Facebook video to text, without the busywork
Facebook hosts an enormous amount of video that never appears anywhere else: local news segments, church services, community meetings, product demos, live Q&As saved as videos, recipe Reels and long-form interviews from Pages and creators. When you need to quote, summarise, translate or caption one of them, Facebook gives you no way to get the words out.
PullSubtitle does it in one step. Paste a public video or Reel link and we look for an existing caption track first. Many Facebook videos have automatic or uploaded captions, and when they do we return them with their original timings. When a video has no captions, we automatically switch to AI speech-to-text and transcribe the audio, so you still get a usable script.
You'll also see who posted it, when, how long it runs and how it performed, so a transcript never floats around without its context.
How to get the transcript of a Facebook video
- Open the video or Reel on Facebook.
- Click Share and choose Copy link, or copy the URL from your browser.
- Paste it into the box at the top of this page.
- If the video is longer than two minutes and has no captions, switch on Long-video AI (paid plans).
- Press Get transcript.
- Read, search, copy or download the result.
Accepted links include facebook.com/watch/?v=..., facebook.com/reel/..., facebook.com/[page]/videos/..., shared video posts and fb.watch short links. The video must be public; videos shared only with friends, in private groups or behind a login can't be read.
On mobile
In the Facebook app, tap Share → Copy link, then open PullSubtitle in your browser and tap Paste. The transcript view is designed to be read and copied on a phone.
Captions first, AI when needed
PullSubtitle labels every result with where the words came from:
- Original captions — Facebook already had a caption track for the video. We return it as is, with real timestamps, so SRT and VTT exports line up with the video exactly.
- AI transcription — there was no caption track, so speech recognition transcribed the audio. You get the spoken text; subtitle exports use timings estimated across the video's length.
AI transcription of videos up to two minutes is included in every plan for 1 credit. For longer videos without captions, turn on Long-video AI. Long-video AI costs 3 credits per started minute, taken from your plan's monthly credits (500 on Starter, 1,500 on Pro). Videos that already have captions cost a single credit, whatever their length.
Who uses Facebook transcripts
Journalists and researchers
Quote public officials, local organisations and eyewitness videos accurately. The timestamped transcript lets you cite the exact moment something was said and go back to verify it.
Social media managers
Repurpose your Page's videos into posts, captions, blog articles and emails. Pull the script of a high-performing Reel and adapt it for Instagram, TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
Churches, schools and nonprofits
Turn sermons, lessons and community meetings that were streamed to Facebook into written notes, summaries and accessible transcripts for people who couldn't watch.
Marketers and agencies
Collect transcripts from competitor Pages to see how they pitch, which features they mention and how they handle objections. Paid plans show views, reactions, comments and shares next to each script.
Translators and accessibility teams
Get the source text for subtitles in another language, or provide a readable version for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Facebook details that come with the text
Each Facebook result includes the context you'll need later:
- Every plan: Page or profile name, link to the author, video description, thumbnail, duration, publish date and view count.
- Paid plans: reactions, comments and shares, an engagement rate, the background music track when Facebook lists one, and hashtags pulled from the description.
- Pro: the Comments tab loads up to 100 comments with reaction and reply counts and exports them to CSV.
Exporting JSON or Markdown keeps this metadata next to the transcript, which makes it easy to build a searchable archive of the videos you track.
Facebook ads are on a separate tool
Video ads from the Meta Ad Library work a little differently: they're identified by an ad ID rather than a normal post URL, and they come with ad-specific details such as the call-to-action button and the platforms the ad runs on. Use the dedicated Facebook Ad Library transcript tool for those. If you paste an Ad Library link here, PullSubtitle will point you to the right page.
If a Facebook video won't transcribe
Here are the most common reasons and what to do:
- The video isn't public. Friends-only posts, private groups and some Page videos with restricted audiences can't be read.
- It's a live broadcast in progress. Wait until the live video ends and is saved, then try the replay.
- It's long and has no captions. Turn on Long-video AI on a paid plan, or try a shorter clip.
- It's mostly music. With little speech, both captions and AI may come back empty.
- The link points to a post with a photo or text only. Make sure you've copied the video itself.
Empty results never use credits.
Choosing the right export for Facebook content
Facebook videos end up in very different places, so pick the format that matches where the words are going next:
- TXT for pasting into a document, a press release, a caption or an AI assistant.
- Markdown for a ready-made notes file with the Page name, date, duration and a timestamped transcript, ideal for Notion or a shared drive.
- SRT / VTT for burning subtitles into a re-edit or uploading captions alongside the video on another platform.
- CSV for spreadsheets: one row per line of speech with start and end times, useful for logging long meetings or sermons.
- JSON for developers and analysts who want the transcript and the video's metadata in a structured file.
Free accounts can download TXT and SRT. Starter and Pro unlock every format. If you're archiving a series, such as weekly livestreams from the same Page, turn on batch mode and export each one with the same naming pattern so your archive stays organised.
Privacy and fair use
PullSubtitle never asks for your Facebook login and never posts, reacts or comments on your behalf. We don't download or store the video file. If you're signed in, transcripts are kept in your private history for your plan's retention period and can be deleted anytime from the dashboard.
Transcripts are meant for research, reporting, accessibility, education and repurposing your own content. If you plan to republish someone else's words at length, credit the source and get permission where required.