You gotta love how Google keeps on adding simple features that go a long way. Last year, it introduced transcripts for videos uploaded to Google Drive for both business and personal users. Now that the feature has been available for a while, Google is adding searchable video transcripts to Drive. The rollout begins today for all Google Workspace users, as the company announced. It appears to be gradual, so if you havenโt received it yet, you should have it by March 26 at the latest.
Google Drive now rolling out searchable video transcripts
To use the new transcript feature in Google Drive, just click on the Settings icon in the video player and select โTranscript.โ This will open a sidebar next to the video, where youโll see a written version of the spoken text along with time stamps. Thereโs also a search box, so you can easily find specific moments in the video by typing in keywords.
For example, if youโre watching a lecture and want to jump to a part where the speaker talks about โclimate change,โ simply search for that phrase. Or, if youโre watching a cooking class and need to revisit a specific recipe step, just type in a phrase like โadd saltโ to jump directly to that section. The transcript is helpful in all sorts of videos.
The transcript feature makes it easier to navigate videos and is especially helpful for people who need accessibility options. However, the transcript will only appear if the video has captions. If the video doesnโt have captions, you can add them by right-clicking on the video in Google Drive, selecting โManage caption tracks,โ and choosing โGenerate automatic captions.โ This feature will automatically create captions for you, saving time.
I absolutely love this new addition, and I have a feeling it will be even more helpful than it seems right now. What do you think about it?
