Short version
To turn a YouTube lecture into notes, paste the video URL into Vidgest, a native macOS app from the Mac App Store. The app fetches the full transcript with timestamps, then you run an AI summary, chapters, and key takeaways to get structured study notes. Export the result to Markdown, Obsidian, PDF, or plain text, and click any timestamp to jump back to that point in the video. The free tier covers unlimited transcripts and 3 AI analyses per day, which fits a lot of student work. You can also batch a whole course playlist of 50 or more lectures at once.
From a two-hour lecture to notes you can actually study
A recorded lecture is hard to revise from. You cannot skim a video, you cannot search it for the one concept you forgot, and rewatching at 1.5x still costs you most of the runtime. Turning the lecture into text fixes all of that. A transcript is searchable, an AI summary gives you the structure, and key takeaways give you the points worth memorizing.
Vidgest does the whole chain on a Mac. Paste the lecture URL, get the transcript, summarize it, and export it into your note system. Because every transcript is stored locally on your Mac, you build up a searchable archive of every lecture you have processed, with no account and no cloud sync.
How to turn a YouTube lecture into notes
1. Paste the lecture URL
Open Vidgest and paste the YouTube lecture URL. The app fetches the full transcript and shows it with timestamp markers. Full-length lectures, multi-hour seminars, and livestream replays all work the same way as a short clip. Click any timestamp to jump back to that exact moment on YouTube when you want to rewatch a section.
2. Run an AI summary and key takeaways
Press the AI button to generate a summary, a chapter breakdown, and key takeaways from the transcript. The summary gives you the shape of the lecture, the chapters mark where each topic starts, and the takeaways pull out the points worth keeping. You can run all three on the same transcript without re-fetching.
3. Export to Markdown, Obsidian, or PDF
Export the transcript and AI notes to TXT on the free tier, or to Markdown, Obsidian, PDF, SRT, VTT, and JSON on Pro. The Obsidian export includes YAML frontmatter and timestamp deep-links, so each lecture lands in your vault as a linked note. Markdown drops cleanly into Bear, Notion, and most note apps. PDF is handy for printing or sharing a study sheet.
4. Search and revise later
Every transcript stays in a local library on your Mac. Search within a transcript with Cmd+F to find the one definition or example you need. Weeks later, when you are revising for an exam, the entire course is text you can search instead of hours of video you have to scrub through.
Batch a whole course at once
If your course is a YouTube playlist, you do not have to process lectures one by one. Paste 50 or more lecture URLs into Vidgest in a single batch and the app fetches every transcript, pacing itself and backing off when YouTube rate-limits. The batch path has been tested to 750 URLs. Start it before a study session, do something else, and come back to a full set of transcripts ready to summarize. There is more on this on the batch YouTube transcripts page.
Built for students and researchers
- Searchable transcripts of every lecture, stored locally on your Mac
- AI summaries, chapters, and key takeaways for fast revision
- Timestamp deep-links back to the exact moment in the video
- Export to Obsidian, Markdown, and PDF for your existing note system
- Batch a full course playlist in one queue
- Free tier: unlimited transcripts and 3 AI analyses per day, no account
Recorded lectures that are not on YouTube
Not every lecture is online. If you recorded a class yourself or have a local audio or video file from your university's system, Vidgest Pro transcribes it on-device in 19 languages with no upload, which keeps recordings private. Once transcribed, you summarize and export it exactly like a YouTube lecture. See the transcribe audio on Mac page for that workflow.
Free tier fits student budgets
The free tier gives you unlimited YouTube transcripts and 3 AI analyses per day with no account and no credit card, which is enough to process a few lectures a day during term. If you are working through a heavy course load or want all the export formats, Pro is $4.99/mo or $34.99/yr and raises AI analyses to 500 per month while unlocking Markdown, Obsidian, PDF, SRT, VTT, and JSON exports.
Turn your lectures into notes free
Unlimited transcripts and 3 AI analyses per day on the free tier. No account, no credit card.
Download on the Mac App StoreFrequently asked questions
How do I turn a YouTube lecture into notes?
Paste the lecture URL into Vidgest to get the transcript, run an AI summary and key takeaways, then export to Markdown, Obsidian, or PDF. Click any timestamp to jump back to that moment in the video.
Is it free for students?
The free tier gives unlimited transcripts and 3 AI analyses per day with no account, which covers a lot of student use. Pro ($4.99/mo or $34.99/yr) raises AI to 500 per month and unlocks all export formats.
Can I do a whole playlist at once?
Yes. Paste 50 or more lecture URLs in one batch and Vidgest fetches them all with rate-limit backoff. The batch path has been tested to 750 URLs. Leave it running and come back.
Can I export to Obsidian?
Yes, on Pro. The Obsidian export adds YAML frontmatter and timestamp deep-links so each lecture becomes a linked note in your vault. Markdown, PDF, SRT, VTT, and JSON are also Pro exports. TXT is free.
What about lectures I recorded myself?
Vidgest Pro transcribes local audio and video files on-device in 19 languages with no upload. Then you summarize and export them like any YouTube lecture.
Do I need a browser extension?
No. Vidgest is a native macOS app from the Mac App Store. You paste the URL into the app directly, with no browser involved.