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WMA to text

WMA to text

Upload a WMA file and get the speech as editable, timestamped text. WMA is Microsoft's audio format, still found in old Windows recordings, some dictation recorders and audio archives. It uploads directly; your browser cannot play it, but that does not stop the transcription.

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

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What WMA is

WMA (Windows Media Audio) is Microsoft's own audio format. Most browsers do not play it, which is why a WMA file that opens in Windows Media Player can look useless on a phone or a Mac. Here the file is decoded on our server, so the browser's lack of support does not matter for transcription.

Where WMA files come from

  • Recordings made by the Sound Recorder in older versions of Windows.
  • Some handheld and desktop dictation recorders, which can save WMA.
  • Audio ripped from CDs with Windows Media Player's older settings, and old downloads.
  • Archives of interviews or lectures saved in the 2000s.

Steps

  1. Copy the .wma file from the recorder or the old computer.
  2. Choose it above. There is nothing to convert.
  3. Read the transcript, correct it against the audio, then export.

Files that will not open

Most WMA files decode normally. Two kinds do not. Copy-protected files bought from old music stores are locked on purpose and cannot be read by anything but the player they were made for. And some recorders use their own formats instead of plain WMA (DSS and DS2 are common examples): those are not on the list of types accepted here, so use the recorder's own software to export WAV or MP3 first. If you are not sure, the free audio file info tool shows what your browser can read of a file.

Size and length

Without an account one file can be up to 15 minutes and 25 MB. A free account lifts those per-file limits and keeps your transcripts in a library, so for a longer recording create one instead of cutting the file up. WMA is compressed, so a voice recording is usually small and the length limit is the one you reach first.

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

Why will my WMA not play in Chrome or on my phone?
Browsers and phones do not generally support WMA. That is separate from transcription, which does not use your browser's player.
Should I convert WMA to MP3 first?
Not for transcription. Only convert if you also want a copy that plays everywhere.
Can it read my dictation recorder's files?
If the recorder saves ordinary WMA, yes. Proprietary dictation formats such as DSS or DS2 have to be exported to WAV or MP3 with the recorder's software first.
Is it free?
Yes — one recording 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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