A transcript is an accurate text version of the audio content of videos, podcasts, and any other media with spoken language. Video transcripts should be a word-for-word match of the content in the video or audio content.

Video transcripts support student learning by providing reinforcement for visual learners, support for students with disabilities, and an easy way to find information (for study or assignments).

Students can easily create their own transcripts, or faculty can provide transcripts in their class.

Please note: Transcripts are based on video captions. The quality of the captions will affect the quality of the transcript.

How to Find Transcripts on Videos

Panopto Videos

Getting a transcript from an embedded Panopto video:

1. Navigate to the embedded video you want to get the transcript from.
2. Select the white "up" arrow on the bottom of the video.
3. Then click the 3 dots in the top right corner of the video.
4. Click “Download Transcript”. 

Getting a transcript from the Panopto viewer:

1. Open the video in Panopto.
2. Navigate to the tabs on the left and select “captions”.
3. On the top of the captions on the left, there is a black download button.
4. Click the download transcript button.

YouTube Videos

If the YouTube video has captions (click on the CC button to see if captions are present), then there is a transcript available. Note: the quality of the captions depends on the choices of the person who uploaded the video. 

To access the transcript: 

1. Go to the video description and click “more”.
2. Scroll down and click on “Show Transcript”.
3. The transcript will open in the right sidebar.
4. From here you can toggle timestamps on or off (click the three dots in the upper right of the transcript in YouTube).
5. Copy the transcript from YouTube and paste into a text or Word file.

Creating a Transcript in Narrative Format

The transcript you download from Panopto (or copy from YouTube) will be formatted like a poem. If you'd like to see the transcript in a more readable format, organized in paragraphs, you can use Copilot AI. Copilot is available to St. Thomas users as part of Microsoft Office. We have tested multiple AI models and the only one to reliably produce a transcript without changing the words is Copilot.

Follow these instructions to make your video transcript more readable:

1. Open Copilot AI from an Edge browser or the Copilot app. If you are asked to sign in, use your St. Thomas email address.
2. Attach your transcript or caption file.
3. Use this prompt:

Create a transcript using this caption file. To make a transcript, remove the timestamps and format the text verbatim in a clear, readable way while maintaining the exact words from the captions. Format the transcript output into short, readable paragraphs. Ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single idea or topic to improve clarity and readability. 

If your video is longer than about 10 minutes, Copilot will not be able to display the entire file at one time. Its output is limited in how much text it can display. If the output doesn't contain all the text from your original transcript file, use this prompt:

Finish the rest of the caption file.

You can click “+ Add to page” to collect all the pieces of the transcript in One Note. Then, copy that Note to word for final formatting. 

NOTE: You may find better results on longer videos if you split the caption file into multiple files. For example: you could segment the video into 6-minute segments (each in their own file). 

[Last updated on: July 7, 2025. We monitor this article is updated every three months.]