Make Every Sound Count: Comprehensive Guide to Free YouTube Video Transcriptions

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.

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Cutting-Edge Guide to YouTube Video Distribution via Facebook

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YouTube reports that Facebook is the most utilized platform fans use to watch online content. More so, up to 40% of those who watch the content do share links with their friends online – this then makes it quick to promote YouTube content on Facebook. Simply by making your new YouTube content visible on your Facebook page, and you’ll be certain that thousands of viewers will have a glimpse of it. You must already be scratching your head for ways on how to post a YouTube video on a Facebook page. Well, we bring you several ways to go through that and make your YouTube content accessible on Facebook.

How to Post YouTube video on Facebook?

Since Facebook is easily accessible, many users have more access to it than other social media platforms. More so, the page allows you to communicate with your audience via photos, videos, graphics, text, among many other multimedia contents. You don’t even need any programming skills to operate it. Here are ways to post YouTube content to Facebook.

If you have a stationary point of work, i.e., a computer, it is possible to share your YouTube video through it.

Step 1. First, visit the YouTube site at https://www.youtube.com . It can launch from any web browser.

Step 2. Choose from among your videos on YouTube the one you wish to share on Facebook.

Step 3. Then find the “Share” icon located directly under the video you want to share. Click on the video and hit the “Share” button below the video.

Step 4. Choose “Facebook” from the sharing options that pop up.

Step 5. Next, sign in to “Facebook” on your desktop. Then select the destination point you want your video to land in by using the drop-down menu at the top of your desktop screen. Select the “Share to News Feed” or perhaps the share to “Story.”

Step 6. Finally, click the “Post to Facebook” tab to share your YouTube content with Facebook.

Are you on the go and want your Facebook fans to know what content you have on your YouTube channel? Here are the simple steps on how to post a YouTube video on Facebook right from the palm of your hands – a mobile device.

Step 1. Use any browser on your mobile device to launch the YouTube app from the official website.

Step 2. Peruse through your YouTube videos and choose the one you wish to share on Facebook.

Step 3. Check below the video and click on the “Share” icon.

Step 4. Search through the app’s options and choose Facebook. Also, ensure that the “Facebook” app is installed on your mobile device to make your videos sharable.

Step 5. Click on the “Next” option in the upper right-hand corner of your mobile screen. It will enable video sharing.

Step 6. Then choose the YouTube video’s post destination to your Facebook. It could be shared on your timeline, story, or a Facebook group’s page.

Step 7. Finally, click on the “Share” tab to make your video viewable on Facebook.

How to post a YouTube video on Facebook

Easily post your YouTube video on Facebook and let viewers access them directly from your Facebook feed. By this, your fans don’t have to click on other tabs but will access the videos directly.

Step 1. Copy the YouTube video’s link
First, go to your YouTube channel and copy the video link that you want to post to Facebook. You can as well copy the embed code.

Step 2. Embed the video link you copied
This link should be embedded into a Facebook post. Do this by first logging into your Facebook account. Then go to the top of your “Facebook News Feed” and click the “What’s on your mind” box.

Step 3. Paste your link
Right-click on the “What’s on your mind” box, then select the “Paste” option.

Step 4. Preview video
Facebook will let you preview the video you just posted. Check whether you have pasted the right video before you post it.

Step 5. Post your video
Now, scroll down and click on the “Post” tab. You can also add a message to your post. Just place a cursor after the video URL and hit the “Enter” key on your keyboard. Finally, scroll down and hit the “Post” tab to make your video public on Facebook.

Extra Tip: Facebook Video Tips for more Views and Shares

You have to play your cards well when it comes to posting and sharing your videos on Facebook. These tips are all you need.

- Catch viewer’s attention within the shortest time possible

Here, your main aim is to convince your viewers. So, don’t let them spend so much time before you catch their attention. You can bring up a point about some latest news or adventures that let your viewers connect immediately.

- Add captions to the video

It is not necessarily possible that viewers will watch your videos with the sound on. Some like it when it’s silent and might disable the sound auto-play. Add some captions so that viewers will understand your video, even on silent mode.

- Emphasize on one key-point

Focus on one key point so that your viewers are not swayed away. Your video is highly sharable if it is easy to understand.

- Add a Call To Action

Including a call-to-action will encourage your viewers to subscribe to your channel. Ensure you include it at the end of your video to tell viewers what to do next. You could also include a link to your blog post to let your viewers read and find more content from your other channels.

- Facebook ads can make a great difference

Facebook is a great place for running ads that reach a wider audience. Adverts are great ways to target a specific audience. They explain your products and services more straightforwardly.

- Embed your videos on blog posts

Numerous people get to access guest posts and blog posts. You can embed your Facebook videos on such posts to reach more people. Just get the embed code from your video, then copy and paste it to a guest or blog post.

Frequently Asked Question about Facebook video

Both viewers and content creators have a few concerns about YouTube and Facebook videos. Here are some frequently asked questions that will be of benefit to you.

YouTube is just one platform where content creators showcase their productions. Yes, it is legal to share your content on other forums like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

2) What is the best time to post to your Facebook page?

The best time to post on a Facebook page depends on your time zone. Generally, viewers access Facebook late in the evening and early in the night. Perhaps they are off work and now want to relax by checking the day’s updates.

3) What are Facebook business accounts and personal accounts?

Facebook business accounts are designed for users who want to use Facebook to administer their pages and advert campaigns. This account cannot be found in searching or receiving friend request apps. Nonetheless, personal accounts are used at basic and casual levels. You can search for friends and send requests. Personal accounts are also easy to manage.

Yes, it is possible to let others share what you have posted. Just ensure they know your intention by constant reminders. Some popular ways that are proven to be effective include the use of “Call to Action,” using an image or video with your Facebook status update and offering some incentive to your fans for sharing.

Of course not! What you pull from your YouTube channel is the kind of video that will be watched from Facebook. The quality cannot deteriorate. However, it is good to ensure you compose quality videos on YouTube before sharing them. Several video editing apps like Filmora can help you compose quality videos with high resolution.

Conclusion

● Facebook is a great platform that is accessed by a wide audience. More so, you can share your content from other platforms easily. The article has covered how to share YouTube videos on Facebook and hook your audience. You can use your computer or share directly from your mobile device in simple steps. It is also better to play some tricks on your effort to reach a wider audience. These include a CTA, embedding your Facebook videos to blogs posts, among other options.