# Transcribe MP3 > A free in-browser tool that transcribes MP3 and other audio files to text with the open-source Whisper model. Audio never leaves the device. The first transcript download is free; a later download asks for a name and email and can email the transcript text. Export .txt or .srt. Source site: https://transcribemp3.com/ Updated: 2026-11-12 Standard followed: https://llmbestpractices.com # MP3 to text transcriber Source: https://transcribemp3.com/ Free · No upload · No account # MP3 to text, right in your browser Drop an audio file and get a transcript in minutes. The open-source Whisper model runs on your own device, so your recording is never uploaded. ## Drop an audio file to transcribe it Drop an MP3 here or choose a file · MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, WEBM Model Fast (Whisper tiny, about 40 MB) More accurate (Whisper base, about 80 MB) Language English Detect automatically Spanish French German Portuguese Italian Dutch Japanese Chinese Hindi Transcribe Pick a file to start. It stays on this device. Transcript Copy text Download .txt Download .srt captions Show timestamps The first run downloads the open-source Whisper model (about 40 MB for Fast) from the Hugging Face model hub and keeps it in your browser cache. Your audio is never uploaded. Only transcribe recordings you have the right to transcribe. - $0No account or card - 0 uploadsAudio stays on your device - 6 formatsMP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, WEBM - .txt + .srtPlain text or captions ## How it works Three steps, all on your machine. 1 ### Drop your file Pick or drag an MP3, voice memo, podcast, lecture, or interview. Your browser reads it locally. 2 ### Whisper listens The first time, your browser downloads the Whisper model (about 40 MB for Fast). After that it loads from cache. 3 ### Copy or download Edit the transcript in the box, copy it, or download a .txt file or .srt captions with timestamps. The first download is free. Podcasts, interviews, lectures, and voice memos. Illustrative photo. ## Private by design Most online transcription services upload your audio to their servers. Transcribe MP3 does not. Decoding and speech recognition stay in this browser tab. The first transcript download stays on this device. A later download asks for your name and email, then sends the transcript text so it can be emailed to you. The audio file is not sent. There are no accounts and no analytics scripts. Read the [privacy page](https://transcribemp3.com/privacy/) for details. ## Questions ### Is Transcribe MP3 free? Yes. There is no account and no fee. The first transcript download is free. Another download from the same browser or network asks for your name and email so the file can be emailed to you. The transcriber runs on your own computer or phone. ### Is my audio uploaded? No. The browser decodes the file and the Whisper model runs on your device. The only download is the model itself, the first time you use it. ### Why does a second download ask for my email? The first .txt or .srt download is free and stays in your browser. A later download asks for your name and email first. After you submit the form, the file downloads in the browser and is emailed to you. ### How accurate is it? Whisper is accurate on clear speech, but no transcriber is perfect. Background noise, cross-talk, accents, and names reduce accuracy. Use the More accurate model for important recordings and proofread the result. ### How long can a file be? Up to about two hours per file. Long files take longer, roughly real time or faster on a recent laptop with the Fast model, and slower on phones. ### Which formats work? Anything your browser can decode: MP3, WAV, M4A/AAC, OGG/Opus, FLAC, and WEBM in most browsers. Safari does not decode OGG in every version. ## Got a recording? Scroll up, drop it in, and press Transcribe. Only transcribe audio you have the right to use. [Transcribe a file](#tool-h) --- # How to transcribe MP3 to text Source: https://transcribemp3.com/transcribe-mp3-to-text/ # How to transcribe MP3 to text You can turn an MP3 into text in a few minutes without installing anything. Here is the fastest way, plus tips for a cleaner transcript. ## Drop an audio file to transcribe it Drop an MP3 here or choose a file · MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC, WEBM Model Fast (Whisper tiny, about 40 MB) More accurate (Whisper base, about 80 MB) Language English Detect automatically Spanish French German Portuguese Italian Dutch Japanese Chinese Hindi Transcribe Pick a file to start. It stays on this device. Transcript Copy text Download .txt Download .srt captions Show timestamps The first run downloads the open-source Whisper model (about 40 MB for Fast) from the Hugging Face model hub and keeps it in your browser cache. Your audio is never uploaded. Only transcribe recordings you have the right to transcribe. ## Steps 1. Drop your MP3 into the box above, or press choose a file. 1. Pick a model. Fast (Whisper tiny) is quick and fine for clear speech. More accurate (Whisper base) is slower but handles accents and noise better. 1. Pick the language. English uses English-only models that are more accurate for English. Choose Detect automatically for other languages. 1. Press Transcribe. The first run downloads the model; later runs start right away. 1. Proofread in the text box, then copy, download a .txt file, or download .srt captions. ## Get a cleaner transcript - Use the best source you have. A 128 kbps or higher MP3 beats a phone recording of a speaker. - Trim long silences and music intros before you start. - Use More accurate for interviews, meetings, and anything you will quote. - Check names, numbers, and technical terms. Speech models often guess unusual words. - For files over an hour, split them into parts so each part finishes faster. ## What it cannot do yet - Label speakers (diarization). - Transcribe a live microphone; it works on files. - Guarantee legal or medical accuracy. Get human review for court, medical, or compliance use. ## Questions ### Can I transcribe an MP3 to text for free? Yes. Open the transcriber on this page, drop the MP3, and press Transcribe. It costs nothing and does not upload the file. The first transcript download is free. A later download asks for your name and email so the file can be emailed to you. ### Do I need to convert the MP3 first? No. MP3 works directly. You only need to convert if your browser cannot decode a format; MP3 and WAV work everywhere. ### Can it tell speakers apart? Not yet. The transcript is one stream of text with optional timestamps. Add speaker names while you proofread. Only transcribe recordings you have the right to use. Recording and transcribing people may require their consent under your state's law. --- # How it works Source: https://transcribemp3.com/how-it-works/ # How it works Everything happens in your browser tab. Here is each step and what it means for speed and privacy. ## 1. Decoding Your browser's Web Audio API decodes the file and converts it to 16 kHz mono, the format Whisper expects. Stereo files are mixed to mono. ## 2. The model The transcriber uses OpenAI's open-source Whisper speech recognition model, converted to the ONNX format and run with Transformers.js and ONNX Runtime Web (WebAssembly). Two sizes are offered: Fast (Whisper tiny, about 40 MB) and More accurate (Whisper base, about 80 MB). English uses the English-only versions. ## 3. Model download The first run downloads the model files from the Hugging Face model hub. The progress bar shows the real download. Your browser caches the files, so later runs start quickly and can work offline after the page loads. ## 4. Transcription Audio is processed in 30-second windows with overlap, and the text streams into the box as it is recognized. Speed depends on your device: a recent laptop usually runs the Fast model faster than real time; phones are slower. ## 5. Export Copy the text, download it as .txt, or download .srt captions built from the segment timestamps. The first download is free. A later download asks for your name and email, then downloads the file in the browser and emails the same file to you. ## Limits - No speaker labels. - Files up to about two hours. - Accuracy drops with noise, music, cross-talk, and heavy accents. - Needs a current browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. --- # Supported formats Source: https://transcribemp3.com/supported-formats/ # Supported formats The transcriber accepts anything your browser can decode. This table shows typical support. | Format | Extensions | Chrome / Edge | Firefox | Safari | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | MP3 | .mp3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Most common podcast and voice format. | | WAV | .wav | Yes | Yes | Yes | Uncompressed; large files, best quality. | | M4A / AAC | .m4a, .aac | Yes | Yes | Yes | iPhone voice memos and many recorders. Firefox support depends on the system. | | OGG / Opus | .ogg, .oga, .opus | Yes | Yes | Newer versions | Common from messaging apps. | | FLAC | .flac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Lossless compression. | | WEBM audio | .webm, .weba | Yes | Yes | Newer versions | Browser and screen recordings. | | MP4 video | .mp4 | Usually | Usually | Usually | The audio track is used; very large videos may run out of memory. | Typical browser support for audio decoding ## If a file will not open Convert it to MP3 or WAV with a free tool such as Audacity or ffmpeg, then try again. Damaged files and DRM-protected audio cannot be decoded. Support notes reflect current browser releases as of November 12, 2026 and can vary by operating system. --- # Privacy Source: https://transcribemp3.com/privacy/ # Your audio stays here - Audio: read and decoded in your browser. It is not uploaded to transcribemp3.com or anyone else. - Transcripts: shown in the text box. Copy stays in the browser. The first .txt or .srt download stays in the browser. A later download asks for your name and email, then sends the transcript text so it can be emailed to you. The audio file is not sent. - Download check: before a download, the page asks a form service whether this network has already taken the free download. That request includes the site name. The service can see the network address on the request. It does not receive the audio or the transcript. - Model files: downloaded from the Hugging Face model hub (huggingface.co) and the script library from the jsDelivr CDN. Those services see a normal download request from your browser, such as your IP address, but never your audio. - Cache: your browser keeps the model files so later runs are faster. Clear site data in your browser settings to remove them. - No accounts, cookies for tracking, ads, or analytics scripts are used today. This browser remembers whether the free download was used. That memory is not a tracking cookie. The host, GitHub Pages, may keep standard server logs for security. The form service receives the name, email, phone, and transcript text you submit for a later download. ## Your responsibility Only transcribe recordings you have the right to use. Recording or transcribing other people can require consent under state law. Last updated November 12, 2026. --- # FAQ Source: https://transcribemp3.com/faq/ # Questions ### Is Transcribe MP3 free? Yes. There is no account and no fee. The first transcript download is free. Another download from the same browser or network asks for your name and email so the file can be emailed to you. The transcriber runs on your own computer or phone. ### Is my audio uploaded? No. The browser decodes the file and the Whisper model runs on your device. The only download is the model itself, the first time you use it. ### Why does a second download ask for my email? The first .txt or .srt download is free and stays in your browser. A later download asks for your name and email first. After you submit the form, the file downloads in the browser and is emailed to you. ### How accurate is it? Whisper is accurate on clear speech, but no transcriber is perfect. Background noise, cross-talk, accents, and names reduce accuracy. Use the More accurate model for important recordings and proofread the result. ### How long can a file be? Up to about two hours per file. Long files take longer, roughly real time or faster on a recent laptop with the Fast model, and slower on phones. ### Which formats work? Anything your browser can decode: MP3, WAV, M4A/AAC, OGG/Opus, FLAC, and WEBM in most browsers. Safari does not decode OGG in every version. ### Does it work offline? After the page and model have loaded once, transcription itself runs without a network connection. Reloading the page needs a connection unless your browser has cached it. ### Why is the first run slow? The browser downloads the Whisper model (about 40 MB for Fast, about 80 MB for More accurate) the first time. Later runs use the cached copy. ### Can I transcribe a YouTube video? Only files on your device. Download audio only where you have the rights and the platform's terms allow it. ### Does it work on a phone? Yes, on recent iPhones and Android phones, but it is slower and long files can run out of memory. Use Fast and shorter files on phones. ### Who made the model? Whisper was released as open source by OpenAI. This site is independent and not affiliated with OpenAI or Hugging Face. --- # About Source: https://transcribemp3.com/about/ # About Transcribe MP3 Transcribe MP3 is an independent, free tool for turning audio files into text without uploading them. It is built on open-source software: the Whisper speech recognition model released by OpenAI, the ONNX conversions published on the Hugging Face hub, and the Transformers.js library. The site is not affiliated with those projects. ## Funding The tool is free. The first transcript download is free. A later download asks for a name and email so the transcript can be emailed. There is still no fee. The site may later show clearly labeled ads or links to paid human transcription services for people who need verified transcripts. None are live today. Last updated November 12, 2026. ---