Free YouTube notes template

Use this template when you want notes that remain useful after the video ends. It is intentionally selective: concepts, source timestamps, important visuals, questions, actions, and review prompts.

Copy the Markdown template

# Video title

URL:
Creator:
Date watched:
Why I am watching this:

## Main idea
Explain the video in 2-4 sentences in your own words.

## Key concepts
### Concept 1 — 00:00
- What it means:
- Why it matters:
- Example:

### Concept 2 — 00:00
- What it means:
- Why it matters:
- Example:

## Visuals worth keeping
### 00:00 — What this screenshot shows
![Screenshot](image-path.png)
Why I kept it:

## Questions
- What can I not explain yet?
- What do I disagree with or want to verify?

## Actions
- [ ] Something to try, build, read, or change

## Three things I should remember
1.
2.
3.

## Review questions
1.
2.
3.

## Follow-up sources
-

Why each section exists

Why I am watching gives the note a filter. Main idea forces compression. Key concepts preserve the material you expect to retrieve. Visuals keep information that cannot survive as transcript text. Questions expose gaps. Actions convert consumption into use. Review questions make future active recall possible.

For lectures

Add definitions, worked examples, formulas, and likely assessment questions. When a lecturer builds a diagram over several minutes, keep the completed visual and the timestamp where the explanation is clearest.

See the more specific YouTube lecture notes guide.

For coding tutorials

Add commands, repository links, environment assumptions, error states, and implementation decisions. Do not rely on the transcript for syntax. If the instructor provides source code, link to the source rather than treating a screenshot as canonical code.

See notes from coding tutorials and technical talks.

For research and interviews

Keep claims, evidence, names, numbers, disagreements, and follow-up sources. Timestamp anything you may want to quote, verify, or revisit in context.

Do not let the template become homework

A useful template should reduce decisions, not create obligations. If a section stays empty because the video did not contain that kind of information, leave it empty or delete it. The quality of the selection matters more than how complete the document looks.

Common questions

Can I use this YouTube notes template in Obsidian?

Yes. The template is plain Markdown and works in Obsidian, VS Code, Typora, iA Writer, GitHub, or any editor that supports Markdown.

Should I fill every section for every video?

No. Delete sections that do not serve your purpose. A template is a prompt for good decisions, not a form you must complete.

Can I use the template for lectures and coding tutorials?

Yes. For coding tutorials, emphasize screenshots, commands, code sources, and actions. For lectures, emphasize concepts, examples, questions, and review prompts.