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How to convert a video to text
Everything that matters in a video, as far as text is concerned, is in the audio track. The picture contributes nothing to a transcript and accounts for almost all of the file size, which is why the route to text always runs through the sound.
Which route you take depends on where the video lives: published online, or sitting as a file on your machine.
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Step by step
- If the video is on YouTube, paste the linkNothing gets downloaded or converted on your side. This is the shortest path and the one to prefer whenever the video is published.
- If it is a file, upload it as it isMP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV, AVI and other formats work, up to 50 MB on the free plan and up to 1 GB on Pro and Max. The server separates the audio track and deletes the video: you do not have to convert anything.
- Over your limit? Export the audioAny video editor can export the audio track, and so can VLC. On the command line it is one instruction: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame audio.mp3. A video of several GB usually becomes an MP3 of a few dozen megabytes.
- Read, correct and downloadPunctuation and paragraphs are applied automatically. Check proper names and figures, then copy the text or download it as .txt.
When it is worth separating the audio yourself
In an ordinary recording the picture is over ninety percent of the bytes and none of the information a transcript needs. Within your plan's limit (50 MB free, 1 GB on Pro and Max) you do not have to do anything: the server extracts the audio for you. Above that, or on a slow connection, extracting it first turns a slow upload into a fast one and avoids the transfer that dies halfway.
It also gives you a reusable file: the same MP3 serves for the transcript, for a podcast version and for any later re-run, without touching the original video again.
What you do not get
No subtitle file. The output is plain text and downloads as .txt; there is no .srt or .vtt export, so this does not replace a subtitling tool.
No timecodes and no speaker labels either. If you need the text synced to the image, this is the wrong tool; if you need the words, it is the right one.
Frequent questions
Can I upload the video file directly?
Yes: up to 50 MB on the free plan and up to 1 GB on Pro and Max. MP4, MOV, WEBM, MKV, AVI and others. The audio is extracted on the server and the video is deleted. If the video is already on YouTube, pasting the link is even faster.
Do I need to install ffmpeg?
No. It only helps if your video is over your plan's limit and you want to extract the audio first; any video editor or VLC can do that from a menu too.
Is there a file size limit?
Up to 50 MB per file on the free plan and 1 GB on Pro and Max. Beyond that, what counts is the monthly minutes of your plan, not the file size: a long video simply uses more of your quota.
Can I get subtitles for the video?
No. The transcript downloads as .txt only, with no .srt or .vtt export and no timecodes.