Supported import and export formats
Last updated Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0
NoteOwl imports audio and video recordings in mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac and mp4, one file at a time, and exports any meeting, dictation or transcript as Markdown, PDF, plain text or SRT subtitles. Export all data saves everything NoteOwl holds as one zip file.
Which files can NoteOwl import?
Audio and video recordings in mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac and mp4, one at a time. Import a file on the Transcripts screen: click Import Recording at the top right, or drag the file onto the screen. Importing recordings is part of NoteOwl Pro.
| Format | File extension | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | .mp3 | Audio |
| WAV | .wav | Audio |
| M4A | .m4a | Audio |
| AIFF | .aiff | Audio |
| FLAC | .flac | Audio |
| AAC | .aac | Audio |
| MP4 | .mp4 | Video. NoteOwl transcribes its sound |
NoteOwl transcribes the recording on your Mac. It keeps the transcript and an audio copy for playback, not your original file, so keep the original if you need it.
If a file isn't a recording, NoteOwl says so, for example “notes.pdf” isn’t an audio or video recording, so there was nothing to import.
Which formats can NoteOwl export?
Markdown, PDF, plain text and SRT subtitles, for any meeting, dictation or transcript. Open the item, click Export or the share button, and choose a format. Exporting works on NoteOwl Free and NoteOwl Pro.
| Format | Option in NoteOwl | File | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markdown | Save as Markdown, or Copy Markdown for the clipboard | .md | The item's title and text: its summary and action items where it has them, and its transcript |
| Save PDF | .pdf | The same text as a PDF | |
| Plain text | Save Text | .txt | The transcript, each line as “Speaker: words”, without times |
| SRT subtitles | Save Subtitles | .srt | Subtitles timed from the transcript |
| Zip | Export all data…, in Settings → Memory | .zip | Everything NoteOwl holds about you, in the files described below |
You can also send an item with Share…, Mail or Messages, as Markdown. For the steps, see export a note, or all of your data.
What's inside an Export all data zip?
Plain files you can open without NoteOwl: Markdown and JSON for the words, and WAV for the audio. README.md explains the contents, and manifest.json lists every file with its size and SHA-256 checksum.
| In the zip | Format | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
README.md | Markdown | What's in the export, and what's deliberately left out |
manifest.json | JSON | Every other file, with its size and SHA-256 checksum |
documents/<id>/ | Markdown and JSON | One folder per recording: its title and date, transcript, your notes, summaries and other generated content |
documents/<id>/audio/ | WAV | mixed.wav, plus you.wav and others.wav for a meeting |
memory/ | Markdown and JSON | Chat conversations, people and commitments, plus templates, vocabulary, calendar notes and preferences |
voice/ | JSON | Your voice profiles, only if you tick Voice profiles |
Which folders appear depends on what you tick in Export all data.
Which formats does NoteOwl keep on my Mac?
The same open formats. NoteOwl keeps each recording's transcript as a Markdown file and its audio as WAV files, in its folder on your Mac. See where NoteOwl stores your data.
Common questions
Can NoteOwl import several recordings at once?
No. NoteOwl imports one recording at a time. Choose a file with Import Recording on the Transcripts screen, or drag one file onto it. If you drop several files together, NoteOwl imports only one of them.
Can NoteOwl transcribe a video file?
Yes. NoteOwl imports mp4 video files and transcribes their sound, on your Mac. It keeps an audio copy of the recording for playback, not the video, so keep your original file.