Free tool · No sign-up

YouTube Shorts to text

The script of any Short, ready to copy — no captions needed.

YouTube Shorts link

First 2 minutes free, any lengthLanguage detected automaticallyPublic Shorts

Longer than 2 minutes?You get the first 2 minutes here. Kalpa transcribes the rest — free to start on iPhone Get the app ›

How do you transcribe a YouTube Short?

To turn YouTube Shorts to text, tap Share on the Short and choose Copy link, then paste it above and press Transcribe. Kalpa returns the spoken words with timestamps in seconds, no captions needed. The first 2 minutes of any Short are free here; the rest is in Kalpa.

Short ones here, long ones in Kalpa

First 2 min · free hereYouTube Short0:48English · detected

0:00: One trick to remember names.
0:07: Repeat the name right away, out loud.
0:19: Then link it to something, like a place or a colour.
0:38: Works for me every time.

Keep it, search it, ask about it laterSave to Kalpa ›

How to transcribe YouTube Shorts

Tap Share
On the right side of the Short.
Copy link
Links look like youtube.com/shorts/…
Paste and transcribe
Paste above and press Transcribe.
Use the script
Copy it, download it, or keep it in Kalpa.

Faster in the app

Cross-post a Short without retyping it

Turn the script of a YouTube Short into a Reel caption or a LinkedIn post, and keep every Short transcript in Kalpa so your best lines are easy to reuse.

Download on the App Store

Good to know

For a Short longer than 2 minutes, you get the first 2 minutes here and the rest in Kalpa.
Shorts with only music have no speech to transcribe.
Remixed Shorts include the original audio in the transcript.

Why people transcribe Shorts

Cross-posting

Turn a Short into a Reel caption or a LinkedIn post.

Hooks

Study the first three seconds of Shorts that work.

Subtitles

Use the text as a starting point for burned-in captions.

When the free tool is enough — and when you need Kalpa

	Free web tool	Kalpa app
Length	First 2 minutes of any recording	The whole recording, no limit
Summary, quotes and topics	—	Yes
Search everything you saved	—	Ask in chat, jump to the moment
Your own recordings	Upload a file	Record on iPhone or Apple Watch, transcribed on device
Languages	25, detected automatically	25, detected automatically

Questions and answers

Is the YouTube Shorts transcript free?

Kalpa transcribes the first 2 minutes of any public YouTube Short for free, with no sign-up.

Do I need captions on the Short?

A YouTube Short doesn’t need captions, because Kalpa transcribes its audio directly.

Can I transcribe several Shorts at once?

The Shorts tool takes one link at a time, and you can keep every Short transcript together in Kalpa.

Are remixed Shorts transcribed?

A remixed YouTube Short is transcribed with the original audio it uses, as long as there is speech in it.

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Everything you hear and say, remembered

Kalpa keeps what you watch, say and think in one place you can talk to. Free to start on iPhone and Apple Watch.