Search a video with YouTube's own transcript
On a computer, YouTube's built-in transcript is the quickest way:
- Open the video and expand the description under it (click “…more”).
- Scroll to the end of the description and click Show transcript. The transcript opens next to the video.
- Press Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) and type the word or phrase.
- Click the matching transcript line. The video jumps to that moment.
Search for a distinctive word rather than a whole sentence. Automatic captions often misspell names or split a phrase across two lines.
On the YouTube app
Tap the description under the video, scroll to the end and tap Show transcript. The app doesn't offer a find function inside the transcript, so you scroll through it instead; tapping a line moves the video to that point.
Why some videos have no transcript
The transcript is built from the video's captions. If a video has no captions, there is no transcript. YouTube's help page lists reasons automatic captions may be missing: the audio is complex or still processing, the language isn't supported, the video is too long, the sound quality is poor, there is a long silence at the start, or several people or languages overlap.
A searchable transcript next to the video
SponsorSkip's side panel shows the transcript of the video you're watching with a search field. Matches are highlighted, sponsor passages are marked, and clicking any line jumps the video there. The search runs inside the extension; your queries are not sent anywhere.
The same panel lets you jump to the start or end of each detected sponsor passage, which is useful if you want to hear the offer after all.
Other ways to find a moment
When the transcript doesn't help:
- Chapters: hover over the progress bar to see chapter titles, or use Ctrl+→ / Option+→ to jump between them.
- Comments: viewers often post timestamps for key moments; YouTube turns them into clickable links.
- Number keys: 1 to 9 jump to 10% to 90% of the video for a quick scan.
Common questions
Can I search a YouTube video without opening the transcript?
YouTube's player has no built-in search box for spoken words. The transcript panel, or an extension with a searchable transcript, is the way to find a word.
Why is the Show transcript button missing?
The video has no captions, or the creator turned them off. Without captions there is no transcript.
Search, jump, skip
SponsorSkip combines a searchable transcript with automatic sponsor skipping in Chrome. Your first 20 videos are free.
Sources
External sources were checked on October 8, 2026. Product details describe SponsorSkip as of the update date above.
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