Troubleshooting All 6 YouTube Tools
Fix Common Issues with Transcript Generator, Summarizer, Thumbnail & Comment Tools
Key Takeaways
- "No Captions Available" Error
- "Invalid API Key" Error
- Thumbnail Not Loading
- Comments Not Loading
1Transcript Generator Issues
"No Captions Available" Error
The video doesn't have captions/subtitles. Solutions: (1) Check for CC icon on YouTube player, (2) Play video for 10-15 seconds to trigger caption loading, (3) Try a different video — 95% of YouTube videos have auto-captions, (4) Private, age-restricted, and some premium content may not expose captions.
Wrong Language Transcript
The tool extracts the video's default language. Solutions: (1) Use the language dropdown to select different available languages, (2) Auto-translated versions appear in the "AUTO" section, (3) Some videos only have auto-captions in original language.
Transcript Has Errors
Auto-generated captions (ASR) are 85-95% accurate. Solutions: (1) Look for videos with manual captions (higher quality), (2) Check if video has clear audio — background music affects accuracy, (3) Professional channels often have better captions.
2Video Summarizer Issues (Chrome Extension)
"Invalid API Key" Error
Solutions: (1) Copy key again from aistudio.google.com/app/apikey — no extra spaces, (2) Verify key is for Gemini API (not other Google services), (3) Create a new key if current doesn't work, (4) Check Google account for API restrictions.
"Rate Limit Exceeded" Error
You've hit Google's free tier limits. Solutions: (1) Wait 60 seconds — per-minute limits reset quickly, (2) If daily limit hit, wait until midnight Pacific Time, (3) Space out requests when summarizing many videos, (4) Free tier: 1,500 requests/day is plenty for normal use.
Summary Taking Too Long
Expected times: Short videos (5-10 min) = 10-20 seconds, Medium (30-60 min) = 30-60 seconds, Long (2+ hours) = 1-2 minutes. If longer: (1) Check internet connection, (2) Google API may have high load — retry, (3) Very long videos may need more processing time.
Extension Not Showing on YouTube
Solutions: (1) Ensure you're on youtube.com/watch?v=... page, (2) Check extension enabled at chrome://extensions/, (3) Click puzzle icon in Chrome toolbar and pin NoteLM, (4) Refresh YouTube page, (5) Try disabling/re-enabling extension.
3Thumbnail Downloader Issues
Thumbnail Not Loading
Solutions: (1) Verify the YouTube URL is correct and video is public, (2) Try refreshing the page, (3) Check if video is age-restricted or private — these may have restricted thumbnails, (4) Clear browser cache and try again.
Missing High-Quality Versions
Not all videos have maxresdefault (1280×720) thumbnails. Solutions: (1) Older videos may only have standard quality, (2) Download sddefault or hqdefault as alternatives, (3) Some Shorts only have smaller thumbnail sizes.
4Comment Extractor Issues
Comments Not Loading
Solutions: (1) Video may have comments disabled — check on YouTube, (2) Some videos restrict comments to subscribers only, (3) Very new videos may not have comments yet, (4) Age-restricted videos may hide comments, (5) Try refreshing and loading again.
Missing Comments or Replies
The tool loads comments in batches for performance. Solutions: (1) Click "Load More" to fetch additional comments, (2) Replies are loaded separately — expand threads to see them, (3) YouTube may limit API access to very high-comment videos.
Giveaway Picker Not Working
Solutions: (1) Ensure comments are loaded first, (2) Check your filter settings aren't excluding all comments, (3) Use "Reset Filters" to clear all filters, (4) Minimum 2 comments needed for random picker.
5Channel Analytics Issues
Channel Not Found
Solutions: (1) Use the channel's @handle URL (e.g., youtube.com/@channelname), (2) Try the channel ID URL format, (3) Private or terminated channels cannot be analyzed, (4) Verify spelling of channel name.
Incomplete Data
Some channels hide certain statistics. Solutions: (1) Channel may have hidden subscriber count, (2) Video counts may exclude unlisted/private videos, (3) Analytics are based on publicly available data only.
6General Browser Issues
Extension Crashed or Frozen
Solutions: (1) Right-click extension icon → "Manage extension" → Toggle OFF then ON, (2) Clear extension data: chrome://extensions/ → Details → "Clear data", (3) Reinstall: Remove and load unpacked again.
Extension Not Updating
NoteLM doesn't auto-update (loaded unpacked). To update: (1) Download latest from GitHub, (2) Replace old folder with new files, (3) Go to chrome://extensions/ and click "Update" or reload.
Works on Chrome, Not on Other Browsers
Extensions work on all Chromium browsers (Edge, Brave, Opera). For issues: (1) Check Developer Mode is enabled, (2) Try reinstalling, (3) Online tools work on any browser including Firefox and Safari.
All 6 Free YouTube Tools
Each tool has dedicated support — all 100% free
Transcript Generator
OnlineExtract captions in SRT, VTT, TXT
Video Summarizer
ExtensionAI summaries with timestamps
Thumbnail Downloader
OnlineHD thumbnails up to 1280×720
Subtitle Downloader
ExtensionOne-click SRT downloads
Comment Extractor
OnlineExport to JSON/CSV
Channel Analytics
OnlineGrowth trends & metrics
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Related Help Topics
Getting Started with 6 Free YouTube Tools
Start Using YouTube Transcript Generator, Video Summarizer, and 5 More Free Tools in Minutes
How to Get a Free Gemini API Key for YouTube Summarizer
Complete Guide to Google Gemini API Setup — 1,500 Free Requests/Day, No Credit Card
Language Support: 100+ Languages for All YouTube Tools
Transcript Generator Supports 100+ Languages, Summarizer Outputs in 50+ Languages
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