Convert M4A to Text Free

Free M4A to text conversion with no catch. Upload an M4A audio file and transcribe it to text online free, powered by a hybrid Parakeet-TDT and Whisper engine, plus ready-to-use .srt and .vtt files. No account, no monthly minutes cap, and no daily file limit. Convert up to 90 minutes free, or up to 3 hours with Pro. Works on MP3, WAV, M4A up to 2GB.

MP3 WAV M4A

Files up to 2GB · Output: .txt transcript + .srt and .vtt subtitles

Unlock with Pro
subtitles

Click to upload or drag & drop

MP3 · WAV · M4A · Up to 2GB

Get a transcript plus .srt and .vtt subtitles

Processing time depends on file length and your upload speed.

Up to 90 minutes per file.

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No account required

Just upload and go. No email, no password, no sign up.

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No monthly cap

Transcribe full recordings up to 90 minutes free, or up to 3 hours with Pro. No monthly minutes cap, no daily file limit, no watermark.

subtitles

Text + subtitles

Get a plain-text transcript and ready-to-use .srt and .vtt subtitle files with timestamps.

How It Works

1

Upload your M4A

M4A up to 2GB (MP3 and WAV also work). Drag and drop or click to browse. Your M4A is transcribed straight to text.

2

Transcribe

The spoken language is detected automatically, or pick it from the dropdown before uploading. A hybrid Parakeet-TDT and Whisper engine converts the audio to text with timestamps.

3

Download the transcript and subtitles

Preview the transcript in your browser, then download it as plain text (.txt) or as .srt / .vtt subtitle files. Noisy recording? Remove background noise before transcribing for a more accurate transcript.

M4A to text for voice memos, meetings and interviews

M4A is the audio format iPhones and Zoom save recordings in, so most M4A files are speech: memos, calls, lectures and interviews. Upload the file as it is. There is nothing to convert first.

iPhone voice memos

The Voice Memos app exports recordings as .m4a. Tap the recording, tap More, then Share, and choose Save to Files (or AirDrop it to a Mac). Then drop the file here.

Zoom recordings

A Zoom meeting recorded to your computer includes an audio-only .m4a file next to the MP4. It is much smaller than the video, so it uploads faster and gives the same transcript.

Long lectures and interviews

A recording up to 90 minutes is transcribed free, or up to 3 hours with Pro, in one file up to 2GB (5GB with Pro). No need to cut it into parts.

What the TXT, SRT and VTT files look like

Every M4A comes back as three free files. A short example of each (not your file):

.txt transcript

Thanks for joining us today. Let's start with how the project began.

The whole transcript as plain text, with no timestamps. Best for notes, quotes and pasting into a document.

.srt subtitles

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,480
Thanks for joining us today.

2
00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,120
Let's start with how the project began.

Numbered lines with a start and end time, a comma before the milliseconds. The format most video editors and YouTube accept.

.vtt captions

WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.480
Thanks for joining us today.

00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:05.120
Let's start with how the project began.

The web captions format: a WEBVTT header, no line numbers, a period before the milliseconds. Use it with HTML5 video players.

Pro also adds a .docx document and .json data.

Who uses this

Journalists and researchers transcribing interview recordings, students transcribing lecture audio, podcasters turning episodes into show notes, and anyone who needs an accessible text version of an audio recording.

Free, no account, and no monthly cap. Transcribe up to 90 minutes free, or up to 3 hours with Pro.

How VidClean compares to Otter and Turboscribe

Otter

  • Requires an account
  • Free plan caps transcription at 300 minutes per month

Turboscribe

  • Requires an account
  • Free plan limited to 3 files per day

VidClean

  • No account, no signup
  • No monthly minutes cap, no daily file limit
  • Up to 90 minutes free (3 hours with Pro), files deleted about 90 minutes after processing

More free transcription tools

Step-by-step guide: How to Transcribe a Video to Text for Free

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about converting M4A to text with VidClean.

Is M4A to text free? expand_more

Yes, completely free, with no account, no watermark, and no monthly minutes cap. Convert as many M4A files to text as you want. Files are deleted about 90 minutes after processing.

Does it work on long M4A files? expand_more

Yes. M4A files up to 90 minutes are transcribed free, or up to 3 hours with Pro, and up to 2GB in size. Full-length interviews, lectures, sermons, and podcast episodes all work in one go.

What about MP3 or WAV files? expand_more

Yes. The same tool also converts MP3 and WAV audio to text. Try the dedicated MP3 to Text or WAV to Text pages, or drop any of the three formats here.

How do I transcribe an iPhone voice memo? expand_more

In the Voice Memos app, tap the recording, tap More, then Share, and choose Save to Files (or AirDrop it to a Mac). Upload that .m4a here. There is no need to convert it first. Memos up to 90 minutes are transcribed free, or up to 3 hours with Pro.

Does the .txt file include timestamps? expand_more

No. The .txt is the transcript as plain text with no timestamps. The .srt and .vtt files carry a start and end time for every line.

Does it label who is speaking? expand_more

No. VidClean does not currently support speaker identification, so the transcript is not split by speaker. The .txt and .srt files are fully editable, so you can label speakers yourself.

Is there a monthly limit? expand_more

No. There is no monthly minutes cap and no daily file limit, unlike Otter (300 minutes per month) and Turboscribe (3 files per day). The transcript, .srt, and .vtt downloads are always free.

Is my file private? expand_more

Yes. Files are automatically deleted from our servers about 90 minutes after processing.

Also try: MP3 to Text · WAV to Text · Transcribe Audio · Transcribe Video · Remove Background Noise

Last updated: September 2026