Skip to content
Try it free

Get a YouTube Transcript With No Captions

By Scribiz4 min read

To get the transcript of a YouTube video that has no captions, turn its audio into text with a speech-to-text tool. Paste the link into one that listens to the sound, then copy the text or export subtitles.

If the video is yours, you can add captions in YouTube Studio instead. Either way, first check that the transcript is missing.

Check that the transcript is missing

YouTube shows a transcript for any video that has captions, so a video without captions has no transcript. To look:

  1. Open the video on youtube.com on a computer.
  2. Click ...more in the description box under the title.
  3. Scroll to the Transcript section and click Show transcript.

If the section is not there, YouTube has no captions to show. We opened a video of fireplace ambience on 4 October 2026 and its description had no Transcript section at all. Our guide to opening the transcript on YouTube covers phones and the other fixes.

Why a video has no captions

YouTube makes automatic captions with speech recognition, but not for every video. Its help page gives these reasons:

  • The captions are not ready yet, because processing depends on how complex the audio is.
  • Automatic captions do not support the language in the video.
  • The video is too long.
  • The sound quality is poor, or YouTube does not recognize the speech.
  • There is a long silence at the start.
  • Several speakers talk over each other, or several languages are mixed.

Only the first reason clears up by itself. On a new upload, check back later. For every other reason, something else has to transcribe the audio.

Turn the audio into a transcript

We make Scribiz, so these steps use it.

  1. Copy the video link from the address bar.
  2. Open Transcribe a YouTube video and paste the link.
  3. Leave the mode on Listen. It transcribes the speech and ignores the video's captions.
  4. Press Transcribe video. You do not need an account.
  5. Read through names, numbers and technical terms, and fix what the model got wrong.
  6. Copy the text, or export SRT, VTT, TXT, Markdown or JSON.

If you are not sure whether a video has captions, use YouTube transcript instead. It uses good captions when they exist and listens when they do not.

What the free tool covers

Without an account, a video can be up to 15 minutes long and you get 10 Listen minutes a day. Listen costs one minute per minute of video, so that covers about 10 minutes of video a day. Longer videos do not fit the free allowance.

The tool reads public videos. Private videos and live streams still in progress do not work. If a link opens only when you are signed in to YouTube, the tool cannot read it either.

Check the result

Speech-to-text gets things wrong, so read before you publish or quote. Check three things:

  • Names, brands and technical terms. Models often get these wrong.
  • Numbers and dates. Compare each one with the video.
  • Timestamps. From a link they are per sentence and can drift by a couple of seconds, and speakers are not labeled. For word timing and speaker names, upload the original recording to audio to text.

Use the text

An SRT or VTT file works as subtitles in a video editor. A TXT or Markdown file reads well in a notes app. To ask questions about the video, paste the text into an assistant. Our guide on what ChatGPT and Claude can do with a YouTube link explains how.

If the video is yours

Add captions in YouTube Studio: choose Subtitles in the left menu and pick the video. YouTube lists four ways to add them: upload a file, auto-sync a transcript you type, type them in, or auto-translate.

You can also download your own video and transcribe the file. In Studio, choose Content, pick the video, open Menu and choose Download. YouTube gives you an MP4 in 720p or 360p, and each video can be downloaded five times a day. Drop the file into MP4 to text, which sends only the audio from your browser.

Do not download other people's videos

YouTube's terms bar downloading content unless the service allows it, or YouTube or the rights holder gives written permission. Download your own videos, or videos you have permission to use.

Sources

Checked on 4 October 2026.

Not affiliated with YouTube, TikTok or Instagram.

Keep reading