Use an online tool to convert a .vtt file into text to extract closed caption info from youtube and create a transcript

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How to extract and download closed caption information from YouTube to create a transcript of your video

How to convert a .vtt file into a .txt file

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If you are a webmaster like me and you want to take advantage of the closed caption information provided by YouTube to create a transcript of your videos to post on your website, then you no doubt need a program other than Notepad to efficiently convert a .vtt file into.

When you upload a video to YouTube, you want to benefit from the keywords search utility. The Description field of the video you are uploading is one of the places those keywords will be searched. The best way is to transcribe your video into that field.

To be able to do that especially when you don't have a script that goes with that video, or if you have recorded that video and later on want to transcript it and utilize that search for keywords option, please follow steps below:

1. 1
   YouTube has implemented a very useful option called "Captions"

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   It is the last feature from the left as you can see from the photo.

   

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2. 2
   When you click it, you will see another window, where "automatic captions" is shown

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   Click it.

   

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3. 3
   A transcript of your video will appear

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   That really depends on your video quality and your voice clarity, so when you are recording a video and you have no written script, make sure your voice is being recorded loudly and clearly, so the automatic captions can give you the best transcript possible.

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4. 4
   Click on the "Actions" button; and select ".vtt" to download

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   This will download a text file with your shown transcript.

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5. 5
   You need to remove all access lines like numbers of captions and timing, and only keep the transcript

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   You will end up with a full transcript of your video. And that is what the next converter tool will do for you.

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There are a number of tools you can use to convert your .vtt file into a .txt file. Some of them are in-browser applications, while others require you to download the application, install it on your computer, and then use it from there. Either way, they all accomplish the same goal: converting your .vtt file into a file that you can edit with your favorite word processing program.

Here is a list containing some of the most popular .vtt file converters available to you:

• vttCaptions
• 3PlayMedia
• You can also use your favorite word processing program to change the file name from .vtt to .txt. You will lose the formatting, but you will be able to edit the content to get it the way you want it.

• Check that transcript against the actual voice of your video, and amend any flaws you might find. The actual accuracy depends on the clarity of your voice, as we said above. And since you are at it, if you amend any transcript within the ".vtt" file, copy it, then go back there to your automatic caption list, and paste. That way, your caption list will be accurate too.
• Once you have finished fine tuning your transcript file, copy it as a whole and paste in the "Description" field of your video.
• If you find this tool that I wrote to convert .vtt files plain text to create transcripts useful please link to it :) or this wiki :) I would very much appreciate it!
• After writing this converter I also came across a YouTube video transcript downloader tool online at http://www.serpsite.com/youtube-subtitles-download-tool/ . I don't know the limitations, but it worked flawlessly for me when I tried it. Please post any limitations here if you find any.

How to open Web .vtt file? I want to open this file to see the time in it?

Hello Sir, I have a problem with Web.vtt file. I want to open .vtt file English to translate to Vietnamese. Can you help me? Thanks

To open a WebVTT file, open a File Explorer with the Windows and "E" keys. Locate the file and right-click it. Select "Open with" or move the mouse to "Open with" and click "Choose default program". Select the Notepad program to associate with the file extension. You can check "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" and click "OK".

You will see the time, tags, and text in the file. You can start translating the file by replacing the original text. Then, just save it to use it.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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