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Highlight Any YouTube Video

Visit any YouTube video and click the highlight button to open the YouTube reader. Then start selecting text to highlight.

Video transcript
  1. Click any highlight Clicking a highlight on the page opens its popup: a row of actions above the line, and tags and a note below it.
  2. Add a note, with formatting The note field is always open, so typing adds a note to the highlight right away. The toolbar under the note formats it — here a click on B makes the last words bold; italic, lists and more sit next to it.
  3. Tag it to find it later Typing in Tags suggests the tags you already use; picking one adds it, and a new name is created with “+ Create”.
  4. Or note the whole page A note can also be about the whole page, without a highlight: the small note button between two cards in the sidebar adds one, with the same toolbar — here a line and a short bulleted list.
  5. All in your sidebar The sidebar shows the highlight with its note and tags, and the page note below it. Tags let you find them again in the sidebar and in the web app.

Take Notes & Organize

Add notes, tags, and organize highlights and bookmarks for efficient research. Access everything instantly.

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Video transcript
  1. Summarize any page One click on AI summary in the sidebar writes the key points of the page. The summary is saved with the page, above your highlights. Key points, TL;DR, headline or teaser; short, medium or long.
  2. Or chat with it Or chat with the page: ask a question and the answer comes from the page itself. AI chat works on websites, PDFs and YouTube videos.
  3. Right on your device The AI runs on your device — Gemini Nano in Chrome, Phi-4-mini in Edge — with no cloud. The free plan includes one AI summary and one new AI chat a day; Ultimate and the free trial lift those limits.

Create AI Summaries

Create AI-powered summaries of your highlights and web pages with the AI built into your browser. It runs on your device, so your pages stay with you.

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Video transcript
  1. Select text, pick a color A sentence on a web page is selected. The Web Highlights popup opens next to it with its color palette, and picking mint highlights the sentence in mint.
  2. Or right-click it The next sentence is selected and right-clicked. In the browser’s menu, “Highlight selected text” highlights it in yellow, the default color.
  3. Or use the shortcut A third sentence is selected, and the keyboard shortcut Alt+S (Option+S on a Mac) highlights it.
  4. Works on PDFs too PDFs work the same way: open one in the browser and highlight it. Download the PDF and your highlights are inside, as real annotations.

Highlight in Multiple Colors 🎨

Use pastel and neon colors to organize research. Create custom highlights, notes, and bookmarks for better productivity.

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Video transcript
  1. Export to your favorite tools A saved page's highlights and notes go to the tools you already use: Notion, Capacities, and Obsidian or any other Markdown app.
  2. Send it to Notion Export to Notion creates a page in your Notion database with the page's title, link and tags, each highlight as a quote and each note under its highlight. Connect Notion once in Settings → Integrations.
  3. Or to Capacities Export to Capacities saves the page as a weblink with your highlights in order and in their colors, each note under its highlight. Exporting again adds only the new highlights.
  4. Or copy it as Markdown Copy Markdown puts the page, its highlights and notes on the clipboard. Paste it into Obsidian or any Markdown app and it reads as formatted text. Copying Markdown and HTML works on every plan; Notion and Capacities exports are one a day each on Free and Premium and unlimited on Ultimate and the free trial; PDF and HTML files need Ultimate or the trial.

Export to Notion, Markdown, and More

Send highlights, notes, and bookmarks to Notion or Capacities with one click, or copy them as Markdown for Obsidian and other apps.

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Video transcript
  1. Close the tab A web page in Chrome has five highlights in five pastel colors. The tab is closed, and days later the page is opened again by typing its address.
  2. Still there when you come back All five highlights come back on the page by themselves, right where they were. No account needed.
  3. Beautifully organized Every highlighted page is in the Web Highlights library: a grid of cards with cover, title and highlight count, sorted into collections.
  4. Synced to every device With sync, the same library is on the phone — in the Web Highlights Android app, or in the web app at app.web-highlights.com in any browser. Sync needs a free account and Premium or Ultimate; the free trial includes it for 7 days.

Access from Any Device 📱

Sync your highlights, notes, and bookmarks across devices. Access saved content and web clippings anywhere.

Create Account

📚 Learn More About Web Highlights

📖
Complete Getting Started Guide

Learn all the basics of highlighting, note-taking, and organizing your research.

Read Guide →
💡
Helpful Settings & Tips

Learn how to use the helpful settings to make your reading experience even better.

Learn More →
📄
How to Highlight PDFs

Master PDF highlighting and note-taking for research and study.

Learn More →
🔄
Export to Notion & Obsidian

Sync your highlights with your favorite note-taking apps.

Export Guide →
⚡
Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with powerful keyboard shortcuts.

Learn More →
📱
Web App Dashboard

Access your highlights anywhere with the Web Highlights web app.

Open Web App →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the YouTube Highlighter extension?
The YouTube Highlighter extension is a specialized Chrome extension designed specifically for highlighting and taking notes on YouTube video transcripts. Unlike our main Web Highlights extension that works on all websites, this focused extension only handles YouTube videos, making it perfect for students, researchers, and content creators who primarily consume educational content on YouTube. You can highlight one video per day for free, with full highlighting capabilities including color-coded highlights, personal notes, and AI-powered summaries.
How does YouTube video highlighting work?
YouTube highlighting is incredibly simple and powerful:
  • Automatic transcript extraction: The extension fetches the video's transcript from YouTube's captions
  • Seamless integration: A highlight button appears directly in YouTube's video player controls
  • Reader mode activation: Click the button to open the video in our distraction-free reader
  • Real-time synchronization: Transcript scrolls and highlights as the video plays
  • Full highlighting support: Highlight text, add notes, create tags, and generate AI summaries
Perfect for TED Talks, podcasts, educational videos, and any long-form content on YouTube.
Can I highlight YouTube videos without installing the extension?
Yes! We offer a free YouTube highlighter tool that works directly in your browser without any installation. Simply paste any YouTube video URL, and you can start highlighting and taking notes immediately. However, for the best experience with automatic transcript loading and seamless video synchronization, we recommend installing the YouTube Highlighter extension.
What types of YouTube videos can I highlight?
The YouTube Highlighter works with most videos that have captions available, including:
  • Auto-generated captions: YouTube's automatic speech recognition captions
  • Manual captions: Creator-uploaded subtitle files
  • Multiple languages: Videos with captions in various languages
  • Educational content: TED Talks, lectures, tutorials, and courses
  • Long-form content: Podcasts, documentaries, and interviews
The extension automatically detects available captions and loads the transcript in your preferred language when possible.
Is the YouTube Highlighter extension free to use?
Yes! The YouTube Highlighter extension offers a generous free tier that lets you highlight one video per day with full functionality. This includes:
  • Unlimited highlights and notes on your daily video
  • Color-coded highlighting with multiple colors
  • Personal notes and annotations
  • Custom tags for organization
  • AI-powered video summaries
  • Export options (PDF, Markdown)
  • Video-transcript synchronization
For unlimited daily videos and advanced features like cloud sync, you can upgrade to our premium plans.
How does video-transcript synchronization work?
Our video-transcript synchronization is one of the most powerful features for studying YouTube content:
  • Auto-scroll: Transcript automatically follows video playback
  • Time markers: Click any part of the transcript to jump to that exact moment in the video
  • Current sentence highlighting: The spoken text is highlighted in real-time as the video plays
  • Manual control: Toggle auto-scroll on/off as needed
  • Pin video: Keep the video player visible while scrolling through the transcript
This makes it incredibly easy to review specific parts of videos and jump between your highlights and the corresponding video moments.
What makes this different from other YouTube note-taking tools?
The YouTube Highlighter extension stands out because it's specifically designed for YouTube content consumption:
  • Focused functionality: Only handles YouTube videos, making it lightweight and fast
  • Automatic transcript extraction: No manual work needed - just click and highlight
  • Seamless video integration: Works directly within YouTube's interface
  • AI-powered summaries: Generate quick summaries of entire videos
  • Study-friendly features: Customizable fonts, themes, and reading modes
  • Export capabilities: One click to Notion, or copy as Markdown for Obsidian and other second brain apps
Unlike general note-taking apps, this extension understands YouTube's structure and provides specialized tools for video-based learning.
View all frequently asked questions →