How the bookmarklet works
A bookmarklet is a bookmark that runs a tiny script instead of opening a fixed page. When you click it on a YouTube watch page, it reads the video ID from the address bar and opens that video’s transcript on TubeToTranscript in a new tab. It works on regular watch pages (youtube.com/watch?v=…); for Shorts, paste the link into this site instead. You don’t need to copy or paste the link.
- It only reads the current page’s address. It can’t see your YouTube account, history, or other tabs.
- Nothing is installed, so there are no extension permissions to grant and nothing to update.
- It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Brave, and other desktop browsers that show a bookmarks bar.
Setting it up in 20 seconds
- Show your bookmarks bar: press Ctrl+Shift+B on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+Shift+B on a Mac.
- Drag the button above onto the bookmarks bar.
- Open any YouTube video and click the new bookmark.
On a phone
Bookmarklets are awkward on mobile browsers. On Android, install TubeToTranscript as an app from your browser menu. It then appears in YouTube’s Share sheet, so Share → TubeToTranscript opens the transcript directly. On iPhone, tap Share → Copy link in YouTube and paste the link into the box on this site.