YouTube transcript with timestamps
Every line timecoded, and every timecode clickable — jump straight to the moment you're looking for.
Works with youtube.com/watch, youtu.be, Shorts, Live and embed links — or a bare video ID.
Turning timestamps on
Paste a link, then choose Timestamps in the view switcher above the transcript. Every caption line gains its time, and each one is a link. Clicking loads the video inline, already at that second.
Use the search box to find a phrase first — matches highlight in place, and the timestamp beside the hit takes you to it. That combination is the fastest way to find the thirty seconds you actually wanted out of a two-hour video.
What it's good for
- Citing a source. A quote with a timecode can be checked by whoever reads it — considerably more useful than a bare assertion about what someone said.
- Writing chapter markers. Skim the transcript, note where topics turn, and you have your chapter list without scrubbing the timeline.
- Finding the one bit you remember. Search the phrase, click the time, done.
- Reviewing long-form video. Interviews, lectures, podcasts, conference talks — anything where you need to get back to a specific passage.
Timestamps in the exports
| Export | How time is carried |
|---|---|
| Timestamped text | [12:34] the line of text, one per line |
| SRT | Start and end timecode per block, 00:12:34,220 |
| WebVTT | Same, with a full stop before milliseconds |
| CSV | Start and end in seconds, plus a readable timestamp column |
| JSON | start and dur in seconds, per cue |
| Paragraphs / Plain / Markdown | No timings — these are for reading |
A note on precision
Caption timings are built for readability, not forensics. Text is usually cued slightly ahead of the speech so it can be read in time, and auto-generated tracks group words into chunks that don't always respect sentence boundaries. For nearly everything this is irrelevant; if you need a frame-accurate reference, click through and confirm.
Common questions
Do the timestamps link into the video?
Yes. Click one and the video opens inline at that second. The underlying link is a normal YouTube URL with a &t= parameter, so it works anywhere if you copy it out.
Can I get timestamps every minute instead of every caption line?
Not as a setting yet. The timestamped view follows the caption cues, which is usually finer-grained — roughly every three to six seconds. Paragraph view is the coarser option.
Why do timestamps sometimes look slightly early?
Captions are timed to appear a fraction before the words are spoken so viewers can read them in time. Expect up to about a second of lead. If you are citing precisely, click through and check.
What format keeps the timings for other software?
SRT or WebVTT for video tools, JSON or CSV if you are processing the cues yourself. Both JSON and CSV give start and end times in seconds as well as a readable timestamp.