How to Transcribe Audio in Three Steps
Transcribe Audio to Text in Minutes
Upload audio, choose a language, and get an accurate, speaker-labeled transcript you can edit or export. Free for files under 5 minutes.
- No signup to try
- No credit card required
How do you transcribe audio to text?
Upload your audio file (MP3, WAV, M4A, and more), choose the language or let 1Transcribe detect it automatically, and OpenAI's Whisper models return an accurate, speaker-labeled transcript in minutes. Files under 5 minutes are free with no signup. Longer files — up to 10 hours and 5 GB — need a subscription, and you can export to Word, PDF, SRT, or TXT.
What is audio transcription?
Audio transcription is the process of converting the spoken words in a recording into written text. Instead of replaying a file and typing it out by hand, an AI transcription tool listens to the audio and produces a readable, time-stamped transcript in a fraction of the time.
1Transcribe runs OpenAI's Whisper — a speech-recognition model trained on 680,000+ hours of audio — so transcripts stay accurate even with accents, background noise, and technical vocabulary. There is nothing to install: it works in your browser and in the iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps.
How to convert an audio file to text
Turning a recording into a transcript takes three steps and a couple of minutes:
- Upload your audio or video file, or paste a link — files up to 10 hours and 5 GB are supported.
- Pick a language, or let automatic detection handle it across 99+ languages.
- Download the finished transcript with speaker labels and timestamps as DOCX, PDF, SRT, or TXT.
Which audio and video formats can I transcribe?
1Transcribe accepts every common recording format. Upload audio such as MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, AMR, and WMA, or video such as MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, and WEBM — the audio track is transcribed automatically. You can also extract text from PDFs and images with built-in OCR.
Accuracy, speakers, and long files
Transcription is only useful if it is accurate, so 1Transcribe uses the latest Whisper models to reach 99.9% accuracy on clear audio. Speaker identification (diarization) labels who said what, so interviews and meetings are easy to follow. And unlike tools that cap you at short clips, you can transcribe a single file up to 10 hours long without splitting it — ideal for depositions, lectures, and panel recordings. Every transcript can also generate an AI summary, so you get the key points without reading the whole thing.
Audio transcription at a glance
| AI engine | OpenAI Whisper (latest models) |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | Up to 99.9% on clear audio |
| Languages | 99+, with automatic detection |
| Audio formats | MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, AMR, WMA |
| Video formats | MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WEBM |
| Max file length | 10 hours per file |
| Max file size | 5 GB per file |
| Speaker labels | Yes — automatic diarization |
| Export formats | DOCX, PDF, SRT, TXT |
| Free tier | Files under 5 minutes, no signup |
| Price | Free, or Unlimited from US$4.17/mo billed yearly |
What people transcribe with 1Transcribe
Journalists & researchers
Turn recorded interviews into quotable, searchable text with speaker labels — in minutes, not hours.
Meetings & teams
Transcribe Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet recordings, then get an AI summary with the decisions and action items.
Podcasters & creators
Generate clean transcripts and SRT subtitles to publish show notes and make episodes searchable.
Students & lectures
Convert recorded classes into notes you can review, search, and quiz yourself on.
Legal & medical
Transcribe long depositions, dictations, and consultations with the highest file-length limits in the industry.
Voice notes
Send a WhatsApp voice note or a phone memo to text so you can read it at a glance.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about 1Transcribe.
Is it free to transcribe audio to text?
Yes — any audio or video file under 5 minutes is free to transcribe, with no signup and no credit card. For longer files, up to 10 hours each, an Unlimited subscription starts at US$4.17/month billed yearly (US$49.99/year) or US$19.99/month.
How accurate is audio-to-text transcription?
1Transcribe uses OpenAI's latest Whisper models to reach up to 99.9% accuracy on clear audio. Whisper is especially strong with accents, technical terms, and background noise compared with older transcription services.
Can I transcribe long audio files?
Yes. You can upload a single file up to 10 hours long and 5 GB in size — no splitting required. This is ideal for interviews, lectures, depositions, and full meeting recordings.
What audio formats are supported?
All common formats, including MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, AMR, and WMA, plus video formats like MP4 and MOV. The audio track of a video is transcribed automatically.
Does it detect different speakers?
Yes. Automatic speaker identification (diarization) detects and labels different speakers — Speaker 1, Speaker 2, and so on — so conversations and interviews are easy to read.
Can I transcribe audio without signing up?
Yes. You can transcribe files under 5 minutes without creating an account. Sign-in is only needed for longer files and to save your transcript history.
How do I export the transcript?
Export any finished transcript to Microsoft Word (.docx), PDF, plain text (.txt), or subtitles (.srt) with one click.
What languages can I transcribe?
1Transcribe supports 99+ languages — including English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean — with automatic language detection so you don't have to choose.
Try It Before You Decide
Start With One File. Use It Every Day.
Upload a recording and read the full transcript first — files under five minutes are free, with no signup and no credit card.