How many times have you watched a YouTube video and then unsuccessfully tried to remember something from it afterward? It’s much easier to recall every detail and go back to a specific part of the video when you can consult time-stamped notes you made while watching.

With this in mind, it’s good to have an extension in your browser or an online video note-taking tool that lets you simultaneously take notes and capture screenshots while the video is playing. There are quite a few software products that have this capacity, and it’s recommended to become more familiar with their pros and cons if you frequently take notes on videos.

Also read: How to Annotate a YouTube Video? >

What Are the Benefits of Taking Notes from Videos?

People go to YouTube to watch videos for countless reasons, from pure entertainment to education or business. Depending on the motivation for watching and the type of video, there could be different benefits from capturing detailed notes that include some of the most important messages found in the clip. Here are some benefits a user could derive from having access to notes made from a video:

• Better retention of valuable information contained in the video
• Overview of the video’s structure and content
• The ability to find a specific scene quickly based on a timestamp
• Easier sharing of video content with others
• Building customized knowledge bases and data libraries

Also Read: YouTube Intro and Outro Maker >

5 Best Video Note Taking Apps

Online Video Note Taking Tool – Gemoo

Gemoo’s free tool for taking notes from videos is well-accepted in the market, mostly because it does the job really well. Just enter the link to the YouTube video that interests you and within minutes you will be compiling notes like a pro! It is possible to create time-stamped video notes that allow for easy navigation to specific points in the video. By clicking on a note, the video will automatically pause and take the viewer to the corresponding position in the video. This feature ensures that important information is not missed while taking notes.

Supported functions:

• Taking notes while watching the video in one window
• Timeline, tags, and time stamps help to tie notes to fixed points in the video
• Automatically transcribe the YouTube video to text by extracting subtitles
• Annotate YouTube videos by adding time-stamped annotations to explain, comment, or give feedback
• Highly secure application that deletes video history after several days
• Creation of sharable links containing video and video notes
• All operations are done online, no need to download any software, and no need to create an account

Pricing: Free to use

Steps to Take Notes from YouTube Videos via Gemoo’s Video Note Taking Tool

Step 1. Go to Gemoo’s Video Note Taking Tool website, copy and paste a YouTube link that you want to take video notes > Click the Create button.

Step 2. Tap on the Add Notes button and choose and Choose a time node to start taking your video notes.

Further Reading: How to Add a Thumbnail to the YouTube Video >

MoocNote

Created specifically for note taking from online videos, this app lets you organize your notes in the cloud to create a custom library. It gives users plenty of choices, including the ability to include multimedia elements in notes. If you are serious about using YouTube as a learning source, MoocNote will help you make the most of it.

Supported functions:

• Creating notes from videos imported from YouTube, DropBox, or OneDrive
• Capturing screenshots from videos to include in time stamped notes
• OCR capacity for extracting editable text from videos
• Quizzes can be added to videos to enhance their learning potential

Major limitations:

• Users are required to log into the web interface
• Narrowly oriented toward educational users

Pricing: During the promotional period Premium version of this app is free

Transnote

With this app you can simultaneously watch a video and work on your note without switching tabs, which means you will never miss a key moment. Transnote can be deployed as a browser extension, so it’s always just one click away while you are scouting YouTube for great content. It’s an amazing tool that lets you create customized learning materials with absolute ease.

Supported functions:

• Extension for creating text notes from videos in the same window
• Time stamps with custom titles can be added to videos
• Tags can be used to quickly categorize the videos
• Searchable online library of time stamped videos is available to registered users

Major limitations:

• This tool is more effective for video annotation that note creation
• It’s not possible to extract text from videos

Pricing: completely free

ReClipped

YouTube videos become more valuable learning resources when you are watching them with a note taking extension installed. ReClipped requires only minimal resources to run, and it gives users the option to highlight the videos or make detailed notes. It’s a fine choice for casual users as well as professional content creators who rely on YouTube on a regular basis.

Supported functions:

• Video annotation and note taking software compatible with many online platforms
• Timestamps and screenshots can be readily added to notes
• Transcripts of the videos can be automatically generated
• Knowledge systematization through the use of tags and colors

Major limitations:

• Videos sometimes won’t start after they have been paused
• There is no dedicated mobile app

Pricing: In addition to free plan, the vendor offers Basic plan for $1.99 per month but gives it free of charge to students and teachers

Yinote

Simplicity is the calling card of this note taking browser extension, and that’s a virtue that many users appreciate. Creating great notes is an easy job when you are relying on YiNote, which can run right next to the window with YouTube video playback. This app may not be loaded with advanced features, but you can fully trust it for the task of taking video notes.

Supported functions:

• Specialized tool for instant note taking from online streaming platforms such as YouTube
• Supports all three most commonly used web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox)
• Time stamps can be associated with individual entries in video notes
• Easy sharing of finished notes with just a few clicks

Major limitations:

• Lack of any advanced video annotation tools
• Time stamping function doesn’t always work properly

Pricing: completely free

FAQs about Taking Notes from Videos

Which features are the most important to have in a video note taking app?

All good note taking apps need to have an interface that is comfortable to work in, but those that serve for videos should also incorporate the ability to add time stamps, insert snapshots, and extract text. Support for multiple export format is also highly desirable.

Is it better to save finished video notes locally on hard drive or in the cloud?

In both cases the file should be secure and easy to access, so the choice really comes down to personal preference. Most note taking apps allow users to store files in online libraries, from which it’s easy to access them using any internet-ready device.

How difficult is it to type notes while watching a YouTube video?

It can admittedly be hard to keep track of the video while you are attempting to write down key takeaways. For this reason, some note taking tools pause the video as soon as you type anything or take a screenshot. That way the user can pay full attention to every scene and find all relevant information to include in a note.

Final Thoughts

Considering the volume of high-quality videos that can be found on YouTube and the number of people who are turning to this platform for learning purposes, it’s not a surprise that video note taking tools are also becoming more common. Most such tools can be installed as browser extensions, which makes them easy to call upon when you want to make a new note while watching a video. Let us know in the comments whether you have used any of the note taking apps recommended above or share the article with your YouTube loving friends.