YT Transcript Grabber

YT Transcript Grabber is a lightweight Chrome extension that lets you extract, view, and download transcripts from any YouTube video — instantly and without needing a YouTube account. KEY FEATURES • Instant Transcript Extraction — Open the popup on any YouTube video and the transcript loads automatically. No clicking through menus or navigating to the video's transcript page. • Multi-Language Support — Switch between available transcript languages with a built-in language selector. Ideal for content creators, students, researchers, and language learners. • Toggle Timestamps — Show or hide timestamps with a single click. The toggle works locally without re-fetching the transcript, so it's instant. • Editable Text Area — The transcript appears in an editable textarea. Correct typos, remove filler words, or reformat the text before copying or downloading. • Copy to Clipboard — One-click copy of the full transcript text, ready to paste into your notes, documents, or AI tools. • Download as .txt — Export the transcript as a plain text file for offline reference or archiving. • Download as .srt — Export the transcript as a SubRip subtitle file. Use it for video editing, accessibility, or importing into other tools. WHO IS THIS FOR? • Content creators who need transcripts for blog posts, captions, or repurposing content • Students and researchers who want to cite or quote spoken content from lectures and educational videos • Language learners who want to read along with videos in different languages • Accessibility users who prefer reading over listening • Professionals who need to summarize or reference video content in reports and documentation PRIVACY & PERMISSIONS This extension runs entirely locally in your browser. It does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. No analytics, no tracking, no third-party services. Permissions requested: • activeTab — Access the currently active YouTube tab to read the video ID and fetch the transcript. • host_permissions — Connect to youtube.com (for transcript data) and localhost (for the local backend service that retrieves transcripts). No YouTube login or Google account is required. The extension works on any YouTube video that has captions or a transcript available. TECHNICAL DETAILS • Built with Chrome Extension Manifest V3 • Vanilla JavaScript — no external dependencies or frameworks • Pure CSS styling — clean, fast, and lightweight • Popup interface (380px wide) optimized for quick access • Local backend connection (localhost:8000) for transcript retrieval HOW TO USE 1. Install the extension 2. Navigate to any YouTube video that has captions/transcript 3. Click the extension icon in your toolbar 4. The transcript loads automatically 5. Use the language selector to switch languages if available 6. Toggle timestamps on or off as needed 7. Edit the text in the textarea if desired 8. Copy, download as .txt, or download as .srt Free to use. No ads. No sign-up. No data collection.