YouTube Shorts Transcript Generator
Paste a Shorts link and get what was said as text, in the language it was said. Copy the script or download it with timestamps.
- 1
Open the Short
Find the Short in the YouTube app or on youtube.com. It has to be public or unlisted.
- 2
Copy the link
Tap Share on the right side of the Short, then Copy link. In a browser, copy the address bar.
- 3
Paste it here
Paste the link into the box on this page and start. No YouTube login, and your first transcript here needs no account.
- 4
Take the text
Copy the transcript in one click, or download TXT, SRT or VTT.
| Feature | YouTube's transcript | ReelToScript |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to open on Shorts | No | Yes |
| Copy the words as one block | Partly | Yes |
| SRT / VTT caption file | No | Yes |
| Keeps the spoken language | Yes | Yes |
YouTube Shorts to text in a few seconds
Shorts loop, swipe away and are hard to find again. If one taught you something, or you want to see how a creator in your niche wrote it, the useful part is the words. This tool takes the link to a Short and gives you its spoken words as text, usually within 5 to 20 seconds.
How to copy a YouTube Shorts link
In the app (iPhone or Android):
- Open the Short.
- Tap Share on the right side of the screen.
- Tap Copy link.
In a browser:
- Open the Short on youtube.com.
- Copy the address from the address bar. It looks like
youtube.com/shorts/abc123XYZ.
What a Shorts transcript is good for
Learning how a Short is written
A Short has under a minute or so to earn the next swipe, so the script does most of the work. A transcript shows you how the creator opened, how fast they got to the point and how they ended. Read the transcripts of a few Shorts that did well in your niche and you'll see the pattern. Use it to write your own script rather than copying theirs.
Getting a second use out of your own Shorts
If you post Shorts, you're already writing a lot of short scripts. Run your own through the generator and you have the start of a community post, a newsletter tip, a blog section or the description for a longer video on the same topic.
Posting the same clip everywhere
Many creators post one vertical video to Shorts, TikTok and Reels. Download the SRT or VTT and import it into CapCut, Premiere or DaVinci Resolve to get captions timed to the speech, so people watching with the sound off still follow along.
Our transcript or YouTube's?
YouTube's own transcript panel shows up on many regular videos when you open the description on a computer. It doesn't help much with Shorts: it is hard to find, it isn't always available, and you can't download it as a subtitle file. Here you only need the link, and you get plain text plus SRT and VTT files.
TXT, SRT or VTT?
- TXT is the transcript as plain text.
- SRT is a subtitle file with numbered lines and start and end times. Almost every video editor imports it.
- VTT (WebVTT) is the format web players use.
Limits worth knowing
The tool reads what any visitor can watch on YouTube without logging in. It can't get a transcript from:
- Private videos
- Age-restricted or removed videos
- Members-only videos
- Shorts with music but no talking
The transcript is written in the language spoken in the video. It does not translate.
First one free, no account
Your first transcript is free, without signing up. After that you need an account and credits: packs start at $5 for 30 transcripts and never expire, or Pro is $9 a month for 300. Every Short uses one credit, and a transcript that fails costs nothing. We don't save the video or publish it anywhere; you only receive the text.
ReelToScript is an independent tool and has no affiliation with YouTube or Google.
Use cases
Frequently asked questions
Tap Share on the Short and choose Copy link. Paste the link into the box on this page and start. The transcript appears in a few seconds.
Regular videos often have a Show transcript option in the description on desktop, but it isn't always there, and on Shorts it's hard to reach. You also can't download it as a caption file. This tool gives you the text and SRT/VTT from the link alone.
youtube.com/shorts/ links, youtu.be links and regular youtube.com/watch links all work. Tracking parameters like ?si= are removed automatically.
Yes. A video up to 5 minutes uses one credit, and each started 5 minutes after that uses one more. Every Short fits in one credit.
Your first transcript is free, and you don't need an account for it. After that, packs start at $5 for 30 transcripts, or Pro is $9 a month for 300.
The Short may have music but no speech, or it may be private, age restricted or removed.
No. The transcript is written in the language spoken in the video.