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M4A to text

M4A to text

Upload an M4A file and get the speech in it back as editable, timestamped text. M4A is the file an iPhone Voice Memo, a Zoom audio-only recording and many QuickTime or Android recordings are saved as, and it is accepted here directly with no conversion.

Free preview: one file up to 15 minutes and 25 MB, 3 tries a day, no account needed.

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Where M4A files come from

M4A is an audio-only MPEG-4 file, usually holding AAC audio. You meet it in four places: the iPhone Voice Memos app, a Zoom local recording saved as audio only, QuickTime Player on a Mac when you make an audio recording, and a number of Android voice recorders. The extension is the same whether the file is a thirty-second note or a two-hour lecture.

One detail catches people out: Voice Memos has a lossless setting, and a lossless recording is still an .m4a file but a much larger one. Both kinds work here. The lossless one only costs you upload time, because speech recognition does not need that detail.

How to transcribe an M4A file

  1. Find the file: in Voice Memos use Share, then Save to Files, AirDrop or Mail; for Zoom open the recording folder it names when the meeting ends.
  2. Choose the file in the box above, or drag it in. Leave the language on automatic unless the recording is mixed or very short.
  3. Wait for the text to appear, play the audio next to it, and fix anything wrong.
  4. Copy the text or export it as TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, JSON or CSV.

Size and length

M4A is compressed, so a minute of voice is far smaller than the same minute as WAV, but the no-account preview has two caps: 15 minutes and 25 MB, and either can be the one you hit. A lossless Voice Memo is several times larger than the compressed version of the same minute, so it reaches the size cap first. A longer or larger recording needs a free account, or you can cut it into parts or make a smaller copy with the audio converter.

What goes wrong with M4A files

  • A file shown as .m4a that was really recorded as video (some screen recorders) still works, since the audio track is read either way.
  • A recording made from a locked phone in a pocket muffles the voice; no format fixes that. See the accuracy guide.
  • Files that are still syncing from iCloud may be a placeholder; make sure the file is fully downloaded before you choose it.

How it works

  1. Add a recording

    Drop in a video or audio file, choose one from your device, or record from the microphone. Nothing to install.

  2. It transcribes

    Speech becomes timestamped text, with speaker labels when more than one person talks.

  3. Read, fix, export

    Click any line to correct it, then download TXT, subtitles, Markdown, JSON or CSV.

Questions

Is M4A the same as MP4?
Both use the MPEG-4 container. M4A is audio only, MP4 usually carries video as well. This site reads either and transcribes the speech in the audio track.
Can I transcribe an iPhone Voice Memo?
Yes. Share the memo to Files, AirDrop or email so it becomes a file, then upload that .m4a here. The voice memo page has the steps.
Is a lossless M4A more accurate?
Not in any way we would promise. Clean, close-up speech matters far more than extra audio detail.
Is it free?
Yes — one file up to 15 minutes and 25 MB with no account, up to 3 tries a day. A free account keeps your transcripts in a library and lifts the guest limits; the current limits and paid plans are on the pricing page.
What can I export?
Plain text, timestamped text, SRT, VTT, Markdown, JSON with word timings and CSV, all from the same edited transcript.

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