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Transcribe Video to Text
Drop in a video and read what was said, in 99 languages. Free, no sign-up. Want it faster and more accurate? Try Pro
No file handy?
From video file to transcript
- 1. Pick the video. Drop a video file on the box above, or click it to browse your device.
- 2. Let it listen. Press Transcribe. The free mode downloads its speech model to your browser the first time and keeps it for next time; Pro runs on our servers. Then the transcript appears in the editor.
- 3. Tidy up and take it with you. Fix any wrong names, then copy the text or download it as TXT, PDF, Word, SRT or VTT.
Turn a video into a transcript
Convert a video to text and what you get back is the words, on the page, ready to edit. The part that gets transcribed is the sound track, so there is no need to pull the audio out first. Drop in the video, press Transcribe, then read, search and copy the result.
The free mode has no limits: no cap on video length, number of files or languages. It uses lighter speech models, so it is a little slower and less accurate than Pro.
Which video files work?
Common video files all work the same way: MP4, MOV and WebM. Use whichever you have.
MOV. What an iPhone records, and what many cameras and Mac screen recordings save.
WebM. Common for recordings made in the browser.
MP4. The most common video file, and it has its own page: see MP4 to text for Zoom, Teams and screen recordings.
If a file is rejected, export or save it as MP4 and try again.
It listens, it doesn't watch
Only the sound is used. Text on screen and what is happening in the picture are not part of the transcript.
If the video has no audio track, there is nothing to transcribe and you will see a message saying no audio was found. That usually means a screen recording made without a microphone or system audio.
Subtitles and captions
Switch timestamps on and every line gets the time it starts. Download the transcript as SRT or VTT, then upload that file to YouTube, Vimeo or your video editor to use it as subtitles. The subtitles are not burned into the video. For the details, see the guide on converting audio to SRT subtitles.
Where it comes in handy
Meetings and calls. Turn a saved Zoom or Teams recording into notes you can search instead of replaying an hour of video.
Lectures and webinars. Read the talk, find the part you need and copy the quotes.
Interviews and podcasts recorded on video. Get the words down, then clean them up. The guides on transcribing an interview and transcribing a podcast cover the cleanup.
Your own videos. Reuse what you said as a description, a blog post or captions.
Fix it, copy it, export it
The transcript opens in an editor. Correct names and numbers, switch timestamps on to see where each line starts, and click a line to play the recording from that point. Then copy the text, or download it as TXT, PDF, Word, SRT or VTT.
What makes a video transcript good
- Sound matters more than picture. Record close to the speaker.
- Background music and a noisy room drown speech faster than you would think.
- Overlapping voices are hard for any transcriber.
- Read the result once. Names, brands and technical words are the usual mistakes.
Only have the audio? MP3 to text and M4A to text work the same way.
FAQ
Can I convert a video to text for free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no cap on video length, number of files or languages. The free mode uses lighter speech models, so it is a bit slower and less accurate than Pro.
Which video formats work?
MP4, MOV and WebM. Those cover most phone, camera, Zoom and screen recordings. If another type is rejected, export or save it as MP4 and try again.
Does it read the picture or only the sound?
Only the sound. We take the audio track out of the video and turn the speech into text, so you don't need to extract the audio yourself. Text on screen and what happens in the picture are not included.
How long can the video be?
We don't set a time limit, and files up to 4 GB work. In the free mode, the video is read from your device instead of being uploaded, so a big file doesn't cost you upload time. A long video simply takes longer, and it goes faster on a computer than on a phone. Keep the tab open until it finishes.
Can I get subtitles from a video?
Yes, as a file. Turn timestamps on, then download the transcript as SRT or VTT and upload it to YouTube, Vimeo or your video editor. The subtitles are not burned into the video.
Why does it say no audio was found?
The video has no sound track. This often happens with screen recordings made without a microphone or system audio. Record it again with audio on, or choose a different file.
Is my video uploaded?
Not in the free mode. The speech model runs in your browser, on your own device, so a private video stays on it. In Pro, your file is processed on our servers and deleted automatically afterwards.
Can I paste a YouTube link?
No. This tool works with files, so there is no link box. Use a video you have saved on your device, such as your own recording or a file you have the right to transcribe.
Audio to text by file type
- Audio to Text. Any audio or video file, in 99 languages.
- MP4 to Text. MP4 files from Zoom, Teams, phones and screen recorders.
- MP3 to Text. Podcasts, lectures, interviews and calls saved as MP3.
- M4A to Text. iPhone Voice Memos, Zoom audio and other M4A recordings.
- WAV to Text. Interviews, call recordings and studio audio saved as WAV.
- OGG to Text. OGG and Opus files, including voice notes from chat apps.
- Voice Memo to Text. Phone voice memos and other short personal recordings.