Turn voice memos into text, privately
Ideas, notes to self, lectures, conversations: voice memos are often personal. Transcribe them on your own computer instead of handing them to a server.
- Never uploaded
- No sign-up
- No daily limits
- Free
Keep this tab open and in front. Browsers slow down background tabs.
Click any line to fix a word. Downloads include your edits.
How it works
- Get the memo onto your computerShare it from the Voice Memos app (steps below).
- Drop the fileiPhone memos are M4A; Android recorders save M4A, MP3 or WAV.
- Copy the textOr download it as TXT with timestamps.
Getting a voice memo off your phone
iPhone
Open Voice Memos, tap the recording, tap the three-dot menu, then Share. Choose AirDrop to send it to a Mac, or Save to Files and pick an iCloud Drive folder you can open on your computer. On a Mac signed in to the same Apple ID, the Voice Memos app shows the same recordings; drag one out to the desktop.
Android
In your recorder app, open the recording and tap Share, then send it to Google Drive, email it to yourself, or connect the phone with a USB cable and copy it from the Recordings folder.
Private by design
Your memo is transcribed inside this browser tab. It is not uploaded, stored or used to train anything, because it never reaches us.
Measured, not promised
Results from our benchmark on clear, read English speech. Noisy audio, heavy accents and crosstalk give more errors. See the full benchmark.
Why your file never leaves your computer
Most online transcribers upload your recording to their servers. That costs them money for every minute, so free plans are capped at a few files or a few minutes a day, and your audio sits on someone else's computer.
Here the transcription happens on your own computer, inside this tab. Nothing is sent anywhere, so there is nothing to cap: transcribe as many files, as long as you like.
Questions
Can I transcribe on the phone itself?
Short memos work in a phone browser, but it is slow and drains the battery. A laptop is several times faster.
Which quality should I choose?
Leave it on Auto. It picks the most accurate quality your computer runs well, and switches to a lighter one if your computer slows down. Best needs a fast computer.
Is it really free and unlimited?
Yes. Your device does the work, so a file costs us nothing to process. There is no daily cap, no length limit and no account.
Is my audio uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read and transcribed inside your browser tab. Only the speech engine itself is downloaded, once.
Why does it download something first?
That is the speech engine, which does the transcribing on your computer. It is a one-time download of 44–566 MB depending on the quality, and your browser keeps it after that. It has nothing to do with the size of your files.
Which browsers work?
Recent Chrome, Edge and Safari on a laptop or desktop. Chrome and Edge are usually fastest. Phones work for short files, but are slower.
Does it label different speakers?
Not yet. You get accurate text with timestamps; speaker labels are on our list.
Can I close the tab while it works?
Keep the tab open and in front. Browsers slow down background tabs, which can make a long file take up to four times longer.