Transcription · Pro

Transcription software for your Mac

NoteOwl is transcription software that runs on your Mac: drag in an mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac or mp4 file and get a transcript with a time on every line and the speakers labelled, then a summary and action items.

It all runs on the Mac, so the file never leaves your device. Importing recordings is part of NoteOwl Pro, with a 7-day free trial in the app.

Download free
Transcribe an audio file on your Mac: drop it in, get the transcript (0:39).
Read the transcript

Got an interview recording you still haven’t listened to?

Drag it into NoteOwl.

It’s transcribed right here, on your Mac. Nothing’s uploaded.

Then you get a title, a summary, and the action items.

And every line, with who said it.

Tap any line to hear it again.

(The interview) “It asked me to upload a photo of my driving licence, and I took it on the kitchen counter.”

NoteOwl. Free to download. Drop in your next recording.

How do you transcribe a recording on a Mac?

Open Transcripts in NoteOwl and click Import Recording at the top right, or drag an audio or video file onto the window. NoteOwl transcribes it on your Mac, labels the speakers and writes a summary, and the file never leaves your device.

  1. 1

    Open Transcripts

    In NoteOwl’s sidebar, click Transcripts, under Library.

  2. 2

    Import the file

    Click Import Recording at the top right and choose an audio or video file, or drag the file onto the Transcripts screen.

  3. 3

    Let it transcribe

    NoteOwl transcribes the file on your Mac and shows its progress in the list, then writes a summary, action items and a title.

  4. 4

    Read, replay and share

    Play any line to hear it again, name the speakers, and save the transcript as Markdown, PDF, text or SRT subtitles.

Six lines of an imported interview transcript in NoteOwl, from 1:36 to 2:12, each labelled Leo Martins or Rosa Alvarez, with its timestamp and a play button
An imported interview’s transcript: every line has its speaker, its time and a play button.

Every step, with what each button does, is in the docs: transcribe an audio or video file.

Which audio and video files can NoteOwl transcribe?

Audio and video recordings in mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac and mp4, one file at a time. To transcribe video to text, drop in the mp4: NoteOwl transcribes its sound and keeps an audio copy for playback, not the picture.

Turning an m4a to text works like any other file. For a recording in Apple’s Voice Memos, see how to transcribe a voice memo on Mac.

MP3
File.mp3
KindAudio
WAV
File.wav
KindAudio
M4A
File.m4a
KindAudio
AIFF
File.aiff
KindAudio
FLAC
File.flac
KindAudio
AAC
File.aac
KindAudio
MP4
File.mp4
KindVideo: NoteOwl transcribes its sound
One file at a time: drop several together and NoteOwl imports one of them. A file that isn’t a recording is refused with a message, such as “notes.pdf” isn’t an audio or video recording, so there was nothing to import.

What do you get after NoteOwl transcribes a file?

A transcript with the speakers labelled and a time on every line, then a summary, action items and a title, all written on your Mac. Above it sit the recording’s length, its speakers and the file it came from.

An imported recording in NoteOwl’s Transcripts: 2:16 · 2 speakers · imported Sep 28, 2026 · Ferncastle user interview.m4a, the title Ferncastle user interview, the line “Transcribed entirely on this Mac — the file never left your device.”, the buttons Re-transcribe, Identify Speakers, Summarize as and Create, and a player at 0:00 / 2:16 with a 1× speed menu
The top of an imported interview: its length, speakers, import date and file, then its actions and the player.

  • A time on every line

    Each line shows when it was said, with a play button that replays it.

  • Speakers labelled

    Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on, ready for you to rename with real names.

  • A summary and action items

    Written on your Mac from the whole recording, as soon as the transcript is saved.

  • A title of its own

    NoteOwl names the recording from what was said. Click the pencil beside the title to rename it.

  • Part of your memory

    Search finds the recording, and Chat can answer questions from it, citing the line it used.

  • Summarize as and Create

    Rewrite the summary in any of the 22 built-in templates or your own, or turn the transcript into a report, an email draft, a blog post or a social post.

Does NoteOwl label who is speaking?

Yes. Right after the transcript appears, NoteOwl separates the voices on your Mac and labels each line Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on. Click Rename speakers above the transcript and type real names: every line updates at once.

More on transcription with speaker identification, in meetings and imports.

  • Automatic, on by default

    Settings → Memory → Automatically identify speakers labels each file right after its transcript appears.

  • Identify Speakers

    Run it again at any time: Automatic, or choose 2 to 8 speakers when you know how many were talking. Your choice is kept when you re-transcribe.

  • Rename speakers

    Give each speaker a real name and the whole transcript updates. Where it’s safe to, NoteOwl also learns that voice for future recordings, and a voice it has learned gets its name, not a number.

  • Fix one line

    Right-click a line and choose Assign to, to give it to another speaker.

Can you replay the audio behind each line?

Yes. NoteOwl keeps an audio copy of every file you import, so the play button beside each line replays that moment. The player above the transcript plays the whole recording, at 0.75×, 1×, 1.25×, 1.5× or 2× speed.

  • Tap a line to replay it

    Each line has its speaker, its time and a play button that plays just that moment.

  • Play the whole recording

    Play or stop, drag through it, and see where you are against its full length.

  • Slow it down or speed it up

    0.75×, 1×, 1.25×, 1.5× or 2×, from the speed menu beside the player.

  • Copy what you need

    Select any words, right-click a line to copy it, or click Copy above the transcript for all of it, each line with its speaker.

Can you re-transcribe a file later?

Yes, at any time. Because the audio is kept, Re-transcribe runs speech to text again on the saved recording and replaces the transcript, with the vocabulary rules you have now. You don’t need the original file.

  • It asks first

    “Runs speech-to-text again on this recording and replaces the current transcript. The audio is kept.”

  • It uses your vocabulary

    Names and jargon you have added to Vocabulary since the import are spelled your way in the new transcript.

  • It says what changed

    NoteOwl tells you how many lines it replaced, or that the text came out the same.

  • It keeps your choices

    A title you gave the recording stays, and so does the number of speakers you chose in Identify Speakers.

To spell names and jargon your way from the first pass, add them to custom vocabulary before you import.

How do you export the transcript?

Click the Share button beside the recording’s title, or right-click it in the list and choose Export…, then copy or save it as Markdown, save a PDF, save the transcript as a .txt file or as SRT subtitles, or send it with Share…, Mail or Messages.

Subtitles are timed from the transcript: see what an SRT file is and NoteOwl’s subtitle generator. Every option is on exporting your notes.

NoteOwl’s Share sheet for an imported transcript: Copy Markdown, Save as Markdown, Save PDF, Save Text, Save Subtitles, Share…, Mail and Messages, with “Saved to Ferncastle user interview.srt.” and “Exports are plain files. noteOwl never creates a web link or uploads your vault.”
The imported interview saved as an .srt subtitle file, beside every other way to export it.

How is NoteOwl different from online transcription software?

Online transcription software uploads your file and transcribes it on the service’s servers. NoteOwl transcribes it on your Mac with on-device speech recognition: the recording never leaves the device, and after the one-time model download it works with no internet connection.

Comparing specific apps? See NoteOwl vs TurboScribe and NoteOwl vs MacWhisper, side by side with sources.

Where the file is transcribed
NoteOwl, on your MacOn your Mac
An online serviceOn the service’s servers
Your recording
NoteOwl, on your MacNever leaves your Mac
An online serviceUploaded to the service
With no internet connection
NoteOwl, on your MacWorks, after the one-time model download
An online serviceCan’t reach the service
“Transcribed entirely on this Mac — the file never left your device.”
Under the title of every file you import

Is audio transcription free in NoteOwl?

No. Importing and transcribing audio and video files is part of NoteOwl Pro, along with speaker labels, summaries and meetings. Dictation into any app and voice notes are free and unlimited, forever.

NoteOwl Pro is $79 once for one Mac, with a 7-day free trial in the app and no card. Files you import during the trial stay on your Mac afterwards, and you can still read and export them.

Dictation into any app
FreeUnlimited
ProUnlimited
Voice notes recorded in NoteOwl
FreeUnlimited
ProUnlimited
Import and transcribe audio and video files
FreeNo
ProYes
Speaker labels, summaries and templates
FreeNo
ProYes
Read and export what you imported
FreeYes
ProYes

Just need one file done?

Use NoteOwl’s free audio to text tool in your browser: it transcribes up to 30 minutes of each recording, 3 files a day, with no sign-up. NoteOwl, the transcription app on your Mac, gives you unlimited transcription of recordings of any length, with speakers and nothing uploaded.

NoteOwl transcription at a glance

The facts, in one table. NoteOwl transcribes with on-device AI models on your Mac, so your recordings stay there and it works offline.

Where it is
Transcripts, in NoteOwl’s sidebar: Import Recording, or drag a file in
Formats
mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac and mp4 (for video, its sound)
How many
One file at a time
Languages
34, detected automatically
Speakers
Labelled right after the transcript appears; Identify Speakers and Rename speakers to adjust
Playback
Tap a line to replay it; the whole recording at 0.75× to 2×
Re-transcribe
Any time, from the saved audio, with your current vocabulary
Export
Markdown, PDF, plain text (.txt) or SRT subtitles (.srt)
Where it runs
On your Mac; the file never leaves it
Plan
NoteOwl Pro, $79 once for one Mac; 7-day free trial in the app
Requirements
macOS 26 or later, Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended

What else does NoteOwl do?

Files are one way in. NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for Mac: it records meetings without a bot, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and lets you chat with everything you’ve recorded or imported.

  • AI meeting notes without a bot

    Skip the file: NoteOwl records your microphone and your Mac’s audio, so it takes notes on Zoom, Google Meet or Teams with nothing joining the call.

  • Free speech to text for Mac

    Tap fn, talk and tap again: the words type at your cursor in any app, free and unlimited.

See all of NoteOwl’s features

FAQ

Questions about transcribing audio

How do I transcribe audio to text on a Mac?

Open NoteOwl’s Transcripts screen and click Import Recording, or drag the file onto it. NoteOwl transcribes mp3, wav, m4a, aiff, flac, aac and mp4 files on your Mac, labels the speakers and writes a summary. Importing recordings is part of NoteOwl Pro.

Can NoteOwl transcribe video to text?

Yes. Drop an mp4 into NoteOwl’s Transcripts and it transcribes the sound on your Mac, with the speakers labelled and a time on every line. NoteOwl keeps an audio copy for playback, not the video, so keep your original file.

Does NoteOwl upload my audio files?

No. NoteOwl transcribes every file you import on your Mac, with on-device speech recognition, and the file never leaves your device. After the one-time model download it works with no internet connection.

Can NoteOwl transcribe several files at once?

No. NoteOwl imports one recording at a time: choose a file with Import Recording, or drag one file onto Transcripts. If you drop several files together, NoteOwl imports only one of them, so import the next when the first is done.

Which languages can NoteOwl transcribe?

NoteOwl understands 34 languages, detected automatically, in imported recordings as in dictation and meetings. The full list is on NoteOwl’s Languages page.

Can I fix names NoteOwl gets wrong in a transcript?

Yes. Add them to NoteOwl’s Vocabulary, and every file you import after that spells them your way. For a file you already imported, click Re-transcribe: NoteOwl transcribes the saved audio again with your current rules.

Is audio transcription free in NoteOwl?

No. Importing and transcribing audio and video files is part of NoteOwl Pro, a one-time $79 purchase for one Mac, with a 7-day free trial in the app and no card. Dictation into any app and voice notes are free and unlimited.

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Turn your recordings into text on your Mac

Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.

Download free

macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended

About NoteOwl

NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.

NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds

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