Google Drive enhances user experience with video transcripts

The main goal of the update is to improve accessibility and efficiency, especially for users who need to locate specific information in videos

Google has rolled out a new feature for Google Drive that enables users to access and search video transcripts, making it easier to navigate through video content. This latest update builds on the automatic captions feature launched last year, allowing users to view and interact with video transcripts directly within Google Drive.

The feature is being made available to all Google Drive users, as confirmed by a recent blog post from Google Workspace. The main goal of the update is to improve accessibility and efficiency, especially for users who need to locate specific information in videos. By clicking on a sentence within the transcript, the video will automatically jump to that exact timestamp, eliminating the need for users to manually search through the video.

How to access video transcripts

To access the new feature, users will need to open a video in Google Drive and select the "Transcript" option in the settings menu. This will open a side panel on the right side of the screen, where users can view a complete transcript of the video, broken down into sentences with timestamps. Additionally, a search function within the transcript allows users to find specific words or phrases, making it easier to pinpoint the exact moment they’re looking for in the video.

For this feature to work, users must ensure that the video has automatic captions enabled, which can be confirmed by checking for the ‘CC’ button on the video player. This update is expected to significantly enhance productivity for professionals, educators, and students by providing an easier, more structured way to engage with video content. With the new transcript panel, Google Drive users can quickly access and search through their videos, improving the overall user experience.