YouTube Shorts Transcript
A YouTube Shorts transcript is the caption track for a Short — auto-generated or creator-uploaded — as readable text with timestamps. Paste a public youtube.com/shorts/… URL into this caption-extract tool to copy text or download SRT/TXT. It only works when public captions exist; it does not download the video.
Shorts often have captions, but the Shorts player makes Show transcript hard to find — so copying words or exporting SRT is painful. On-screen text overlays are not the same as a caption track. Caption extract reads public subtitle data and returns text/SRT/TXT; it is not an MP4 download, yt-dlp workflow, or speech-to-text from audio. YouTube Shorts and youtu.be links with public captions work on this page today. Tip: /shorts/ID and /watch?v=ID are the same asset — Shorts URLs remain the supported path.
How It Works
Get a YouTube Shorts transcript in three steps on the working product:
- Copy the URL — Copy a public Shorts URL (youtube.com/shorts/… or youtu.be). Private or unlisted links will not work.
- Paste and submit — Paste the URL into the form above and submit. We read YouTube’s public caption track for that video — we do not download the file.
- Get your transcript — Copy timestamped text on the page, or download SRT (editors) or TXT (reading/drafts). If the Short has no public captions, you get a clear failure — we never invent speech.
SRT vs TXT — which to use
SRT keeps cue timings for Premiere, Final Cut, Resolve, and re-timing work. TXT is better for reading, search, drafts, and posts. Timestamps come from the public caption track — not from re-running speech recognition. Clipboard copy gives the same timestamped text without a file download. No video file formats are offered.
When a Shorts transcript won’t work
Private or unlisted Shorts cannot be read. Shorts with no public captions (auto or uploaded) return an honest failure. Music-only or almost no-speech Shorts often have weak or empty tracks. Non-YouTube URLs are outside this workflow. We never return an MP4, run ASR on audio, or invent captions where none exist.
Why creators need Shorts transcripts (not downloaders)
Repurpose spoken Shorts into posts, scripts, or newsletters without rewatching. Editors pull SRT for timing reference when building new cuts. Accessibility checks verify that captions exist and read correctly. Researchers and journalists quote accurately. If you need the video file itself, use YouTube’s own options — this tool is for words and SRT only.
Frequently asked questions
Reel Transcript is not affiliated with Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, or Facebook. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.