Finding a setting mentioned in a YouTube tutorial can mean replaying several minutes. A transcript lets you search the wording and return to that moment. Voiz for YouTube puts the text beside the video, with copying, export and AI summaries.
The extension works with accessible YouTube captions. It does not listen to the audio or create captions for a video that has none. Start with Transcript & AI Summary for YouTube — Voiz in the Chrome Web Store. No Voiz account is needed to use the extension.
1. Install and open a YouTube transcript
Install the extension in Chrome, then open a YouTube video with captions. Expand the Voiz panel beside the video and open Transcript. The extension loads the available caption text into readable paragraphs.
If several tracks are available, use Caption track to choose one. An English tutorial may also have a Spanish track. Check your selection before copying or summarising: these actions use that track's text.
Automatic captions can contain wrong names, numbers or punctuation. The extension uses the supplied caption text and does not automatically correct its errors. For quotations or instructions, compare important passages with the video.
2. Search, jump to a moment and save text
Search for a word or phrase to find matching passages. In a software tutorial, try a function or menu name. Clear the search to read the full transcript again.
Use a passage's timestamp to jump to that point in the video. The timestamp toggle lets you choose whether times appear alongside the text.
The toolbar provides three ways to take the text with you:
- Copy puts the current transcript or summary on the clipboard.
- .md downloads a Markdown file for notes or a text editor.
- .txt downloads a plain text file.
Choose the Transcript or Summary tab before exporting, and set the timestamp toggle as needed. Export gives you a copy outside local History.
3. Request an AI summary
Open Summary and choose Generate Summary. This sends the selected captions for processing; opening a video does not request a summary. Generation needs accessible captions with enough content, available quota and a successful service connection.
The extension provides 30 free AI summaries per monthly period, tracked in the browser installation. The period begins with the first successful summary; the panel shows the remaining allowance and reset date. This is a separate allowance from the audio transcription minutes on voiz.to.
The summary uses the selected caption track's language. It is not a translation feature. Reopening an already saved summary does not generate it again. When the allowance runs out, you can still read captions, use History, copy and export saved text.
Treat a summary as a guide to the source. Check claims and quotations against the transcript or video, especially where automatic captions were inaccurate.
4. Return to local History
Loaded transcripts and saved summaries stay in History in that browser. Revisit a video, find saved text or export it later. Tracks are stored with the video; check which version you are reading.
History is local browser storage, not an account library shared across devices. Export important notes before deleting records or clearing extension data. For details about local storage and the caption text sent when you request a summary, read the Privacy Policy.
5. If the video has no accessible captions
The extension cannot produce an audio transcript on its own. If there are no captions, or you need a new transcript from the audio, use the separate YouTube transcription workflow on Voiz. It processes the audio and has its own limits and pricing.
Use that workflow if existing captions are unsuitable, too. Translation on Voiz is available from a completed full result. Use the extension for accessible captions; use audio transcription for text produced from the recording.
FAQ
- Does the extension work on every YouTube video?
- No. It needs accessible captions. It cannot transcribe the audio itself, and summary generation also requires enough caption text and an available allowance.
- Do the 30 summaries use my Voiz transcription minutes?
- No. The extension's monthly summary allowance is separate from voiz.to audio transcription minutes. You do not need a Voiz account to use the extension.
- Can I translate a transcript with the extension?
- The extension lets you choose available caption tracks and summarises in the selected track's language. For translation on Voiz, first obtain a completed full transcription result.