YouTube Import Issues

Having trouble importing YouTube videos? This guide covers common YouTube import errors and solutions.

No Subtitles Available

Error Message

No subtitles available for this video

Cause

The YouTube video creator has not enabled captions/subtitles for this video. VideoToBe can only import transcripts from videos that already have captions.

Solution

You have two options:

  1. Try a different video: Look for videos that show the [CC] icon in the YouTube player
  2. Download and upload: Download the video file and upload it to VideoToBe for transcription:
    • Use a YouTube downloader tool (e.g., yt-dlp, 4K Video Downloader)
    • Upload the downloaded file to VideoToBe Studio
    • VideoToBe will generate a transcript using AI (even without captions)

Why This Happens

YouTube's automatic captions are not always enabled by creators. Also, some videos may have captions in only certain languages, and VideoToBe may not find compatible subtitles.

Invalid YouTube URL

Error Messages

  • Invalid URL format
  • URL must be from YouTube (youtube.com or youtu.be)
  • Unable to extract video ID from URL

Cause

The URL you entered is not a valid YouTube video URL or is malformed.

Solution

Ensure you're using one of these supported URL formats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&feature=share

Not supported:

  • YouTube playlist URLs
  • YouTube channel URLs
  • YouTube Shorts (though some may work)
  • YouTube live streams (before they're archived)
  • Embedded video URLs

Pro Tip

To get the correct URL, open the video on YouTube and copy the URL from your browser's address bar. Click the video title to navigate to the video page if you're watching from a playlist.

Daily Import Limit Reached

Error Message

Daily import limit reached. You've used [X]/3 imports today. Upgrade to Standard for unlimited imports

Cause

Free accounts can import 3 YouTube videos per day. This limit works on a rolling 24-hour window from your first import.

Solution

  • Wait 24 hours: You can import again 24 hours after your first import of the day
  • Use Preview mode: You can still preview YouTube transcripts unlimited times - you just can't save them to your workspace
  • Upgrade to Pro: Get unlimited YouTube imports - compare plans

Preview vs Import

  • Preview: Unlimited, view transcript on screen (no save)
  • Import: Limited to 3/day (free) or unlimited (Pro), saves to workspace with all formats (TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON)

Video Already Imported

Error Message

This YouTube video has already been imported to this workspace

Cause

To prevent duplicate content, VideoToBe blocks importing the same YouTube video URL twice to the same workspace.

Solution

  • Find existing import: Search your media library for the video title
  • Import to different workspace: If you need a copy, import it to another workspace
  • Access existing content: The video is already in your library - navigate to your content list to find it

Failed to Fetch Video Details

Error Messages

  • Failed to fetch video details: [status]
  • Video details error: [errorId]

Cause

This can happen when:

  • The YouTube video is private or unlisted
  • The video has been deleted
  • The video is age-restricted
  • YouTube's API is temporarily unavailable
  • Your region blocks access to the video

Solution

  1. Check video availability: Try opening the video in YouTube to ensure it's publicly available
  2. Try again later: If YouTube's API is down, wait a few minutes and retry
  3. Use public videos: Private or age-restricted videos cannot be imported
  4. Download alternative: If you own the video, download and upload it directly to VideoToBe

No Downloadable Video Found

Error Message

No downloadable video found for [videoId]

Cause

VideoToBe couldn't find a downloadable video stream with audio for this video. This is rare and usually indicates:

  • The video has unusual encoding
  • The video is in a format not supported by the YouTube API
  • YouTube has changed their streaming format

Solution

  • Import transcript only: Use the "Quick Import" button to import just the transcript without downloading the video
  • Manual download: Use a third-party tool to download the video, then upload to VideoToBe

Code Reference

YouTube import logic is in src/app/actions/youtubeAction.js and scribe/youtube_import.py

RapidAPI Configuration Error

Error Message

RapidAPI key not configured

Cause

This is a server configuration issue, not a user error. It means the VideoToBe administrator needs to configure the RapidAPI key.

Solution

If you're seeing this error, it's a temporary service issue. The VideoToBe team has been notified and will resolve it shortly.

Best Practices for YouTube Import

How to Check if a Video Has Captions

  1. Open the video on YouTube
  2. Look for the [CC] (closed captions) button in the video player
  3. Click the Settings gear icon → Subtitles/CC
  4. If you see language options, the video has captions

Recommended Workflow

  1. Use Preview first: Always click "Preview Transcript" before importing to verify captions exist
  2. Check quality: Review the preview to ensure the auto-generated captions are accurate enough
  3. Import selectively: Only import videos you need to save - previews are unlimited
  4. Organize imports: Use descriptive titles when saving to make them easy to find later

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