How to find a YouTube video by what was said
If you already know which video it is, open the description and tap Show transcript: each line takes you to the moment it was said. If you don't know yet, search the topic along with the channel and an unusual word you remember.
Step by step
- Open the video and tap the description (on …more).
- Scroll to Transcript and tap Show transcript.
- Find the line in the text and tap it: the video jumps to that moment.
It's faster on a computer
In your browser, open the transcript next to the video and use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on a Mac) to find the word. On your phone, the transcript has no search: you scroll through the text to the part you want.
The option only appears on videos with captions, whether made by the creator or automatic. Automatic captions get names, numbers and words said with an accent wrong: listen to the part to check before using the information.
Don't know which video it is yet?
- Search YouTube for the topic plus the channel name, if you remember it.
- Add an unusual word you remember from what was said.
- If the video was in Watch later or a playlist, start there.
Remember the meaning but not the words? The creator may have said “preservation” where you remember “storing.” Try synonyms, one at a time.
One search across the speech in all your videos
YouTube's transcript works one video at a time. In KeepScroll, the speech from every video you save goes into the same search: you type a word and the right video shows up, with the part where it was said.
To organize what you keep on YouTube, see how to organize Watch later. For Reels, see how to find a Reel by what was said.
