How to get a video transcript

Upload the video to Google Drive and generate automatic captions for it. Then open the video, click the gear icon on the player, choose Transcript, and search what was said.

Drive shows the transcript in a sidebar next to the video and highlights the words as they're spoken.

Google Drive video transcript, step by step

Make the captions

  1. Upload the video to Google Drive, or find it there.
  2. Right-click the video and choose Manage caption tracks. If the video is already playing, click More, then Manage caption tracks.
  3. Choose Generate automatic captions.

Open and search the transcript

  1. Open the video in Drive. It needs captions for the transcript to show.
  2. Click the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the player and choose Transcript.
  3. The transcript opens in a sidebar next to the video and highlights the words being spoken.
  4. Search it for a word from the line, and jump to that part of the video.

Transcripts work on personal Google accounts, Google Workspace and Workspace Individual. In a Workspace account, your admin may need to turn on automatic captions, or you may need to request them.

Which take has the line?

We shot a staged car-crash skit for an ad. One day gave us 74 raw files, and many are takes of the same lines. The editor needed one: “Why are you driving like a maniac?” Nobody knew which file held it.

A transcript searches one video. To search what was said across the whole folder, use clipcloud.

  1. Share the Google Drive folder with clipcloud. It only sees the folder you share.
  2. clipcloud scans the videos in it, including what was said. New files get picked up on their own.
  3. Type the line in plain words. We typed “why are you driving like a maniac”. It returned the three clips where the line is said, and each showed why it matched: the line itself.
  4. It finds what’s shown, too. We typed “jeep hits the car door”, and the crash came back first, with its moment marked.
  5. Your editor gets their own login. Next time, they search for it themselves.

Your originals stay in your Drive.

FAQ

How do I transcribe a video in Google Drive?

Right-click it, choose Manage caption tracks, then Generate automatic captions. Then open the video, click the gear icon and choose Transcript.

Does it work on a personal Google account?

Yes. Google's February 2025 update covers personal accounts, Google Workspace and Workspace Individual.

Which languages do Drive's automatic captions support?

29, according to Google Drive Help, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Hindi and Japanese.

Can I search what was said across all my videos at once?

With clipcloud, yes, across the Drive folder you share. Type the line in plain words, and it returns the clips where it's said.

Will it find the clips where a line is said?

Yes. Type the line, and it returns the clips where it's said. In our shoot, that was three clips.

Can it find a shot where nobody speaks?

Yes. It searches what's shown and what's written on screen as well as what's said.

Can my editor search it too?

Yes. Your editor gets their own login and searches your library.

Does clipcloud move or change my files?

No. Your originals stay in your Drive.

Does it work with Shared Drives?

Yes. During the beta, a clipcloud founder links a whole Shared Drive for you.

How do I get access?

clipcloud is in beta. 100 beta spots. The first 100 get 50% off. Join the waitlist.