Every YouTube video with captions has a transcript you can copy in under 60 seconds. Open the video, click the three-dot menu below the player, select Show transcript, and highlight the text. That manual method costs nothing and works on any desktop browser.
If you need transcripts from dozens of videos, or you want cleaner formatting, two faster paths exist: the YouTube Data API and AI-powered extraction tools like Jellypod.
The manual method, step by step
- Open any YouTube video in your browser.
- Below the video title, click the three-dot icon ("…").
- Select Show transcript.
- A panel appears with timestamped text. Click the three-dot icon inside the panel to toggle timestamps off.
- Select all the text, copy it, and paste into your preferred editor.
This approach works well for one or two videos. It falls apart when you need transcripts from 10 or more, because each copy-paste cycle takes 2–3 minutes including cleanup.
Using the YouTube Data API
The YouTube Data API v3 offers a captions.download endpoint that returns the full transcript as a timed text file. You need a Google Cloud project, an API key, and some comfort with HTTP requests or a scripting language like Python.
A typical workflow looks like this:
- Create a project in the Google Cloud Console.
- Enable the YouTube Data API v3.
- Generate an API key.
- Send a GET request to
https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/captionswith the video ID. - Parse the XML or JSON response to extract plain text.
The API is free up to 10,000 quota units per day, which covers roughly 50–200 transcript requests depending on your implementation. Beyond that, you need to request a quota increase.
AI-powered transcript extraction
Tools like Jellypod skip the manual steps entirely. Paste a YouTube URL, and the tool returns a formatted transcript within seconds. Better yet, Jellypod can convert the transcript directly into a podcast episode, so you get both the text and an audio version.
AI extraction handles edge cases that trip up manual methods:
- Auto-generated captions with missing punctuation get cleaned up.
- Speaker labels are added when the audio has multiple voices.
- Foreign-language transcripts can be translated on the fly.
When to use each method
| Method | Best for | Speed | Cost |
| ------------ | ------------------- | --------- | ------------- |
| Manual copy | 1-2 videos | 2-3 min | Free |
| YouTube API | Bulk extraction | Varies | Free (quota) |
| Jellypod | Any volume + cleanup | Seconds | Subscription |
For one-off needs, manual extraction works fine. For regular use or large batches, AI tools save hours of formatting work.
Common transcript issues and fixes
YouTube auto-generated captions have known problems:
- Missing punctuation: Run the text through a tool like Grammarly or Claude to add periods and commas.
- No paragraph breaks: Add breaks every 3-4 sentences or when the speaker changes topics.
- Misheard words: Technical terms, proper nouns, and jargon often get transcribed incorrectly. Proofread against the audio.
- No speaker labels: If the video has multiple speakers, you will need to add names manually or use a service that offers diarization.
How Jellypod helps
Jellypod's YouTube transcript extractor handles the full workflow. Paste a URL, and the tool returns a clean, formatted transcript with punctuation, paragraph breaks, and speaker labels. If you want to turn that transcript into audio content, Jellypod's AI podcast generator can convert it directly into a podcast episode with natural-sounding voices and professional music.
Final thoughts
YouTube transcripts are free and accessible, but raw captions require cleanup before they are useful. Choose the extraction method that matches your volume and quality needs. For occasional use, manual copying works. For regular extraction or content repurposing, invest in a tool that handles formatting automatically.
