How do I transcribe audio to text online for free?

Drop an audio or video file onto the converter above, pick the spoken language (or leave it on Auto Detect), and press Convert. The transcript appears as it is produced, so you can start reading before the file has finished. No signup or payment is needed — this audio to text converter is completely free.

Do I need an account?

No. Transcription works with no signup at all. A free account is optional and only exists so your transcripts follow you between devices — anything you made beforehand is attached to your account automatically when you sign in.

Is there a time limit on free audio transcription?

No. There is no 30-minute cap and no truncation. A three-hour lecture, a full podcast episode or a day-long interview recording is transcribed end to end, in full, for free.

Can I convert MP3, WAV or MP4 files to text?

Yes. Upload MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, AAC, OGG and WebM audio files, plus MP4 and MOV video — the audio track is extracted automatically. You can convert audio files of any length to text. MKV and AVI are not supported yet.

How many languages does this AI transcription tool support?

Around 99, including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese. Multilingual transcription uses each language's own script — Hindi comes back in Devanagari, Arabic in Arabic script, never romanised.

What happens if I pick the wrong language?

We check before committing. The first minute is transcribed with automatic language detection, and if it disagrees with your choice you get a warning and can switch — before the rest of the file is processed. If you still want to change afterwards, you can re-transcribe in another language without uploading the file again.

Does the transcription tool include AI summaries?

Yes. Every transcript has a free AI chat beside it that can generate summaries, extract key points and action items, or answer any question you ask about the recording. It answers only from the transcript and says so when something is not covered.

Can I edit the transcript?

Yes. Switch on Edit and click any line to correct it. Changes save immediately and edited lines are marked, so you can see what a human has reviewed.

What transcript export formats are available?

Plain text, timestamped text, SRT and VTT subtitles, and Word (DOCX) documents. All export formats are free, with no watermarks and no signup required.

Is my audio file safe? What happens to uploaded recordings?

Your browser converts the audio locally before anything is sent, so the original file never leaves your device. The converted audio is stored only so you can re-transcribe in another language, and it is deleted automatically after 24 hours. The transcript itself stays until you delete it.

Is my audio used to train AI models?

No. Your recordings are transcribed and then deleted. They are never used for training and never shared with third parties for that purpose.

How accurate is AI audio transcription?

It uses a state-of-the-art AI speech recognition model for accurate transcription. Accuracy depends on your recording — clear speech with little background noise does very well, while heavy crosstalk, music or a poor microphone will be harder. Selecting the right language matters more than anything else.

Free AI Audio to Text Converter

Q: Does this audio to text converter detect speakers?

Not yet. Speaker detection is the one feature we have deliberately left out for now — it costs several times more to run than the transcription itself, and we would rather keep everything else genuinely free than charge for the whole tool.

Transcribe audio to text online in seconds — free, with AI. Upload an MP3, WAV, MP4, voice note, meeting recording or interview and convert audio and video into accurate, readable text. No signup, no time limit, every export format free.

No time limit 99 languages Auto-deleted after 24h

Drop your audio or video file here

or click below to browse — no signup, no time limit

Choose audio file

MP3WAVM4AFLACAACOGGMP4MOV

languages: 99 languages
file length: ∞ file length
export formats: 5 export formats
signup steps: 0 signup steps
until auto-delete: 24h until auto-delete

Everything you need to transcribe audio

AI-powered audio transcription, multilingual support, editable transcripts and five export formats — all free, including what most tools put behind a subscription.

No time limit

Three-hour lectures, full podcast episodes, day-long interviews — transcribe audio to text with no 30-minute cap. Works with any recording length.

Multilingual transcription — 99 languages

Hindi in Devanagari, Arabic in Arabic script — never romanised. Transcribe speech to text in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese and 90+ more languages.

Language checked first

We detect the language from the first minute and warn you if it disagrees with your choice — before the rest is processed.

Your file never uploads

Your browser converts the audio locally, so the original recording stays on your device.

Export transcripts in five formats

Plain text, timestamped text, SRT and VTT subtitles, and Word documents — download your transcript with no watermarks and no signup.

Editable, with playback

Click any line to correct it. Play the audio back and the transcript follows along.

How to convert audio to text

Upload your audio file, confirm the language, and download your transcript — no account needed.

1
Upload your audio or video file

MP3, WAV, MP4, voice recording or any supported file. Nothing to install — works in your browser.
2
Confirm language

Detected from the first minute, checked with you.
3
Watch the transcript appear

Your transcription streams in part by part — start reading before the file has finished processing.
4
Edit and export

Correct anything, download in five formats.

See what you get back

Timestamped, punctuated and split into readable lines — in the language's own script. Switch the tabs to see Hindi, Arabic and Spanish output.

Timestamps on every line, clickable back to the audio
Proper Devanagari, Arabic and CJK — never romanised
Editable in place, then exported however you need

Example transcript for illustration — not a real recording.

team-standup.mp3 — transcript

transcribing…

Supported audio and video formats

Convert audio files and video to text. Upload MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, MP4 or MOV — the audio track is extracted automatically.

MP3 WAV M4A FLAC AAC OGG WEBM MP4 MOV

No file size limit — your browser compresses the audio before anything is sent. MKV and AVI are not supported yet.

Who uses an audio to text converter?

Students, professionals, creators and journalists — one free transcription tool for every recording.

Students

Turn recorded lectures into searchable notes. Transcribe audio from any class and revise from accurate, editable text.

Professionals

Meetings, calls and voice notes converted into readable text in minutes. Transcribe meeting recordings and share the transcript with your team.

Creators

Generate show notes, SRT subtitles and video transcripts from a single upload — perfect for YouTube video transcription and podcast episodes.

Journalists

Transcribe interviews and recordings into quotable text with timestamps. Convert audio to text and find the exact moment fast.

Researchers

Field recordings, focus-group interviews and lectures turned into analysable text. Upload audio files and get accurate transcription free.

Accessibility

Captions, subtitles and transcripts so your audio and video content works for everyone — free audio transcription for accessible media.

Why is this audio to text converter free?

A fair question. Our costs per recording are a fraction of a cent, which is cheap enough to give away the features other services charge $10–20 a month for — so we do.

Feature	Typical free plan	AudioToText.dev
Free file length	Capped, often 30 minutes	Unlimited
Transcript export	Paid plan	TXT, SRT, VTT, DOCX — free
AI chat over transcript	Top tier only	Free
Editing	Paid plan	Free
Wrong-language protection	None — you find out after	Checked before processing
Re-run in another language	Upload the file again	One click, no re-upload
Signup to try	Usually required	Never

Speaker labelling is the one thing we do not offer — it costs several times more to run than the transcription itself, and we would rather keep everything else free.

Frequently asked questions

Still stuck? Email hello@audiototext.dev and a human will reply.

Ready to transcribe your audio to text?

Free AI transcription with no account, no time limit and no payment details. Upload your audio file and start converting.

Transcribe audio free — start now