Free web tool · 3 free uses a month
Get clean text from a YouTube video.
Paste a link to fetch available captions, or paste a transcript directly. Then copy it, build a batch, or send it to Dumb It Down.
Instructions Step-by-step — click to open
▶ Listen to these instructions
New here? This tool turns a YouTube video into clean text, then helps you turn that text into a draft. Follow these steps in order.
- Get the text. Copy a YouTube link, paste it into the YouTube URL box, and click Get Transcript. The video's words appear in the big Transcript box below.
- No captions? Paste instead. Some videos have no captions. If fetching fails, paste any transcript straight into the Transcript box. You can edit the text freely — fix typos or delete parts you don't need.
- Build a batch (optional). In the Combine into one explainer panel, click Add transcript to batch for each video you want to combine. The counter shows how many are queued.
- Send to Dumb It Down. When your batch is ready, click Open Dumb It Down →. The transcripts travel over automatically so you can merge them into one explainer.
- Or make a quick draft right here. In the Generate one result panel, choose an Output type (what you want made), a Tone (how it should sound), and a Length, then click Generate.
- Review and save your output. The result appears in the Result box. Use Copy to put it on your clipboard, or TXT / Markdown to download it as a file. Always read drafts before publishing.
- Start fresh anytime. Click Clear & Start Over to empty the boxes and begin a new video.
If something fails: a transcript that won't fetch usually means the video has no captions — paste the text manually and keep going. If Generate shows an error, check that the transcript box isn't empty, wait a few seconds, and try again. Large batches can take 1–2 minutes — stay on the page.
Input
Video or transcript
If a video cannot be fetched, paste its transcript into the box above and keep going.
Next step → Dumb It Down
Combine into one explainer
Get one or more transcripts here, add each to the batch, then open Dumb It Down to turn them into one explainer, summary, newsletter, glossary, or study guide. 0 transcript(s) queued.
Output
Generate one result
Writing a draft needs a subscription. Pasting a transcript is free. Fetching one uses 1 of your 3 free uses a month, shared across the site's tools.
Use generated outputs as drafts. Review before publishing.
Search → auto-fetch → build a batch
Find & fetch videos by topic
Instructions Step-by-step — click to open
▶ Listen to these instructions
Don't have a specific video in mind? This tool searches YouTube for you by topic, fetches the transcripts of the ones you pick, and drops them straight into your batch — no copy-pasting links.
- Type your main topic. In the Main topic box, enter what you're researching — for example, "low-carb diet."
- Add angles (optional). In Angles / sub-topics, list a few comma-separated angles (e.g., "keto, beginner, weight loss") to widen the search and pull more varied videos.
- Choose how many. Set videos per search (1–10, default 3) — how many results you want back.
- Find videos. Click Find Videos. Real YouTube results appear in the list below with titles and channels.
- Pick the ones you want. Tick the checkbox on each video you like. Selected videos auto-fetch their transcripts and add themselves to your batch.
- Research several topics at once (optional). Click + Add Topic Channel at the top of this section to open another search panel.
- Send the batch. The dark bar pinned at the bottom of the screen shows how many transcripts are queued — click → Send to Dumb It Down to combine them into one explainer.
If something fails: "No videos returned" usually means the topic is too narrow — try a different topic or different angles. Long or brand-new videos can take up to 15 minutes — the row says Still working on this one while it waits, so keep the page open. If a selected video won't fetch, it likely has no captions — pick another one, or paste its transcript into the Transcript box at the top of the page.