How to add an interactive transcript under a YouTube or Vimeo video in WordPress
Updated 2026-10-19
Why a transcript under the video
An embedded video is a black box for readers who skim and for search engines that can't watch it. A transcript under the player makes every word readable and searchable, and when each line jumps the video to that moment, it doubles as navigation.
Get the caption file
- YouTube: in YouTube Studio, open the video's Subtitles, click the three-dot menu and Download, and choose .srt or .vtt.
- Vimeo: download the file from the video's Distribution → Subtitles.
Add it in WordPress
- Install Captionwright Pro.
- On the Captions screen, open YouTube and Vimeo transcripts.
- Paste the video link, add an optional title, choose the caption file (SRT or WebVTT) and save.
- Embed the same video in a post. With "Add a transcript below every captioned video block" turned on, the transcript appears below it. You can also place it with the Transcript block.
Visitors click a line to jump the video there, and the line being spoken is highlighted.
Nothing is downloaded from YouTube or Vimeo. On the page, the transcript talks to the embedded player in the visitor's browser to jump to a time.
FAQ
Which caption formats work?
SRT and WebVTT, the two formats YouTube Studio and Vimeo let you download. To switch between them, use the free SRT to VTT converter.
Can I caption videos I host myself?
Yes. For videos in the Media Library, Captionwright writes the captions itself with Whisper in your browser.
More guides
How to add captions to WordPress videos without per-minute fees
Generate captions for a Media Library video with Whisper in your own browser, check them next to a live preview, and they appear in the core Video block with a clickable transcript.
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