Free tool
Transcribe audio to text
Transcribe audio to text free with this audio to text converter: drop in a recording and get its transcript, with a time on every paragraph, ready to copy or download as text, subtitles or a Word document.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is stored
Drop your audio file here, or Choose your audio file
MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG or WebM. Up to 30 minutes of each file, 3 free files a day. The language is detected automatically.
Transcribing recordings often? NoteOwl gives you unlimited transcription on your Mac with nothing uploaded, labels each speaker and keeps every meeting searchable.
How it works
How do you convert audio to text?
To convert audio to text online, choose the recording or drop it on the converter. It’s read in your browser and cut into short pieces at pauses, AI transcription turns each piece into text, and the transcript appears as it’s written.
- 1
Choose the recording
An MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG or WebM file. On a phone, pick it from your files. The first 30 minutes of each file are transcribed.
- 2
Let it transcribe
The converter detects the spoken language and transcribes the recording piece by piece. You can read along as the text appears.
- 3
Copy or download
Copy the text, or save it as a TXT file, SRT or VTT subtitles, or a Word document, with or without times.
Which audio files can you convert to text?
Almost any: MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, Opus and WebM, and the sound of an MP4 or MOV video. Your browser reads the file, so it works the same on a Mac, a Windows PC or a phone.
- MP3
- Where it usually comes fromPodcasts, downloaded audio and most voice recorders
- M4A
- Where it usually comes fromiPhone and Mac Voice Memos, Zoom’s audio-only recordings, QuickTime
- WAV
- Where it usually comes fromField recorders, audio editors and Windows Sound Recorder exports
- OGG and Opus
- Where it usually comes fromVoice messages saved from chat apps, and Firefox recordings
- AAC, FLAC and WebM
- Where it usually comes fromRaw AAC audio, lossless FLAC music and browser recordings
- MP4 and MOV
- Where it usually comes fromThe sound of a video: Zoom and Teams recordings, phone videos
| File | Where it usually comes from |
|---|---|
| MP3 | Podcasts, downloaded audio and most voice recorders |
| M4A | iPhone and Mac Voice Memos, Zoom’s audio-only recordings, QuickTime |
| WAV | Field recorders, audio editors and Windows Sound Recorder exports |
| OGG and Opus | Voice messages saved from chat apps, and Firefox recordings |
| AAC, FLAC and WebM | Raw AAC audio, lossless FLAC music and browser recordings |
| MP4 and MOV | The sound of a video: Zoom and Teams recordings, phone videos |
What can you download?
The transcript as plain text, as SRT or VTT subtitles, or as a Word document. Copy it in one click, too. Text and Word can carry the time each paragraph starts, or leave it out.
- Text (.txt)
- What’s in itParagraphs, with or without the time each one starts
- Good forNotes, emails and documents
- SRT
- What’s in itNumbered subtitles, each with a start and end time
- Good forYouTube, video editors and most players
- VTT
- What’s in itWeb subtitles in the same timing
- Good forWeb video players, Vimeo and course platforms
- Word (.docx)
- What’s in itThe transcript as a document, with its length and language
- Good forEditing, sharing and printing
| Format | What’s in it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Text (.txt) | Paragraphs, with or without the time each one starts | Notes, emails and documents |
| SRT | Numbered subtitles, each with a start and end time | YouTube, video editors and most players |
| VTT | Web subtitles in the same timing | Web video players, Vimeo and course platforms |
| Word (.docx) | The transcript as a document, with its length and language | Editing, sharing and printing |
What recordings can you turn into text?
Anything with speech in it. These are the recordings people transcribe most, and each one comes back as text you can search, quote and edit.
Interviews
Research, hiring and press interviews as text you can quote.
Lectures and talks
A recorded class or seminar, ready to turn into study notes.
Podcasts
An episode’s transcript for show notes, and SRT subtitles for the video.
Voice memos
Ideas, reminders and drafts you recorded on your phone.
Voicemail and voice messages
Saved voicemails and chat voice messages, as text you can search.
Meeting recordings
The audio from a recorded call or meeting.
Is there a converter for your file type, recording or language?
Yes: each page below is this same converter, set up for one kind of file, one kind of recording or one language, with advice for that job. A language page skips the guess and transcribes in the language you pick.
By file type
By recording
By language
- Spanish audio to text
- Italian audio to text
- Portuguese audio to text
- German audio to text
- Japanese audio to text
- Polish audio to text
- Russian audio to text
- Dutch audio to text
- French audio to text
- Turkish audio to text
- Swedish audio to text
- Ukrainian audio to text
- Norwegian audio to text
- Finnish audio to text
- Vietnamese audio to text
- Thai audio to text
- Slovak audio to text
- Greek audio to text
- Czech audio to text
- Croatian audio to text
- Danish audio to text
- Korean audio to text
- Romanian audio to text
- Bulgarian audio to text
- Chinese audio to text
- Hungarian audio to text
- Hindi audio to text
- Estonian audio to text
- Latvian audio to text
- Slovenian audio to text
- Hebrew audio to text
- Lithuanian audio to text
- Indonesian audio to text
- Catalan audio to text
- Malay audio to text
- Tagalog audio to text
- Galician audio to text
- Bosnian audio to text
- Macedonian audio to text
- Azerbaijani audio to text
What makes a transcript more accurate?
Clear sound. Speech recorded close to the microphone, one person talking at a time and a quiet background transcribe best. The likeliest mistakes are names and specialist words, so check those against the recording.
- 1
Record close to the speaker
A phone or microphone a short distance from the person talking beats one across the room.
- 2
Keep the background quiet
Music, traffic and other conversations compete with the voice. Pick the quietest version of a recording you have.
- 3
One person at a time
People talking over each other is the hardest part of any recording to transcribe.
- 4
Check names and numbers
Unusual names, product terms and figures are the likeliest mistakes. Read those back against the audio.
Want unlimited transcription on your Mac?
Use NoteOwl. It imports recordings of any length on your Mac and transcribes them there, unlimited, with on-device AI models, labels each speaker and adds every meeting to a memory you can search. Nothing is uploaded. NoteOwl’s dictation into any app is free.
FAQ
Questions about converting audio to text
Is this audio to text converter free?
Yes. NoteOwl’s free audio to text converter transcribes 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes of each, with no account and no sign-up. Every download, from plain text to SRT subtitles and Word, is included.
Is my audio uploaded or stored?
Your browser sends the recording in short pieces, over a secure connection, to a cloud AI transcription service, which transcribes each piece and discards it. NoteOwl doesn’t store your audio or your transcript: the text exists only in this page until you close it. To keep recordings on your device, NoteOwl gives you unlimited transcription on your Mac.
Which languages can it transcribe?
Many. The converter detects the spoken language by itself and shows it beside the transcript, from English, Spanish and French to Hindi, Japanese and Chinese. A recording should be in one language for the best result. NoteOwl on a Mac understands 34 languages.
Can it tell who is speaking?
No. The converter writes one transcript with times but no speaker names. NoteOwl on a Mac labels each speaker in a recording or meeting, and recognises a voice you’ve named before in later recordings.
How long does it take to transcribe audio?
Usually well under a minute for a few minutes of audio. The converter sends two pieces at a time, and the text appears as each one comes back, so you can start reading before it finishes. Longer recordings take longer.
Can I make subtitles from an audio file?
Yes. Download the transcript as SRT or VTT subtitles: each line carries its start and end time, so it lines up with the video. To switch an SRT file to VTT later, or either one to plain text, use NoteOwl’s free SRT to VTT converter.
What if my recording is longer than 30 minutes?
The converter transcribes its first 30 minutes and says so above the transcript. For the rest, split the recording into parts with an audio editor and transcribe each one. Or import the whole recording into NoteOwl, which transcribes recordings of any length on your Mac, with unlimited transcription.
Keep exploring
More free tools
- Video to textTurn video to text free: drop in an MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV or WebM video and get an AI transcript with times, as text, SRT, VTT or Word; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Subtitle generatorA free AI subtitle generator: drop in a video or recording and download SRT or VTT subtitles timed to the speech, two short lines per cue; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Meeting recording to textMeeting transcription free in your browser: drop in a Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or Webex recording and get a transcript with times; only the sound is sent, nothing is stored
- Audio translatorA free audio translator: drop in a recording and get what was said in another language, as a translated transcript with times, Word, SRT or VTT, with the original beside it; nothing is stored
Related
- Audio to textTranscription software for your Mac: drop in an audio or video file and get a speaker-labelled transcript with timestamps, unlimited, with nothing uploaded
- Speaker recognitionTranscripts that say who said what: speakers separated automatically, and a voice named once is recognised in later meetings, on your Mac
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
- SRT to VTT converterConvert SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, or either to clean text with each speaker’s lines merged, in your browser; Zoom and Teams transcripts work
Recordings into notes, privately on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
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
Last updated