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Convert MP3 to Text

Drop in a podcast, lecture or call and read it in minutes. Free, 99 languages, no sign-up.

No file handy?

  • Free, no limits
  • No sign-up
  • Audio & video

How to convert MP3 to text

  1. 1. Add your file. Drop an MP3 file on the box above, or click it to pick one from your device.
  2. 2. Press Transcribe. The first time, the speech model downloads to your browser and is saved for next time. Then the text shows up in the editor.
  3. 3. Copy or export. Fix anything that looks off, then copy the text or download it as TXT, PDF, Word, SRT or VTT.

Turn an MP3 into a transcript

An MP3 is the file most spoken audio ends up as: podcasts, lectures, interviews, call recordings, meeting audio. TextFromAudio reads the MP3 and gives you the words as text. Drop the file in, press one button, and edit the transcript when it appears.

You will also see this called MP3 to text transcription or an MP3 transcriber. Same job, and the result is plain text you can copy, search and export.

The free mode has no limits: no cap on file length, on how many MP3s you transcribe, or on languages. It uses lighter speech models, so it is a little slower and less accurate than Pro.

MP3 to text transcript with timestamps

Switch timestamps on and every line gets the time it starts. Click a line to play the MP3 from that moment, which makes checking a name or a number quick. Download the transcript as SRT or VTT if you want the timing in a subtitle or caption file, or as TXT for plain text.

Translate an MP3 to text in another language

The transcript is written in the language that was spoken, and the language is detected for you. If you need it in another language, use the Translate button (Pro), which translates the transcript with AI.

What people transcribe

Podcasts and interviews. Get show notes, quotes and captions from an episode you already exported as an MP3.

Lectures and meetings. Search the text instead of replaying an hour of audio.

Calls and voicemail. Turn a saved call into something you can skim and quote.

Old recordings. MP3 is the format of a lot of older digital audio, and it works here as it is.

Getting a cleaner MP3 transcript

  • Start from the original recording if you still have it. An MP3 that was compressed again and again loses detail.
  • Noise and echo hurt more than the file type. Record close to the speaker.
  • Overlapping voices are hard for any transcriber, so avoid people talking over each other.
  • Read the result once. Names, brands and technical words are the usual mistakes.

Have a different file type? Try M4A to text, WAV to text or OGG to text. They all work the same way.

FAQ

Can I convert an MP3 to text for free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no cap on file length, number of files or languages. The free mode uses lighter speech models, so it is a bit slower and less accurate than Pro.

How long can my MP3 be?

We don't set a time limit. The work happens on your own device, so a long MP3 simply takes longer, and it goes faster on a computer than on a phone. Keep the tab open until it finishes.

Can I get an MP3 transcript with timestamps?

Yes. Turn timestamps on to see the time in front of each line, and click a line to play the MP3 from that point. You can also download the transcript as SRT or VTT, which carry the timing.

Can I translate an MP3 to text in another language?

The transcript comes out in the language that was spoken, detected automatically. To get it in another language, use the Translate button (a Pro feature), which translates the transcript with AI.

Is my MP3 uploaded anywhere?

Not in the free mode. The speech model runs in your browser, on your own device. In Pro, your file is processed on our servers and deleted automatically afterwards.

Does the MP3 quality matter?

Speech is usually fine in an ordinary MP3. What hurts the result is noise, echo and people talking over each other, not the file type. If you still have the original recording, use it.

Audio to text by file type