YouTube Video Summarizer: Turn Captions into a Mind Map
Turn readable YouTube captions into an outline, then check it against the video
One free try without signing in — video must have captions and be under 20 minutes. Sign up for another try; unlimited on Pro and Max.
One lifetime try without signing up: video up to 20 minutes, captions required, first 5,000 characters of captions only
Separate from your 3 text, webpage and file tries; videos whose length can't be detected can't be tried
A free account adds 1 more try (uses credits), no card; ongoing use needs Pro or Max
Every input has its own tool page: see all mind map tools and their free limits
How to turn a YouTube video into a mind map
Paste the YouTube Link
Paste a YouTube watch, short, Shorts or replay link. The video must have readable captions, be accessible, and under 20 minutes for the no-sign-in try.
Check Length and Cost
Check the title, duration and credit quote. Free tries take videos up to 20 minutes; signed-in runs need enough credits.
AI Reads the Captions
Choose an output language and confirm generation. AI groups the captions into an outline; check it for missing or incorrect points.
Edit, Export, Share
Rename nodes and save before exporting. PNG, Markdown and XMind are on Free; adding/deleting nodes and SVG require Pro or Max.
Why use MindLM as your AI YouTube summarizer
Automatic Subtitle Extraction
Reads accessible manual or auto-generated captions. Check names and terms; frames and audio are not analyzed.
An Outline from Captions
AI groups spoken topics into branches. It can omit or regroup points; the map has no timestamp navigation.
Editable & Exportable
Rename node text on every plan. Adding/deleting nodes and SVG require Pro or Max; Markdown export is included on Free.
Transcript Limits for Longer Videos
Pro processes up to 300,000 transcript characters and Max 600,000. Text beyond the limit is trimmed; duration is only an estimate.
What people use a YouTube summary for
Examples of tasks you can use this input for.
Outline a course lecture
Generate an outline from lecture captions, then return to the video to check diagrams, formulas and demonstrations. Map branches are not timestamped links to the video.
Summarize a tech conference keynote
Outline announcements from a captioned keynote, then check product names and release details in the video or official notes. Visual demos may not be described in the captions.
Keep notes across an explainer series
Keep a separate map for each video and add source links to your exported notes. Compare recurring topics yourself; MindLM does not automatically assemble a course map.
Research a topic across many videos
Generate a separate outline for each captioned source. Compare claims and conditions in your notes with the original videos open; maps do not automatically merge or verify agreement.
Check the captions before you start
MindLM summarizes YouTube captions, not the video frames or audio. Spoken explanations can become an outline, but diagrams, on-screen formulas and silent demonstrations may be missing. Auto-generated captions are accepted; check technical terms and names against the video.
Open the video on YouTube and look for captions before uploading a link. A visible CC button is a useful first check, but does not guarantee that MindLM can fetch the captions. Private, members-only and captionless videos cannot be processed.
Paste a link, check the quote, then generate
Sign in and choose Video Link. Paste a YouTube watch link, youtu.be short link, Shorts link or live replay link. Check that the title and duration match the video you intended to use.
Choose English if you want English notes. Fast, Standard and Summary are available for the Free trial. Review the credit quote and any truncation warning before confirming. Follow progress in the background task tray; processing time varies with caption access and task load.
When the editor opens, compare names, claims and examples with the video. AI may regroup topics or omit points. Branches are not timestamped links back to the video, so keep the source URL and add time references to your notes yourself.
The YouTube tutorial shows the full workflow with an archived example and a source-checking exercise.
Free tries (no sign-in and account)
On the tool page you can try one YouTube video up to 20 minutes without signing up. It is a lifetime device try, separate from your 3 text, webpage and file tries, and it does not use account credits. Captions are read up to the first 5,000 characters; videos whose length cannot be detected cannot be used for this try.
A free account adds one more try up to 20 minutes. That signed-in run uses credits from your balance; signup provides 10 credits, and daily login adds 1. Failed or cancelled tasks do not consume the account trial allowance.
After both tries, or for a longer video, YouTube input requires Pro or Max and credits for each run. Paid plans remove the Free daily generation cap; they do not provide unlimited credit-free processing. See pricing for the plan limits.
Longer videos and transcript limits
Pro processes up to 300,000 characters of transcript; Max allows 600,000. Text beyond the plan limit is trimmed. Video duration alone cannot tell you how much of a lecture will be included: speaking rate, language and caption detail vary.
The quote uses an estimate based on duration. Read any warning and check the resulting outline against the later parts of the video. Do not assume a whole course or long replay is covered because the link was accepted.
For paid accounts, Concise and Detailed change the requested level of detail. Summary groups key points; Action asks for methods and their conditions. These settings do not guarantee that every spoken point appears. See generation settings.
Edit and export the outline
All plans can rename nodes and expand or collapse branches. Adding or deleting nodes requires Pro or Max. On Free, export Markdown if you want to reorganize the outline in another editor.
Wait for saving to finish, then choose Export → Markdown and put the .md file in your Obsidian vault. Add the source URL and any timestamps you checked. The file does not sync with MindLM, verify claims or automatically become a visual map in Obsidian.
PNG, Markdown and XMind exports are included on Free; SVG requires Pro or Max. Share links open a public, read-only page. There is no direct PDF export. Follow the export guide for format details.
When captions are not enough
| Situation | Next step |
|---|---|
| No readable captions, or the video is private | Use another accessible captioned source. If you have an audio file, the audio tool is a separate Pro/Max input with a 20 MB file limit. |
| Important content is drawn or demonstrated | Check those parts in the video. If a paper or slide PDF is available, use the PDF tool and compare the sources yourself. |
| Names or terms are wrong | Compare the captions with what was said, then rename the affected nodes. |
| Later topics are missing | Check the quote's truncation warning and the transcript limit. |
| The link points to another video platform | Only YouTube links are accepted by this input. |
The media input guide lists accepted links and common errors. For other products, the Mapify alternatives comparison separates input, editing and export limits.
YouTube video summarizer FAQ
Is the YouTube summarizer free?
Yes, and you don't need an account to try it. Without signing up you get 1 lifetime try: a video up to 20 minutes, reading the first 5,000 characters of captions; it does not use the 3 free tries for text, webpages and files, and does not use credits. Videos whose length can't be detected can't be used for the try. A free account adds 1 more try (uses credits; 10 signup credits, no card). Further or longer videos need Pro or Max; these free tries don't renew.
How long can the video be?
The free tries, 1 without an account and 1 more after signing up, take videos up to 20 minutes. The no-sign-in try reads the first 5,000 characters of captions. Pro and Max have no fixed duration cap, but process up to 300,000 and 600,000 transcript characters respectively. Text beyond the limit is trimmed. The quote estimates from duration; speaking rate and caption length vary.
Which videos work best?
Use accessible lectures, interviews or explainers with readable captions. Auto-generated captions can contain errors. The input does not analyze frames or audio, so diagrams and silent demonstrations may be missing; return to the video to check them.
Does it work with non-English videos?
Yes. Captions in any language are read. The mind map can follow the source language automatically or be written in one of 9 languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, or Russian.
What can I export the summary to?
Free includes PNG, Markdown and XMind; SVG needs Pro or Max. Save edits before exporting Markdown to Obsidian. It is a snapshot, with no two-way sync or automatic citation checking. Share links are public and read-only. There is no direct PDF export.
Templates that use this tool
Ready to Get Started?
Turn readable YouTube captions into an outline, then check it against the video. Try 1 video up to 20 minutes without signing up (no credits). A free account adds 1 more try; that run uses credits.