M4A
M4A to text: transcribe an M4A file with timestamps
M4A to text needs no conversion to MP3 first: upload the .m4a exactly as iPhone Voice Memos or a Zoom audio-only recording saved it, and the speech comes back as a transcript with a timestamp on every line, ready to export as TXT, SRT or VTT — your first recording is transcribed free without an account, in full up to 10 minutes. Voice Memos, Zoom and QuickTime all save this format, and the full transcript costs a minute of balance per audio minute.
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How to convert M4A to text
Converting M4A to text takes four steps in the browser, and the file is never re-saved in another format along the way.
- Drop the file. Drag the .m4a onto the upload area at the top of the page or click the area to pick it. It goes as it is, with no conversion step.
- Start the transcription. Without an account your first recording is transcribed right away and free: in full up to 10 minutes, the first 10 minutes of a longer one. After sign-in you see the price of the whole recording and press Transcribe.
- Read along with the recording. The recording plays from your device next to the text; a click on a timestamp moves the player to that line.
- Export the transcript. Download TXT or Markdown to read and edit, SRT or VTT to use as subtitles.
If it is your first recording and it runs up to 10 minutes, the whole M4A transcript is free: a two-minute voice note or a 25-minute interview comes back complete without an account. It is the same audio to text path as for MP3 or WAV, so no speech to text app is needed on the phone.
Where M4A files come from
M4A is what iPhone Voice Memos and Zoom’s audio-only recordings produce by default, so most people get one without choosing it.
- iPhone Voice Memos: every memo is saved as .m4a.
- Zoom recordings on a computer: next to the video, Zoom saves an audio-only track named
audioplus a number, with the .m4a extension, as Zoom’s support documentation describes; the video itself can go to MP4 to transcript instead. - QuickTime Player on a Mac: “Export As → Audio Only” writes an .m4a.
- GarageBand: exporting a song or a podcast as AAC produces the same format.
- Some Android voice recorder apps: they store AAC recordings in the same container.
To get a memo off an iPhone, AirDrop it to a Mac or send it to your computer from the Share menu; on a Mac, the Voice Memos app also lets you drag a recording straight to the desktop.
Whatever the source, you transcribe M4A the same way. If you need MP3 to text or another format, the overview explains how to transcribe any audio file to text.
What an M4A file is, and why no conversion is needed
An M4A file is an MPEG-4 container that holds audio only, usually compressed with AAC and sometimes stored lossless with ALAC.
MPEG-4 is the same family as MP4 video; the “A” in the extension says there is no picture inside. So the short answer to “what is an M4A file” is an MP4 without the picture.
Online guides often tell you to convert m4a to mp3 before transcription, because some services refuse the container. This m4a to text converter reads the container directly and prepares the sound for audio transcription as MP3 at 16 kHz, mono; the workspace shows exactly that line while it works. Converting it yourself would only add a second round of compression before speech recognition reads it.
Protected .m4p files, the copy-protected purchases from the old iTunes Store, are a different format and are not accepted.
When an M4A file won't upload
A file that fails to upload shows one of six plain messages, and each one has a fix.
| Message | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| “This file type is not supported.” | The file is another format under the extension, or a protected .m4p. Export the recording again as plain audio. |
| “Without an account, files up to 100 MB…” | The file is between 100 and 500 MB. Sign in and the same upload goes through. |
| “The file is larger than 500 MB…” | Too large even after sign-in. Split the recording or export it at a lower bitrate. |
| “This recording is longer than 4 hours…” | Upload it in parts. |
| “There is no sound in this file.” | The container has no audio track, which usually means a broken export. |
| “This file looks damaged.” | The stated length does not match the data. Copy the original again from the device. |
From M4A transcript to notes, subtitles or a translation
An M4A transcript downloads as TXT, Markdown, SRT or VTT, and each format keeps the timing it needs.
TXT and Markdown are for reading and editing, with an optional timestamp on every line; SRT and VTT each make a subtitle file with start and end times. If a web player wants captions and you exported an SRT file, the free converter will turn the SRT into WebVTT in the browser.
For more than the words, AI actions work on the same transcript: a summary of a voice memo, detailed notes of a meeting, an article from an interview transcript, or a translation of the text into another language. They come with the transcribed recording at no extra charge and run only when you choose one.
Free first recording and minutes, in numbers
M4A transcription costs one minute of balance per minute of audio, rounded up, and your first recording is free up to 10 minutes.
- Turning a 12-minute voice memo to text uses 12 minutes and fits inside the 10-minute sign-up gift.
- A Zoom recording transcript of a 45-minute call uses 45 minutes: more than the gift, so a pack is needed on top of it.
- As your first recording, a 2-minute note goes from M4A to transcript free, without an account.
On a shared network, such as an office or a mobile carrier, free transcription has a daily limit per network; past it, the page asks you to sign in, with the gift minutes still waiting. The price appears before the start, and the balance is charged only after a successful transcription. The full table of what’s free and what uses minutes lists the packs.
Limits of M4A transcription
An M4A to text transcript has no speaker labels, uses only the first audio track and renders singing less cleanly than speech.
- No speaker labels: each line carries a timestamp, not a name.
- Only the first audio track is used; Zoom’s separate per-participant files can be uploaded one by one.
- Music and singing come out rougher than speech.
- No recording from a microphone on this page: record with Voice Memos or Zoom, then upload it, since voice recording to text works on finished files only.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert M4A to text for free?
Upload the file: without an account, your first recording is transcribed free — in full up to 10 minutes, the first 10 minutes of a longer one. After that, a recording uses minutes from your balance, and signing up gives 10 minutes as a gift.
Do I need an account?
No for your first recording: M4A to text works without an account for files up to 100 MB, and the first one is free. For the whole recording, yes: sign-in works through a link sent to your email, adds 10 gift minutes that expire after 7 days, and raises the limit to 500 MB and 4 hours.
Do I have to convert M4A to MP3 or WAV first?
No. Upload it as it is; the sound is extracted from it on our side.
Is my M4A file kept on your server?
No. The original is deleted right after the sound is extracted from it, or after about an hour if the transcription never starts; only the text is kept, in your browser or in your account. Details on how files are handled are in the privacy policy.
What’s the largest M4A I can transcribe?
Up to 100 MB without an account. After sign-in, up to 500 MB and 4 hours.
Does it label who is speaking?
No. There are no speaker labels; every line carries a timestamp, not a name.