Make sure the video has an available transcript
You need an accessible transcript and a video you can open. Whynote may be unable to fetch the text if captions are unavailable or the video is restricted. Check that you have the intended video and can play the beginning.
YouTube import in Whynote for Mac needs a signed-in account, internet access and Pro. The text becomes part of your note library, while the video stays on YouTube.
Import the transcript from the video link
- Open Whynote on Mac and choose Transcribe YouTube from the create menu.
- Paste the video link into the URL field.
- Check the video shown in the import window and choose Get Transcript.
- Wait for the note to appear, then read the opening to confirm that you have the right material.
Give the note a recognizable title and add why you saved the video. You might record the question you were trying to answer and the explanation you want to return to.
Keep the ideas that matter to your task
Read the relevant part of the transcript and add the points you need to your own notes. Check specialist terms and numbers against the video, because captions can contain mistakes. If the presenter demonstrates something without describing it aloud, explain that part separately in your own words.
For a draft, open Summary, choose Detailed or TL;DR and select Generate Summary. Read the result for missing conditions before relying on it. The lecture notes guide offers a structure for turning an explanation into study material.
Keep advice connected to its original context
A short summary can lose a condition that makes the advice useful. If the presenter says a method suits a short interview in a quiet room, your note should keep those limits rather than apply it to every recording. Return to that passage in the video and restore the condition.
Separate your own conclusions from the presenter’s statements. Later, you should be able to see which idea came from the video and which experiment you decided to try yourself. Keep enough context to understand the note without watching the whole video again.
If the transcript will not load
| What happened | What to check |
|---|---|
| No transcript is available | Check captions and access to the video. Some videos cannot provide a transcript. |
| The link is not accepted | Copy the video’s own URL and paste it into the import field again. |
| The request times out or fails | Check the connection and app message. Retry later if the service reports a temporary limit. |
| The app asks for Pro or sign-in | Check the account and YouTube import access in the app. |
If you have your own audio or video file instead, choose Add files and follow the Mac file transcription guide. A local recording uses a different import workflow from a transcript fetched by URL.
Use the iPhone app for your other recordings
The YouTube import steps on this page describe the Mac app. On iPhone, you can record a voice note or open a saved file using Import audio or video. Those workflows do not require downloading a video from YouTube.
For audio already on your phone, follow the iPhone transcription guide. To capture a thought now, use the voice-note workflow inside Whynote.
Bring your next video transcript into Whynote
Import an available YouTube transcript into Whynote on Mac with Pro and work with the text in a note. Choose the iPhone app for voice notes and audio recordings saved on your phone.