missing Subtitles

How to Check If a Video Has Captions

Method 1: AI Transcription Services (Recommended)

AI-powered services can transcribe any video by processing its audio.

How AI Transcription Works

1. 1.Extract or access video audio
2. 2.Process through speech recognition AI
3. 3.Generate timestamped transcript
4. 4.Allow editing and export

Top AI Transcription Services

Using Otter.ai

Using Rev.com

Free Limits Comparison

Method 2: OpenAI Whisper (Free, Local)

Whisper is OpenAI's open-source speech recognition model—completely free and runs locally.

Installation

# Install Whisper
pip install openai-whisper

# Install FFmpeg (required)
# Mac:
brew install ffmpeg

# Ubuntu:
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Windows:
choco install ffmpeg

Basic Usage

# Transcribe audio file
whisper audio.mp3 --model medium --language en

# Transcribe with output formats
whisper audio.mp3 --model medium --output_format txt,srt,vtt

Python Integration

import whisper

# Load model (tiny, base, small, medium, large)
model = whisper.load_model("medium")

# Transcribe
result = model.transcribe("audio.mp3")

# Get text
print(result["text"])

# Get segments with timestamps
for segment in result["segments"]:
    start = segment["start"]
    end = segment["end"]
    text = segment["text"]
    print(f"[{start:.2f} - {end:.2f}] {text}")

Model Selection Guide

Complete Workflow: YouTube → Whisper

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "YOUTUBE_URL"

whisper video_audio.mp3 --model medium --output_format txt

Method 3: Google Docs Voice Typing

A free method using Google's speech recognition, though more manual.

Setup

Transcription Process

Limitations

• Requires manual monitoring
• Audio quality depends on playback setup
• No timestamps
• Best for short videos

Method 4: Manual Transcription

When automated tools don't produce acceptable results.

When Manual Is Necessary

• Very poor audio quality
• Heavy accents AI can't parse
• Multiple overlapping speakers
• Technical jargon not in AI vocabulary
• Legal/medical content requiring 100% accuracy

Manual Transcription Tips

Keyboard shortcuts:

• Use playback speed controls (0.5x - 0.75x)
• Pause frequently with spacebar
• Skip back 5 seconds to re-hear

Efficiency tips:

• Transcribe in 2-minute chunks
• Use transcription software (Express Scribe, oTranscribe)
• Add timestamps every 30-60 seconds
• Mark unclear sections for review

Time Estimates

Comparing Methods

Decision Guide

Choose AI Services when:

• You need quick results
• Accuracy of 90-95% is acceptable
• You're transcribing regularly

Choose Whisper when:

• You have technical skills
• You want complete privacy
• You have many videos to process

Choose Manual when:

• Perfect accuracy is required
• Content is highly technical
• Video is under 5 minutes

Tips for Better AI Transcription Results

Improve Source Audio

Even with no existing subtitles, you can improve transcription accuracy:

Audio Enhancement Commands (FFmpeg)

# Reduce background noise
ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -af "anlmdn=s=7:p=0.002:r=0.002" output_clean.mp3

# Normalize volume
ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -af "loudnorm=I=-16:LRA=11:TP=-1.5" output_norm.mp3

# Both combined
ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -af "anlmdn=s=7:p=0.002:r=0.002,loudnorm=I=-16:LRA=11:TP=-1.5" output_enhanced.mp3

Quick action plan:

1. 1.Try AI services first (Otter.ai, Rev.com trial)
2. 2.For regular use, set up Whisper locally
3. 3.Manual transcription only for critical, short content

Even without YouTube's built-in captions, you can transcribe any video using these methods.

Need transcripts from videos WITH captions? Try NoteLM.ai →