How to get a summary of a YouTube video
A summary of a YouTube video is made from its transcript. YouTube offers this on some videos, and YouTube Collector does it for any video you paste in that has a transcript.
On YouTube
Ask. On some videos there is an Ask button below the video. Select it, then pick a suggested prompt or type your own question, such as "Summarize this video". YouTube's help page says Ask is offered only in some languages and countries, on some videos, and only when you are signed in (checked 1 November 2026).
Transcript. If the video has captions, open the description and choose "Show transcript". You get the full text with timestamps. Click a line to jump to that part of the video. This is the whole text, not a summary.
With YouTube Collector
- Paste the YouTube link.
- YouTube Collector gets the transcript.
- AI writes a summary from it: a short overview, chapters with timestamps, and key points.
- Click a chapter's timestamp and the video plays from there.
The video stays in your library with its transcript and summary. You can add notes, search every video you have saved, and copy the transcript or the summary.
If a video has no captions, an AI transcript can be made from the audio. It does not work on every video. The first two are free, then they cost credits.
Without an account
The free YouTube video summarizer needs no account. Paste a link and read the full transcript. If YouTube Collector already has a summary of that video, the page shows it. A free account writes the summary for the videos you add and keeps them in your library.
The free plan holds 30 videos, no card. Pro ($4.99 a month) adds 100 videos a month and playlist import, 5 videos per batch.