# YouTube transcript: paste a link, get the text in 30 seconds > To get a YouTube transcript, paste the video link and click Get transcript. > The tool reads the video's captions, auto-generated ones included, and returns > the text with a timestamp on every segment. Copy it or download TXT or SRT. > Shorts and multi-hour videos work too, and your first run is free, no sign-up. - Page title: YouTube transcript: paste a link, get the text | Spytrend - Tool: https://spytrend.com/youtube-transcript - Embeddable version: https://spytrend.com/youtube-transcript/embed - All free tools: https://spytrend.com/tools ## The full text of a YouTube video, with timestamps Paste a YouTube link and you get what is said in the video as text, with a timestamp on every segment. A YouTube transcript is the speech of a video written out. It is not a summary and not a translation: you get the words as spoken, in the language of the captions. What comes out: - **Text with timestamps.** Each segment starts with the time it was spoken, so you can check a quote against the video. - **A TXT file.** The same transcript as plain text, ready to paste into a document, a note or a prompt. - **An SRT subtitle file.** The same segments and timings, ready for a video editor or for upload to YouTube. Automatic captions are machine-made, so check names and brand terms before you quote them. ## YouTube transcript generator: three steps 1. **Paste the link.** Copy the video address from your browser or the Share button and paste it above. Watch, youtu.be and Shorts links all work. 2. **Click Get transcript.** If the video has captions in several languages, pick one first; the original language is selected for you. 3. **Copy or download.** The transcript appears on the same page, usually within half a minute. Copy it, or download TXT or SRT. To transcribe a video that is not on YouTube, or one without captions, use Video to text converter below. ## Free version limits Your first run is free, no sign-up. Leave your email for one more, then create a free Spytrend account and pay only for what you use. Long videos work too, from Shorts to multi-hour recordings. A run is not used when the link cannot be read, the video is private or removed, or something fails on our side. ## Read a competitor's video ad instead of watching it — hook, offer and CTA on one screen YouTube transcription lets a marketer read a competitor's video ad instead of watching it. The transcript shows the hook in the first seconds, the offer, the objection the ad answers and the call to action, in a form you can search, compare and quote. One video is quick. A competitor is not: dozens of video creatives across several countries, and the question is which message they keep and which they dropped. Pasting links one at a time does not get you there. In Spytrend the ads are already collected, so there are no links to hunt for: open a brand and, on a paid plan, turn any of its video ads into text with one click. ## Every Facebook and TikTok video ad a brand runs, one click from a transcript Spytrend is an ad intelligence platform for Facebook and TikTok advertising: a full five-year archive of ads, AI-classified into 33 business categories, with every advertiser assembled into a single card — all ads, pages, domains and countries in one place. On paid plans, any video ad in Spytrend can be transcribed in one click. ### Who uses it this way A creative strategist planning next month’s shoot reads the longest-running ads in the niche and briefs the team on the angle that keeps working. A brand manager reads what a rival says in each country without watching hours of video. ### What you see next to the transcript - **Run time and reuse.** Launch date, days running and how many times the same creative was uploaded again as a new ad. An ad that runs for months is the one paying for itself. - **The whole advertiser.** All ads, pages, domains and countries of one player in a single card, with an ad-spend estimate as a from–to range. ### How it works step by step 1. **Search a brand or a domain.** Type a competitor’s name or website to open all of its ads. 2. **Transcribe the longest-running.** Sort by run time and turn the top video ads into text: the hook, the offer, the objection they answer. 3. **Compare across countries.** The angle that runs in every market is the one to brief your team on. ### How to start A free Spytrend account opens the ad library; paid plans add fresh ads and every filter. Start with a brand you know. ## FAQ **How do I get a transcript of a YouTube video?** Paste the link at the top of this page and click Get transcript. The text appears with timestamps, usually within half a minute. Copy it, or download it as TXT or as an SRT subtitle file. **Is this YouTube transcript tool free?** Yes, to start. Your first run is free, no sign-up. Leave your email for one more, then create a free Spytrend account and pay only for what you use. **What if the video has no captions?** Then this tool cannot read it: it works from the video’s captions, auto-generated ones included. Download the video and upload it to Video to text converter below, which transcribes the speech itself. **Can I get a transcript of a private or unlisted video?** Not of a private video: the tool needs a link that opens without signing in, so private, removed and region-restricted videos cannot be read. An unlisted video works if its link opens for you in a logged-out browser. **Does it work with YouTube Shorts and long videos?** Yes. Shorts, regular videos and multi-hour recordings all work, and the transcript appears on the same page when it is ready. **Which languages are supported?** Any language the video has captions in. You get the original language by default; if the video has captions in several languages, you can pick one. Nothing is translated: for that, use Video translator below. **Do you keep my videos or transcripts?** We never download your video or its audio; the tool reads only the captions. Your transcript stays available at its own link for a while. Download what you want to keep. ## Read a brand’s video ads as text See which video ads a brand keeps running, and read any of them as text. - Open Spytrend: https://spytrend.com/register?source=tools&via=tools-app&returnTo=%2Fads%3Fmedia_types%3Dvideo%26from%3Dtools&utm_source=tools&utm_medium=free_tool&utm_campaign=youtube-transcript ## Related tools - [Video to text converter](https://spytrend.com/video-to-text-converter): Read what a video ad says. Upload an MP4 or paste a YouTube link and get the transcript as text or SRT. - [Video translator](https://spytrend.com/video-translator): Upload a video or paste a YouTube link, pick a language and get translated subtitles or plain text. - [TikTok transcript](https://spytrend.com/tiktok-transcript): Paste a TikTok link and get what is said in the video as text. Copy it or download TXT and SRT. - [Subtitle generator](https://spytrend.com/subtitle-generator): Upload a video and download an SRT subtitle file for it, plus the same words as plain text. - [Podcast transcription](https://spytrend.com/podcast-transcription): Paste an Apple Podcasts, RSS or direct audio link and read the whole episode as text or SRT with timestamps. - [Audio to text](https://spytrend.com/audio-to-text): Upload an MP3, M4A or WAV file, or a voice memo, and get the spoken words back as text or an SRT file. - All free tools: https://spytrend.com/tools --- Transcripts come from the captions of the video, and automatic captions may contain errors.