How to download a YouTube transcript as text

Check the transcript before exporting

Open the video’s caption controls or Show transcript to confirm that source text exists. A video with no captions cannot be exported through TransParrot’s caption-based workflow.

If you only need one quotation, YouTube’s built-in transcript may be enough: read the line, jump to its moment and check it against the recording.

Export from the TransParrot panel

Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store. Open a captioned video and use the transcript panel beside the player.

1. Choose the original or translated transcript view.
2. Wait for the requested transcript to finish loading or translating.
3. Check the beginning, end and any important passages for missing text.
4. Click Export and save the TXT file from your browser’s downloads.

Choose the right format for the job

TXT works well for study notes and text search. The current export is not an SRT or VTT subtitle file and does not provide a video editing timeline. It also does not generate a PDF, summary or chapter outline.

For timed subtitles, use an authorized workflow that explicitly supports timestamped subtitle export. Renaming a TXT file to .srt will not create the timing structure a player needs.

Review before quoting or sharing

Compare important lines with the video and retain the source URL and relevant time. Automatic captions can misrecognize words, and translation adds another opportunity for error.

Use the transcript for content you are authorized to process. A download button does not give you redistribution rights or permission to publish a creator’s full transcript.