It’s always relaxing to see subtitles within a YouTube video, but not all videos on YouTube will feature accurate and comprehensible subtitles. This is becoming a big problem against the immense increase of the online learning trend. Thus, transcribing YouTube videos is becoming more and more essential for viewers out there.
For many, it seems like a tedious job and effort when it comes to YouTube video transcription. However, it is actually not that complicated. In this article, we will be going over some of the best ways to help you get high-quality transcripts of any YouTube videos, and we will show you which is the best tool that can always do the job right.
7 Quick & Easy Ways to Transcribe A YouTube Video
We’ve rounded up 7 quick and easy ways to effortlessly convert almost any YouTube video to a transcript, and some of them are completely free to use!
Method 1: Use the Built-in Transcription Feature on YouTube
For most videos on YouTube, you can easily get auto-generated captions and transcripts via the native transcription feature from YouTube. Here are the simple 2 steps to activate the built-in transcription feature on YouTube:
Step 1: At the video playback interface, click on the description of the video, and look for the “Show transcript” button at the end of the description section.
Step 2: You will now see the transcript with time stamps on the right side of the video.
Please note that this built-in transcription feature may not be available on all videos on YouTube. If you would like to transcribe videos without native transcription generation support, please continue reading our guide and check out some of the other useful methods.
Pros:
- Free-to-use
- Built-in feature does not require access to extra website/extension/software
- The fastest way to get YouTube video transcripts
Cons:
- Not that accurate, especially for non-English videos
- May not be available for all videos
- Viewers are not able to highlight/edit the content within the transcript
Method 2: Use Mapify to Instantly Transcribe Any YouTube Videos
If you are looking for a legit, professional, and well-developed solution to transcribe and summarize any YouTube video, Mapify is the one that can get the job done nicely. Here are some of the top perks Mapify has to offer:
- Powered by AI: Access to a range of fine-tuned AI models, including the latest ChatGPT-4o and Claude 3.5, among other top-notch LLMs.
- Free to start: Mapify offers both free trial and reasonable pricing plans for both personal and enterprise uses.
- Multi-lingual support: Can process, identify, and output text in 30+ languages.
- Fully versatile: Can process both live links and a range of video formats.
- Optimized presentation: Able to generate organized, clean, and beautiful mind maps.
- Instant processing: Get video transcripts and summarized mind maps in a matter of seconds.
And, we will now show you the two convenient ways to transcribe YouTube videos using Mapify Web and Mapify Chrome Extension, without downloading the YouTube video at all.
Transcribe YouTube Videos With Links
Step 1: Simply copy and paste the link of the YouTube video you want to transcribe.
Step 2: Log in to your Mapify Dashboard, select the YouTube tab, and enter the link of the YouTube video.
Step 3: In just a few seconds, you can now watch the transcripts of the video presented to you in a beautifully designed and well-organized mind map.
Transcribe YouTube Videos Using the Mapify Chrome Extension
You can also access the powerful mind mapping feature even more conveniently with Mapify’s Chrome Extension.
Step 1: In the Chrome Extension store, search for Mapify Chrome Extension and add the extension to your browser.
Step 2: When the extension is correctly installed, you can see the Summarize button in the YouTube video interface.
Step 3: Click on the “Summarize” button under the video, or click on the extension icon to “Mapify This video.”
Step 4: The browser will automatically transfer you back to the Mapify Web end, and the video will be fully transcribed and summarized into nice-looking mind maps in no time.
Method 3: Use Google Docs to Transcribe YouTube Video Into Text
If you are looking to edit text while transcribing, then using Google Docs to transcribe YouTube videos is the best option for you. With the help of the “Voice Typing” feature in Google Docs, you can get real-time transcription while playing the video, which is especially useful when you are in a live stream session.
To access this feature, simply find it under the “Tools” dropdown menu within your Google Docs interface.
Once you see a microphone popping up on your screen, it means that the Voice Typing feature is ready to go. Click on the microphone to activate the recording (the microphone icon will turn red), and you can now play the video to start transcribing.
If this is the first time you are using the microphone on the webpage, your browser may ask for the microphone recording permission. Select the option you prefer and refresh the page, the Voice Typing feature should now work just fine.
Pros:
- Can process almost any playable video in any format
- Can edit the transcribed text right away
Cons:
- Not able to record in-system audio
- Require a microphone, a playable speaker, and a clear sound environment to get usable transcription
- Not that accurate
Method 4: Use ChatGPT for YouTube Transcription
You can also turn into ChatGPT if you need to transcribe YouTube videos. Although the ChatGPT itself does not support video link reading, there are a bunch of handy GPTs that can definitely help you out.
All you need to do is search for the “YouTube Transcriptor” GPTs, and you will be presented with a list of GPTs that can handle your request. Simply send the YouTube video link and let the GPTs do their work. Depending on the developer behind each GPTs, you may or may not be able to interact with the GPTs regarding the video content.
Pros:
- Can interact with ChatGPT regarding the video transcribed content
- Can process live links
Cons:
- Use of GPTs requires ChatGPT-Plus access (limited usage for free account holders)
- Performance may not be stable
Method 5: Use Online YouTube Transcript Generator Tools
Searching for a more common YouTube Transcript Generator tool is also an option for those who want a simple and direct way to get transcript for YouTube video. These tools can be found easily on the Google Search page. In most cases, there is no need to download the video, as a link is all that is needed for video transcription.
Pros:
- Can process live links
- Perfect for handling YouTube videos
Cons:
- Not be able to process videos without subtitles (both uploaded/auto-generated)
Method 6: Use Online Dictation & Voice Recognition Tools
For those who need a more accurate and professional way to transcribe YouTube videos or any video and audio, dictation, and voice recognition tools are the solution for you. These tools are more capable of recognizing human voices and speeches, and they are able to deliver more accurate transcripts based on the provided video file.
Pros:
- More accurate than traditional transcription tools
Cons:
- Some tools are not available for free
- May not optimize toward YouTube videos
- May need to download the video in order for the tools to process and analyze
Method 7: Transcribe YouTube Videos On Your Phone
Want to transcribe and summarize YouTube videos on your phone? Don’t worry, as we’ve also got you covered. We are proud to announce that Mapify is also available on both Android devices and iPhones. Here are the steps to get instant YouTube transcripts on your smartphone.
Step 1: Open the YouTube app, visit the video page, and get the link to the video.
Step 2: Download the app from the dedicated application store.
For Android users: Mapify on Google Play Store
For iPhone Users: Mapify on App Store
Step 3: Open the Mapify app, and enter the link of the YouTube video that you want to transcribe.
Step 4: Click the “Mapify” button on top, and your transcribed mind map will be ready in seconds
How Does YouTube Transcription Actually Work?
To most viewers and content creators, transcription usually refers to the video caption or subtitles of the videos. When uploading the video, some content creators may choose to include a subtitle file, which is basically the transcript of the video with time stamps, to provide their viewers with a better viewing experience.
In this case, these pre-made transcripts uploaded by the content creators are usually accurate and formatted, and some may even add translated video subtitles, making it much easier for viewers from overseas to understand the video content.
For those videos without a creator-uploaded subtitle file, YouTube will be using voice recognition to analyze the audio track of the video to generate a rough YouTube transcript. The built-in transcription feature works well for videos in English, and you may find it not that accurate for videos in other languages.
You can easily identify these auto-generated transcripts by checking the subtitles/cc setting under each video.
What to Keep in Mind When Doing YouTube Video Transcription?
It is indeed easy and convenient to transcribe YouTube videos, but there are still a few things to keep in mind when you do so.
Accuracy
For auto-generated transcripts, video-related factors like background noise, accent, overlapping dialogue, and unclear speech can lead to errors and inaccuracies. You should always proofread the transcripts to ensure correctness and make necessary edits for clarity, especially for technical terms or expressions in the academic field that may not be recognized accurately.
Copyright Issues
Be cautious when using transcripted content that isn’t your own. No matter which method you used to transcribe the video, you are still considered as using someone else’s work. YouTube videos are protected by copyright law, so using or sharing transcriptions may require permission from the content creator to avoid legal complications.
Final Takeaways
With these clever methods in mind and the right tools in hand, transcribing YouTube videos to enhance your study process and boost your workflow efficiency has never been this fast and easy.
If you are looking for a simple and smart solution to transcribe YouTube videos, you should definitely consider trying Mapify. With the combination of powerful AI models and leading mind mapping engines, Mapify is here to help you brainstorm creatively, plan smartly, learn quickly, and analyze easily, helping you achieve success in your field like never before.