M4A to text converter
Turn an M4A recording into text. The file is read by your browser, not sent to a server.
Pick files or press Record to start.
Transcript
Saved on this device
Runs on your device. Models download the first time, then your browser keeps them. PDF opens your print window: choose Save as PDF.
About M4A
- Where M4As come from iPhone Voice Memos, Zoom and Teams audio exports, Apple Music and many Android recorders.
- Works with AAC and Apple Lossless audio inside an M4A container.
- Good to know Voice Memos syncs to iCloud, so you can also grab the file on a Mac and drop it here.
How to convert M4A to text
- Choose one or more files, drop them on the box, or press Record to use your microphone.
- Pick the language spoken, or leave it on Detect automatically. Turn on Speaker labels for interviews and meetings.
- Press Transcribe. Files run one after another, and text shows up piece by piece.
- Play the audio, fix any mistakes, rename speakers, then download Word, PDF, TXT, SRT or VTT.
Which quality to pick
| Quality | Model | Download | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | Whisper tiny | About 45 MB (80 MB on graphics card) | Clear English speech, older phones, a quick look |
| Balanced | Whisper base | About 80 MB (150 MB on graphics card) | Most recordings on a laptop or recent phone |
| Best | Whisper small | About 250 MB (490 MB on graphics card) | Accents, background noise, languages other than English, translation |
Each model downloads once. After that it loads from your browser's storage. Speaker labels add about 33 MB the first time.
Other files you can convert
Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There is no account, no sign up and no paid plan. The work happens on your own device, so there is no server bill to pass on. The only limit is your device's memory: long files need more of it.
Is my audio uploaded?
No. Your browser opens the file and runs the speech model on your device. Only the models are downloaded, from Hugging Face. Your audio and transcripts are never sent anywhere.
What files can I convert?
MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, Opus, FLAC, AAC, MP4 and WebM open straight away in most browsers. AVI, MOV, MKV and other videos your browser can't open go through a built-in converter, which downloads about 10 MB the first time.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no set limit, but the whole file is loaded into memory. Long recordings need more memory, so on phones, shorter files and Fast quality are safer. In our tests, a 1 hour recording finished on a computer using the graphics card, and a 2 hour file loaded and started.
How good is the transcript?
Clear speech in a quiet room comes out well. Accents, crosstalk, music and noise cause mistakes, and so do names and rare words. Always read it through before you use it.
Which formats can I download?
Word (DOCX), PDF, plain text (TXT), and SRT or VTT subtitles. Timestamps and speaker names are included when they're switched on.