Video to Text

About this tool

This free tool transcribes a video to text — upload a clip and it writes out what was said. It first silently extracts the audio from your video, then transcribes it, so you get a text version of any lecture, interview, meeting, tutorial or vlog you can search, edit and copy.

Beyond a plain transcript, you can switch on timestamps and download the result as SRT or VTT subtitle files — the caption formats used by video editors and YouTube. That makes this a quick, free way to create subtitles and captions for a video, without any separate subtitle software.

The clever part: it runs entirely in your browser. The audio is pulled out of the video and the speech-recognition model (a compact version of OpenAI's Whisper) is downloaded once, about 40 MB, then runs on your own device using WebAssembly. Your video is never uploaded to a server, so it's completely private — a real advantage over transcription sites that send your file to the cloud.

Because everything happens locally, transcription speed depends on your device, and longer videos take longer. After the first run the model is cached, so the tool even works offline. If you only have an audio file, use the Audio to Text tool instead.

Features

• On-device transcription — your video never leaves your device
• Automatic audio extraction — drop in a video, the audio is pulled out for you
• Works with MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV videos
• Timestamps — toggle time markers to see when each line was spoken
• Four ways to save — plain text, text with timestamps, SRT subtitles or VTT subtitles
• Caption-ready — SRT/VTT files drop straight into video editors or YouTube
• Editable transcript — fix and copy the text before you download
• Works offline after the first run
• Free — no sign-up, no upload, no watermark

How to use it

• Upload a video — click the box or drag a file in (MP4, WebM, MOV or MKV)
• Click "Transcribe" — the audio is extracted automatically; the first run downloads the speech engine (about 40 MB)
• Wait for it to finish — longer videos take longer to process
• Review and edit the transcript, and tick Show timestamps if you want time markers
• Download as plain text (.txt), or as SRT or VTT subtitles — or copy the text

Frequently asked questions

Is my video uploaded anywhere?

No. The audio is extracted and transcribed in your browser on your own device — your video is never sent to a server.

How does it get text from a video?

It reads the audio track straight out of the video file in your browser, then runs speech recognition on it — you don't need to extract the audio yourself first.

Can I download subtitles (SRT or VTT)?

Yes. After transcribing you can download the result as an SRT or VTT subtitle file, as timestamped text, or as a plain .txt transcript. SRT and VTT include the start and end time of every line.

Can I use this to caption or subtitle a video?

Yes. Export the transcript as SRT or VTT and load it into your video editor, or upload it to YouTube as a subtitle track.

Which video formats work?

Most common formats your browser can play — MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV — as long as they contain an audio track the browser can decode.

Why does it download 40 MB the first time?

That's the speech-recognition model. It downloads once and is then cached by your browser, so later runs are quicker and even work offline.

How accurate is it?

It uses a compact Whisper model, which is good for clear speech. Accuracy drops with heavy background noise, strong accents or overlapping voices — and you can always edit the transcript before you download.

What's the difference from Audio to Text?

Audio to Text transcribes an audio file you already have; Video to Text extracts the audio from a video for you first, then transcribes it.