How to save a YouTube transcript as Markdown
Updated
To save a YouTube transcript as Markdown, install the Pocketdown browser extension, open the video, click the Pocketdown icon and press Clip captions. Pocketdown reads the video's captions and turns them into a Markdown note: the transcript is grouped into paragraphs of about a minute each, and every paragraph starts with a timestamp that links back to that moment in the video.
Step by step
- Install Pocketdown. Add it from the Chrome Web Store. It works in Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers.
- Open the video on YouTube. Any video that shows captions works.
- Click the Pocketdown icon in the toolbar. On a video page it opens straight to the Video Captions tab.
- Pick a language if there is a choice. When a video has more than one caption track, a Caption track menu appears. Tracks marked (auto) are auto-generated.
- Press Clip captions. The first time, the Markdown is copied to your clipboard, ready to paste into any notes app. After that the button reuses whatever you did last — copy, download a
.mdfile, or send to a notes app — and says so on the button.
What the Markdown looks like
This is real output. The note starts with a YAML property block, then the transcript as a list: one item per minute or so, each opening with a timestamp link.
---
title: How the Rust borrow checker works
source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1B2c3D4e5F
author: Example Channel
site: YouTube
clipped: 2026-09-26
type: video-transcript
captions: English
---
# How the Rust borrow checker works
- [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1B2c3D4e5F&t=0s) Today we are looking at what the borrow checker actually does. Every value in Rust has exactly one owner at a time.
- [01:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1B2c3D4e5F&t=62s) A reference borrows a value without taking ownership of it. You can have many shared references, or one mutable reference.
- [02:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1B2c3D4e5F&t=131s) The compiler checks these rules before your program ever runs.Timestamp links use YouTube's &t= parameter, so they open the video at that
second. The captions property records which track the text came from.
When a video has no caption file
Some videos don't offer a caption file Pocketdown can download. It happens most with auto-generated captions, which YouTube often withholds. Nothing changes for you: the same Clip captions button switches to capturing from playback — Pocketdown turns the player's captions on and reads them off the screen while the video plays, at 2× speed and muted. A small panel in the corner shows progress and lets you change the speed (1×, 1.5× or 2×), finish early, or cancel.
- It starts from where the video is now. For a complete transcript, move the playhead back to the start first.
- Keep the tab in front. Browsers don't draw captions in background tabs, so capture pauses when you switch away and carries on when you come back. Nothing is lost.
- Partial transcripts are labelled. If capture started part-way through,
the note says so — for example
captions: Captured from playback, starting at 12:30— so it is never mistaken for the whole video. - Cancelling leaves your video alone. Playback speed and sound go back to how they were and the video keeps playing.
Limits worth knowing
- YouTube and Bilibili only. Other video sites are not supported.
- The video needs captions. Pocketdown reads captions; it does not do speech recognition. A video with no captions at all can't be transcribed.
- Free plan: 5 video caption clips a month, 2 of them without an account. Pages, articles and PDFs are unlimited. Pocketdown Pro removes the video limit for $4.99 a month or $49 a year.
- Capture from playback takes time: about half of the remaining running time at 2×.
What leaves your browser
The captions travel from YouTube straight to your browser, and the transcript is built on your computer. Pocketdown's server is told only that one clip was used, so the monthly allowance can be counted. It never receives the video's address, its title or the transcript. See the privacy policy.
Questions
Does this work with auto-generated YouTube captions?
Yes. YouTube often withholds the file for auto-generated captions; when it does, Pocketdown reads the captions off the player as the video plays instead, which works for auto-generated captions too.
Can I choose which caption language to save?
Yes. If the video has more than one caption track, a Caption track menu lets you pick one. Tracks marked (auto) are auto-generated.
Where does the transcript go?
The first time, to your clipboard. After that, wherever you sent your last clip: a downloaded .md file, the clipboard, or a notes app such as Obsidian. Every clip is also kept in a local history you can search and export.
Is it free?
Yes, up to 5 video caption clips a month (2 without an account). Pocketdown Pro makes them unlimited for $4.99 a month or $49 a year. Clipping pages, articles and PDFs is always free and unlimited.
More guides
- Save Bilibili subtitles as Markdown — Human-made and AI subtitles from 哔哩哔哩, with links back to each moment.
- Convert a web page to Markdown — The article without the ads and menus — or just a selection, or one element.
- Convert a PDF to Markdown in your browser — Headings and paragraphs rebuilt from the text layer, with no upload.
- Clip web pages into Obsidian — Straight into your vault as notes with properties, in the folder you choose.