Troubleshooting · Free transcript tool
YouTube Transcript Not Showing? Here Is Why
If the YouTube transcript is not showing, it is usually one of a few causes. Find yours below, or paste the link above to check whether the video has a transcript at all.
- Find the hidden button
- Common causes explained
- Check any video in seconds
Quick check: does the video have captions?
Paste the video link above and press Check This Video. If a transcript appears, the video has captions and the problem is just YouTube’s interface; you can copy or download the transcript right here. If nothing comes back, the video has no captions, and no tool can show a transcript that does not exist.
Where the transcript button went
YouTube has moved the option over the years. It is no longer in the three dots menu under the video on most layouts. On desktop, click “…more” to expand the description, scroll to the bottom of it and click “Show transcript”. In the mobile app, tap the video title to open the description and scroll down.
Why is there no transcript on YouTube?
- The video has no captions. The creator did not upload subtitles and YouTube did not generate automatic ones.
- The captions are not ready. Automatic captions can take a while to appear after upload, and longer for long videos.
- It is still live. A live stream generally gets a full transcript only after it ends and the replay is processed.
- The language is not supported for automatic captions, or the audio is mostly music, noise or overlapping speech.
- The creator turned automatic captions off, or removed the captions.
- It is a Short. The Shorts player usually has no transcript option.
Why is there no transcript on my YouTube video?
If it is your own upload, open YouTube Studio, go to Subtitles and check the video. If automatic captions are still processing, wait. If they never appeared, the audio may be unclear or in an unsupported language; you can upload a subtitle file or type captions yourself in Studio. Once captions are published, the transcript button appears for viewers.
YouTube transcript not showing: how to fix the interface
If the video does have captions but the button is missing for you:
- Expand the description fully with “…more” and scroll to its end.
- Reload the page, or open the video in a private window to rule out a browser extension interfering.
- Widen the browser window; on narrow layouts the panel can sit below the video.
- Update the YouTube app, or try the video in a browser instead.
- Or skip the interface: paste the link above to read the transcript here.
Transcript not showing up for a long video
YouTube sometimes does not create automatic captions for very long recordings, and processing can take hours when it does. If a long video shows no transcript after a day, it most likely has no automatic captions. Our podcast and live stream page covers long videos in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
Why is YouTube not showing the transcript?
Usually the video has no captions yet, or the button is hidden at the bottom of the expanded description. Paste the link above to check.
Why is there no transcript on my YouTube video?
Automatic captions may still be processing, may be turned off, or the audio may not be supported. Check the Subtitles section in YouTube Studio.
How do I enable the transcript on YouTube?
Viewers cannot enable it. It appears when the video has captions. Creators can add captions in YouTube Studio.
The transcript is not in the three dots menu. Where is it?
On most current layouts it is at the bottom of the expanded description: click “…more”, then “Show transcript”.
Can this site get a transcript YouTube is not showing?
Yes, if the video has captions and only the button is missing. If the video has no captions, there is no transcript to get.
Can you transcribe a video that has no captions?
No. This site reads existing captions only and does not transcribe audio.
Why does the transcript not show on Shorts?
The Shorts player rarely offers it. Paste the Short’s link here to view its transcript if it has captions.