# Free YouTube transcript generator

> Paste a link to any public YouTube video or Short and get its transcript as plain text, to copy, search or download.

This is a free tool on the web page at https://www.manifoldmcp.com/free-tools/youtube-transcript-generator: 15 runs a day per visitor, no signup, run by a person in a browser. An agent can do the same job, and more, by connecting Manifold's MCP server at `https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcp` (250 free credits a month). See [YouTube MCP server](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/mcp/youtube.md).

## How it works

1. Copy the video's link from the address bar, or from Share.
2. Paste the link here and get the transcript.
3. Copy the text or download it as a .txt file.

## Read a whole channel in a minute

One transcript saves you watching one video. With Manifold connected, your agent reads a channel's latest or most viewed videos at once, with their view counts, and pulls out the topics, claims and hooks that brought the views.

| | Here | In your agent with Manifold |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Videos | One link at a time | A whole YouTube account, or a search |
| What you get | The words, as text | Hooks, claims and calls to action, compared |
| Numbers | None | Views, likes and shares beside each video |
| Price | Free | 1 credit a transcript |

### Things to ask your agent

- Read the transcripts of [channel]'s five most viewed videos and list the topics they cover.
- Summarise this video in ten bullet points with timestamps: [video URL]
- What questions do the top YouTube videos about [topic] answer? Make me a content brief.

## Questions

### How do I get the transcript of a YouTube video?

Copy the video's link and paste it above. The transcript comes back as plain text in a few seconds. YouTube also shows one under a video's description, but it cannot be copied in one go.

### Why is there no transcript for my video?

The tool reads the captions YouTube holds for a video, written by the creator or generated by YouTube. A video with neither, or a private one, has none.

### Does it work for YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Paste the Short's link as you would any video's.

### Is the YouTube transcript generator free?

Yes. You get 15 transcripts a day here, with no signup. For more, connect Manifold to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor: the free plan gives your agent 250 credits every month, with no card.

## More free tools

- [TikTok transcript generator](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/free-tools/tiktok-transcript-generator.md): Paste a TikTok link and get what is said in it as text.
- [Instagram transcript generator](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/free-tools/instagram-transcript-generator.md): Paste an Instagram Reel link and get what is said in it as text.
- [Facebook video transcript](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/free-tools/facebook-video-transcript.md): Paste a Facebook video or Reel link and get what is said in it as text.
- [All free tools](https://www.manifoldmcp.com/free-tools.md)