From Audio to Words on YouTube: A Comprehensible Free Guide

How to Transcribe a YouTube Video for FREE

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you want to transcribe your videos to make the dialogs and speeches available in text format, you can use YouTube Transcribe feature that the streaming site offers for free. In this article, I’ll share with you a couple of methods to transcribe a YouTube video for free.

Part 1: Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]
Part 2: Transcribe YouTube Video to Text Online with Third-Party Service
Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos
Part 4: YouTube Video Transcription FAQs

Part 1: How to Transcribe YouTube Video Automatically for Free [2 Ways]

Besides the basic video editing features on the YouTube platform, you can now quickly transcribe YouTube videos to the text as well. The good thing is, you can either use the automatic transcription feature that YouTube offers, or upload it manually while adjusting the timing as you go further.

Below are the two methods to transcribe your YouTube videos for free:

Method 1: Use the Automated Transcription Service on YouTube

As the name suggests, YouTube automatic transcription service works automatically. This means you don’t even have to click the ‘Transcribe’ button anymore to transcribe a YouTube video, and the website takes care of it on its own. All you need to do is, choose English as the language of the video when setting up subtitles. You can follow the instructions given below to do so:

Step 1 Upload a Video

Sign in to your YouTube account, click your profile picture from the top-right corner, and click YouTube Studio from the menu. Next, click CREATE from the upper-right corner, click Upload videos from the menu, and drag and drop a video from your computer to the Upload videos box that appears next.

Step 2 Select Transcription Language

On the Details page of the next box that appears, scroll down and click MORE OPTIONS, and select English in the Video language drop-down list under the Language, subtitles, and closed captions (CC) section.

Step 3 Publish the Video

Follow the on-screen instructions from this point to publish the video, and wait while YouTube automatically transcribes and adds the close captions to it.

Note: Depending on the duration of the clip, the time YouTube would take to transcribe may vary.

After YouTube has transcribed the video, you can download the transcription file in your preferred format. The instructions are given below explain how you can do so:

Get to the Subtitles Window

While on the YouTube Studio page, click Subtitles from the left pane to go to the Channel subtitles page. And then click the video you want to modify.

Get to Classic Studio

In the video subtitle page of the target video, hover mouse on the Published Automatic status under the Subtitles column, click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) that appears, and click Edit on Classic Studio.

Download Transcription File

Click and open the Actions drop-down list from the top-left corner of the left pane, click your preferred transcription format including .vtt, .srt and .sbv from the list, and save the file on your local hard disk.

Method 2: Get YouTube Transcription when Watching

In addition, if you are watching any other video, you can make YouTube transcribe that for you as well. You can follow the instructions given below to get the YouTube video to text transcription:

Step 1: Play the Video

Go to the video on YouTube and start playing it. Make sure NOT to get to full-screen mode as doing so would hide the option to transcribe the clip.

Step 2: Enable Transcription

Click the More icon (with three horizontal dots) from under the bottom-right corner of the video player, and click Open transcript to see the video transcription in the Transcript pane that appears in the right.

Step 3: Manage Timestamps

Click the Options icon (with three vertical dots) from the top-right corner of the Transcript pane, and click Toggle timestamp to enable or disable the timestamps in the video transcription.

Limitations of Using YouTube Transcribe

Although YouTube’s automatic transcription is a decent feature that saves you a lot of time, since Google uses machine learning algorithms to convert the speech to text, the level of accuracy may vary depending on the accent of the speaker, and the clarity of the audio the video has. Also, even sometime you may not be satisfied with the end-results.

Alternatively, you can use Kapwing to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file with the below step-by-step instructions:

Step 1: Add YouTube Video

Copy the URL of YouTube video you want to transcribe, go to https://www.kapwing.com/subtitles , paste the URL in the Paste a URL field, wait while Kapwing fetches the content of the video, and opens the Add subtitles to Video page.

Step 2: Transcribe the Video

Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.

Step 3: Download the Transcription File

Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.

Pros

Kapwing is free to use
The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file

Cons

The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background

You can follow the step-by-step instructions to transcribe a YouTube video and download the transcription file using Kapwing:

Step 1: Add YouTube Video

Step 2: Transcribe the Video

Click Auto-generate from the right window, and follow the on-screen instructions to transcribe YouTube video to text.

Step 3: Download the Transcription File

Click Download SRT from the left pane, and follow the instructions from there to download the transcription file in *.srt format.

Pros

Kapwing is free to use
The auto-transcription process is quick and less tedious
Kapwing also allows manual transcription and uploading of an existing *.srt file

Cons

The auto-transcribed text might lack accuracy as the task is done by the speech-to-text tools that work in the background

Part 3: Benefits of Transcribing YouTube Videos

You may need video transcriptions for several reasons, such as analyzing the summary of the entire speech in the video, extracting a single phrase or quote that was spoken in the clip, or making the video helpful even for those suffering from hearing impairment. When you transcribe a YouTube video, the transcript can be useful in many ways. Some of the most common benefits of transcribing a video include:

Search Engine Optimization

When you add subtitles, the text can appear in Google search results when someone types a similar phrase in the search box. This helps get more views to your videos, thus giving your channel popularity, and you, monetary gains in the long run.

Accent

If the speaker in the video is from a different region and is using an accent that you are not much comfortable with, you can turn on the subtitles and read the dialogs along with the video.

Repurposing on Blogs

If you own a blog that you have embedded your video to, the transcription could be used to add text to it so the target audience can get a fair idea of what the video is all about. This is useful because many people prefer reading over watching.

YouTube Video Transcription FAQs

1. How to Transcribe YouTube Video to Text

Usually the transcription files have *.srt extension that are globally accepted and supported by almost all media players. However, there might be instances when you want to have the subtitles in plain text.

That said, to convert an SRT file to TXT, you can:

Right-click the SRT file
Go to Rename
Replace srt with txt and press Enter
Click OK on the confirmation box that appears next to convert SRT to TXT

After this, you can simply double-click the file, and read and modify the transcribed content as needed.

2. How to Edit and Upload Edited Transcript to YouTube

If you made any modifications to the transcript that was automatically generated by YouTube or any other third-party transcription tool, you can follow the steps given below to upload the new file to the YouTube video:

Go to YouTube Studio and then to the Channel subtitles page as explained earlier
Expand the Languages column of the target video
Click the Options icon that appears under the Subtitles column when you hover mouse on to it
Click Edit on Classic Studio
On the next page, click Edit from the top-right corner

Click to open the Actions drop-down list from the upper-left corner
Click Upload a file
- Follow the on-screen instructions from there to upload the modified transcription file
- Click Save Changes from the top-right corner of the page when done

Conclusion

If you are looking for a quick and easy way of adding subtitles to your videos, letting YouTube transcribe for you could be a good approach. However, because these auto-generated transcriptions are created by machine learning algorithms, their accuracy cannot be counted on. Therefore, the best way to get the job done accurately is, let YouTube auto-transcribe your video, download the transcription file, make the necessary changes to it, and then upload the file back to the video.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Expand Access to Creative Works: Pick From the Best Free YouTube Shorts Downloader Apps

We all are aware that recently YouTube has launched a new way to engage and attract more and more audiences with a shorter version of videos which are known as YouTube shorts. It is a video of 60 or fewer seconds which allows creators to create an eye-catchy video to maximize the views. Like other video platforms, YouTube shorts also doesn’t allow downloading options. This means however good content you find on YouTube shorts you can’t download through the app. So there has been a huge demand for YouTube shorts downloaders and one such way is to use third-party website services.

If you are looking forward to knowing about ways to download YouTube shorts and how do they work. Keep reading.

Note: We resolutely oppose all forms of copyright-infringing downloads. This tutorial is only for downloading YouTube videos/audio materials from your own channel.

Part 1: Top 6 YouTube Shorts Downloaders in 2024

There is some YouTube shorts downloader online that allows you to download YouTube shorts for free. Here is the list of the best YouTube shorts download the app below:

1.shorts.savetube.me

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This is one of the best YouTube shorts downloader online one could ever think of using. It is free and secure to use. Also, it has a feature of YouTube shorts to mp4 converter easily. This tool can be used for devices such as android, iPhone, and laptops too.

2.Shortsnoob.com

This tool allows you to download YouTube shorts in their HD original quality. You don’t need to sign-up or login here at all. Also, you can use this website on devices such as PC, tablets, mobiles, laptops, etc.

One good thing about this YouTube shorts downloader online is that it claims to provide an original quality video than other websites.

3.Heatfeed.com

It is an all-in-one solution for YouTube shorts video download. Here it provides fast downloading, secured, HD video quality, and with easy to use interface. Also one could use this website with devices such as laptops, mac, PC, android, etc.

4.Shortsloader.com

It is among the top YouTube shorts downloader online. Here we can download any YouTube shorts with a single click and very easy steps. Along with that, it is known as YouTube shorts to mp4 converter too.

5.Tricksndtips.com

Herewith this tool the purpose to download YouTube shorts would get solved in a few minutes only. It has a very easy interface and delivers the best quality videos.

6.Y2mate.me

This online video downloader is known for providing high-quality YouTube shorts. Here no logins are required but you just need to copy and paste the link of the video on the empty area and videos will get downloaded instantly.

Part 2: How to Download YouTube Shorts Easily?

Now let’s discuss a step-by-step guide to download YouTube shorts using shorts.save tube.me:

Step 1: At first you need to select a YouTube short you want to download.

Step 2: Then after you need to go to “Share” and find a link to copy.

Step 3: Now open a web browser and https://ytshorts.savetube.me/ search for this website

Step 4: Once the website is opened you would find a space to paste a copied link.

Step 5: Click on Download and your job is done.

Thus YouTube shorts video download is a very easy-to-follow process to get your favorite video clip stored.

Part 3: FAQs about Downloading YouTube Videos

1. Is downloading video from YouTube illegal?

No downloading videos from YouTube are not illegal if it is for personal use. It is allowed to use third-party YouTube shorts downloader to download videos where there is no copyright given to it.

2. Can I edit someone else’s YouTube video?

Yes, you can edit someone’s video if the creator has permitted you to do that.

3. What is the best video editor for free?

If you are looking for the best video editor for free then the most obvious choice would be Wondershare Filmora. It has the finest video editing functions and rich filter effects to deliver outstanding video content ever.

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Conclusion

Thus we could say that YouTube shorts are one of the most amazing ways to deliver the most engaging content to your audience and appeal to them. Along with the launch of YouTube shorts, there have been many launches of YouTube shorts downloader online to help us to download our most favorite video content to our gallery. We have given detailed guidance about the best YouTube shorts downloader and how to use them.

So what are we waiting for? Let’s pick the right YouTube shorts downloader online and get a full dose of entertainment.

02 How to Download YouTube Shorts Easily?

03 FAQs about Downloading YouTube Videos

Part 1: Top 6 YouTube Shorts Downloaders in 2024

There is some YouTube shorts downloader online that allows you to download YouTube shorts for free. Here is the list of the best YouTube shorts download the app below: