How to take notes on a YouTube video?

Last updated on 12 May 2026

How to take notes effectively when watching a video on YouTube? How not to get lost when following a conference or video courses? You often have to juggle the keyboard keys to stop the video, switch from the web to a word processor, manually timestamp interesting passages. When debriefing or keeping notes of a video presentation or Mooc, it is increasingly necessary to take notes on a video.

Here is an updated list of all the tools that will make your life easier to follow a video while taking notes effectively.

BeastNotes. An extension to take notes on videos

 

Let's start this little list with Beastnotes. BeastNotes is in the form ofan extension for Chrome and a fully-fledged site. The two are of course connected. The extension once installed serves as a sort of draft notebook built into your browser. When you watch a video online, a click on the extension opens a window where you will be able to take notes while watching the film. You will then find all your notes on the site where you can structure and organize them as you see fit in the form of courses. The free version allows you to manage three different courses.

SideNote. Add notes to a YouTube video

Sidenote is another tool that shines with its simplicity. After a quick registration, you access your workspace. Simply enter the link of the YouTube video you want to annotate. It will immediately be displayed with an editing menu on the right. You will indicate the time corresponding to each note and Sidenote will immediately create a link to access directly to this precise place of the video. The service provides a unique link to easily share your video with all its notes by email. Attention, on Sidenote all notes are public and accessible to all users.

RocketNote. Annotate a YouTube video during viewing

RocketNote that I had the opportunity to present in this article is another extension for the Chrome browser. Very simple to use, Once installed in your browser, you get a kind of notebook on the right of each video. You will be able to write down your comments. Each of them will be positioned to the nearest second in the video. This is important and ultra-practical since you will then simply click on one of your comments to automatically find the moment of the video to which the comment refers.

Clarity. Quick note-taking on a video

Clarity also has the advantage of being very simple to use. The other big advantage is its speed. Again, this is an extension for your browser that will provide any YouTube video with a virtual notebook. The latter is used on the keyboard and Clarity offers a whole series of keyboard shortcuts that will allow you to be fast as lightning. And it is true that in use, after a period of learning, everything goes fast, very fast. Clarity then allows you to find all your notes on the site. These can also be saved on Notion or Evernote.
Clarity is free.

BookmarkIt. Insert notes and favorites into a video

BookmarkIt allows you to insert markers into any YouTube video once installed. Press b and make annotations with a bookmark. You can access it later when you need it with a single click. You can accompany each marker with a note. To find them you can go through the video or a shortcut that will display all your annotations. The tool is an extension for Chrome or Firefox.

YiNotes. Take time-stamped notes while watching videos

YiNotes is an extension for your browser. It is a very effective tool for taking and sharing notes while watching videos online. It is an indispensable tool for users working with online video material. Your notes will be time stamped. You will be able to easily find the passages to which the notes taken refer. It supports YouTube, but also does very well with YouTube videos integrated on other sites. A free extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge.

Reclipped. A very powerful extension for taking notes on a video

Reclipped is for users who often have to take notes from videos. Online courses, transcripts of conferences, Reclipped is a professional tool that requires a small learning phase to reap the full benefits. But the game is worth it. The tool does not only work with YouTube. It supports most sites hosting videos. It also offers a series of keyboard shortcuts to optimize your note taking. Among other options, you can search not only for videos but also for specific snippets, use colour markers to visually code the importance and gather similar ideas in a single table. Powerful.