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Download Transcripts from YouTube Playlists

Extract transcripts from complete YouTube playlists. Perfect for courses, tutorials, and educational content.

Create a free account to load videos and run bulk jobs. 25 credits are included.

Ex:

Channel: www.youtube.com/@andrejkarpathy

Playlist: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAqhIrjkxbuW9U8-vZ_s_cjKPT_FqRStI

Single videos are free · 25 free credits for bulk downloads · Credits never expire.

Once started, transcripts are processed in parallel in the background.

Overview

What this tool does

A YouTube playlist is often a course: a lecture series, a tutorial track, or a conference's talks. The playlist transcript downloader takes the playlist link, lists every video in it, and fetches the captions for the ones you select in a single background job. You get a ZIP with one file per video, or a single text file with every transcript in it.

It works with any public playlist, whether you made it or someone else did. Nothing to install, and you don't need to open each video.

Features

Key Features

Download all transcripts from any public playlist

Perfect for online courses and tutorials

Select every video or just the lessons you need

Export as separate files or a single document

Include video titles, IDs, links, and view counts

Text, JSON, SRT, and VTT formats

How it works

Step by step

Example: Andrej Karpathy's "General Audience" playlist, the same playlist used in the "a playlist" example on our homepage.

1

Paste the playlist link

Copy the link from the playlist page or the share button. It contains list=, for example youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAqhIrjkxbuW9U8-vZ_s_cjKPT_FqRStI. Paste it into the tool above to see the playlist title and video count.

2

Load the videos

Sign in (new accounts get 25 free credits) and load the list. For the General Audience playlist that's 3 videos, so the whole playlist costs 3 credits.

3

Select the lessons

Keep everything selected, or search titles and filter by duration to pick specific lessons. On long playlists you can select a numbered range.

4

Choose a caption language and start

Leave the language on Automatic or set one, for example when a course has both English and Spanish captions. The job starts in the background and you can leave the page.

5

Download

Track the job in your dashboard. When it finishes, pick Text, JSON, SRT, or VTT and download the ZIP. For study notes, turn on "Put all videos in one file" to get one text file for the whole playlist.

Output

Output formats

Text (.txt)

Easy to read. Best for ChatGPT, Claude, and notes. Can combine every video into one file.

JSON (.json)

Structured data for code and automations: title, video ID, URL, language, and text or timed segments.

Subtitles (.srt)

Captions with timing for video editors and players. One file per video.

Web subtitles (.vtt)

Captions for web video players. One file per video.

The combined text file starts with the playlist name and video count, then each transcript in its own numbered section. You pick the format at download time and can download the same job again in another format later without using more credits.

Combined text file (abridged sample)

PLAYLIST: Home Coffee Basics
TOTAL VIDEOS: 3
================================================================================

[VIDEO 1/3]
Video ID: Ab3dEf9GhIj
------------------------------------------------------------
Video Title: How to Make Cold Brew Coffee
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab3dEf9GhIj

Welcome back to the channel. Today we're making cold brew at home. You only need two ingredients. ...

================================================================================

[VIDEO 2/3]
...
Use cases

Who Uses This Tool

Online courses

You're taking a 40-lecture university course that's posted as a playlist. Download it as one text file and you have searchable notes for the whole semester, or something to paste into ChatGPT or Claude for review questions.

Research

You're comparing how speakers at a conference talked about one topic. Download the conference playlist as JSON, and each talk comes with its title, video ID, and timed segments so you can cite the exact moment.

AI datasets

You're collecting a clean set of tutorial transcripts for one subject. A curated playlist is already on topic, which saves you from filtering a whole channel.

Limits

What to know before you start

Captions must exist

We download existing YouTube captions, creator-uploaded or auto-generated. Videos with captions turned off have no transcript to download.

Public playlists and videos

The playlist must be visible to logged-out viewers. Private and deleted entries inside a playlist are skipped before credits are reserved. Members-only and age-restricted videos can't be fetched.

One credit per video

Each selected video uses one credit, including videos that turn out to have no captions. Failures on our side, such as network or proxy errors, are refunded. Duplicate videos in a playlist are only counted once.

File order

Files in the ZIP are named by video title and ID, not by position in the playlist. If lesson order matters, check the titles or use the playlist page to follow along.

Compare other transcript tools

Need a different workflow? Browse the full tools hub or jump directly to another transcript tool below.

YouTube Channel Transcript Extractor - Bulk Download

Download every transcript from a YouTube channel with one click. Our bulk extractor saves hours of manual work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I download transcripts from my own playlists?

Yes, as long as the playlist is public. Private playlists can't be read, so change the visibility first if you want to download one.

How much does a playlist cost?

One credit per video. A 3-video playlist costs 3 credits and a 40-lecture course costs 40. New accounts get 25 free credits, and single-video downloads are free.

What if some videos don't have captions?

The job finishes with every transcript that was available, and videos without captions are left out of the download. They still use their credit. If no video in the job had captions, your dashboard marks it "No transcripts".

Can I get the whole playlist in one file?

Yes. Choose Text and turn on "Put all videos in one file". You get a single .txt with a header for the playlist and a numbered section per video.

Can I download subtitles (SRT or VTT) for a playlist?

Yes. Pick SRT or VTT when you download and you get one subtitle file per video, with the timing of every line.

Do I need to keep the page open while it runs?

No. The job runs on our servers. After you start it you're taken to your dashboard, and the finished download stays there, so you can close the tab and come back later.

Ready to Get Started?

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