Transcribe a YouTube or TikTok video to text, step by step
How to get the text of a YouTube or TikTok video from its link, without downloading the video, and what to do with the transcript afterwards.
Finding a quote in an hour-long talk, subtitling a video, reusing the content of a tutorial or studying from an online lecture: having the text of a video saves a huge amount of time. Here is how to get it in a few minutes.
Why transcribe a video?
- Find information: a text search (Ctrl + F) replaces minutes of scrubbing through the video.
- Create subtitles: useful for accessibility and for viewers watching without sound.
- Reuse content: turn an existing video into a blog post, a LinkedIn post, a newsletter or a summary.
- Study: a transcribed lecture is much easier to reread, highlight and turn into study notes.
Method 1: paste the video link (the fastest)
With AudioWhiz, there is nothing to download:
- Copy the YouTube or TikTok video link ("Share" then "Copy link").
- In AudioWhiz, open Transcribe, then the YouTube or TikTok tab.
- Paste the link: the title, duration and thumbnail appear so you can check it is the right video.
- Start the transcription. The text usually appears in less time than the video lasts.
AudioWhiz is not a download tool: our servers only fetch the video's audio for the time needed to transcribe it, then delete it. You get the text, never the video file.
Transcription from a link is available from the Pro plan.
Method 2: upload the video file
If you already have the video on your computer (a recorded meeting, a webinar, a file a colleague sent you), upload it directly: MP4, MOV and AVI files are accepted, and the audio track is extracted automatically.
This works on every plan, including the free plan, within your plan's file size and duration limits.
What to do with the transcript?
Once you have the text, you can:
- Correct it in the built-in editor: names, technical terms.
- Export it as TXT or, depending on your plan, as DOCX, PDF, or SRT and VTT for subtitles.
- Share it with a link, protected by a code if needed.
- Put it to work with AI, depending on your plan: summary, key points, study sheets, sentiment analysis.
Tips for a better result
- Choose the main language if the video starts with music or a passage in another language.
- Prefer videos with a clear voice: loud background music or several people speaking at once reduce accuracy.
- Respect creators' rights: transcribing for personal use or study is fine, but republishing another creator's content requires their permission.
Your turn
Create a free account to try it with your own files, then move to the Pro plan when you want to transcribe straight from a link. And for videos you record yourself, read our tips to improve audio quality.