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Make YouTube conversations easier to verify in NotebookLM.

Copy a video's transcript, turn it into a text file with timestamped YouTube links, and ask NotebookLM questions that point back to the original speaker.

✓ Free✓ No extensions✓ No AI API✓ Works in your browser
Create your transcript file ↓

See the difference: before and after

We asked the same question about a John Wooden talk in two separate notebooks. One used the YouTube video as a source; the other used a timestamped text file created by this tool.

BEFORE · YouTube video source

NotebookLM's usual citations

NotebookLM answer using a YouTube source with numbered source citations

Example screenshot: numbered citations appear alongside the answer.

AFTER · Timestamped text source

Watch links in the answer

NotebookLM answer with Watch at timestamp links to the original YouTube recording

Example screenshot: the answer includes direct watch links for relevant moments.

What changes? The goal isn't to claim better answers. It's to make it easier to jump back to the original recording and check what was actually said. Results and hyperlink formatting can vary in NotebookLM.

Create your NotebookLM transcript file

No special software needed. YouTube provides the transcript; this page adds the timestamped watch links.

1Copy the transcript on YouTube

  1. Open the video on YouTube.
  2. Below the video, click …more, then Show transcript. YouTube may place this in a different location.
  3. Make sure the transcript's timestamps are visible.
  4. Click and drag to highlight the transcript from start to finish. For longer videos, continue dragging and scrolling until all the text is selected.
  5. Copy with Command+C (Mac) or Ctrl+C (Windows).
Example YouTube transcript panel showing timestamps beside spoken words

Example: highlight the timestamped lines in YouTube's transcript panel.

If the video doesn't offer a transcript, this tool cannot generate one. You don't need to clean up the copied text.

4Use the file in NotebookLM

  1. Click Download Text File above.
  2. Open NotebookLM, create a new notebook, choose Add sources, and upload your downloaded .txt file.
  3. Use only the downloaded text file as your source. Do not add the original YouTube video as another source to this notebook; the text file already contains the video links.
  4. Open Configure Chat, select Custom, paste the instructions below, and click Save.
  5. Ask your question. Follow the ▶ Watch at [time] links to verify the original recording.
NotebookLM Configure Chat dialog with Custom selected and timestamp-link instructions entered

Example: paste the instructions into NotebookLM's Custom chat configuration.

NotebookLM may display a watch URL as plain text instead of a clickable link. If so, copy the URL into your browser. Always verify important statements against the original video.