While I edit and write “how-to” articles, I also sometimes find myself in need of how-to directions myself. But when I do a search for guidance on, say, a difficult crochet stitch, it often helps to have a blow-by-blow text explanation that I can have handy without having to sit and watch a video over and over again.

For that, there’s YouTube’s automatically generated transcript. A transcript is not only useful when you want to view a text scroll of what’s being said while you’re watching the video, but it is also handy as a reference point afterward. For example, if you don’t have the time or patience to sit through an entire video, then you can simply glance through the transcript to get the gist of the subject and save it for future reference.

Here’s how to find and use YouTube’s transcript feature:

• Open the video you want to view. In the description below the video, look for the ...more link and select it.

• Look at the end of the description (scroll down if you need to) for the Transcript heading and click on the Show transcript button.
• You’ll be taken back to the top of the page. On the top right, there will now be a Transcript box with the entire transcript of the video, scrolling along with the audio.
• The transcript will be timestamped, but if you find that distracting, you can get rid of them on the desktop app by selecting the three dots on the top right of the transcript and clicking on Toggle timestamps.

• If you want to use the text elsewhere, just use your cursor to highlight the part(s) you want to save, copy it, and paste it. (Note: I usually use either Paste and match style or Paste without formatting in order to avoid any ads or other elements that may be copied along with the transcription.)

You can also create a transcript using YouTube’s mobile app — but while the directions for finding the transcript are about the same, you can’t remove the timestamps. I was also unable to copy / paste the text (if there is a way to do that, please let me know in the comments).

One more note: as anyone who has used YouTube’s automatically generated closed captions or transcripts already knows, the text can sometimes be inaccurate to the point of hilarity. If you’re looking for a more accurate transcript, you could try Google’s Recorder app, which is built into its Pixel phones but available for other Android phones. I compared the two, and while the accuracy of the text was approximately the same, Recorder adds actual sentence structure — you know, periods and capital letters and such — making it far easier to read.

There are also a number of third-party apps out there for both Android and iOS devices that you can try out, although most are not free.