Most audio and video formats
MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, OPUS and WebM audio, plus MP4, MOV and M4V video, up to 500 MB per file.
M4A to text: iPhone Voice Memos
M4A to text,
for your Voice Memos.
A free M4A to text converter for iPhone Voice Memos and any other M4A recording.
M4A is the format of iPhone Voice Memos, so the quickest way to turn a memo into text is to export it and upload the M4A file to Audio Notes AI. You get the transcript, a summary and action items in about a minute, and the same works for any other M4A recording.
Free account: 3 notes or 60 minutes. Works in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox.
New Recording 14.m4a
Done
Note to self: call the landlord about the heating before Friday, book the car service for next week, and ask Sam whether the Saturday dinner is still on.
AI Summary
Three errands: the heating, the car service and Saturday's dinner plans.
Call the landlord about the heating before Friday
Book the car service for next week
Ask Sam about Saturday dinner
Transcribed
60+ languages
60+ languages
Files up to 500 MB
Audio deleted within 24 hours
How it works
From file to notes in three steps.
1
Sign up free
Use your email or Google. It takes a minute, and the free account includes 3 notes or 60 minutes.
2
Upload the file
Or record in the browser. Long files are converted and sent in parts.
3
Read, ask, translate
The transcript, a summary and action items, ready in about a minute. Download it as text.
What you get
More than a transcript.
More than a transcript.
Notes you can use.
Summary & action items
An overview, key points and the to-dos, pulled from every recording.
What do I need to do before Friday?
Call the landlord about the heating.
Ask your recording
Questions answered from the transcript, so you can find the part you need.
60+ languages, and Translate
The transcript comes back in the language that was spoken, mixed-language speech included. Translate gives you a copy in another language.
Export
Get the M4A out of Voice Memos
- On a Mac: open Voice Memos and drag a recording onto the desktop. That file is the M4A.
- On iPhone: in Voice Memos tap the recording, tap ••• then Save to Files, or AirDrop it to your computer.
- Upload the file here and the transcript appears a moment later.
Prefer to stay on the phone? The Audio Notes AI iPhone app takes memos straight from the share sheet, and our guide to transcribing Voice Memos on iPhone walks through it.
Why M4A
Why M4A works well
Voice Memos records clean, compressed audio that is small enough to upload in seconds: an hour-long memo is usually 30 to 60 MB. Files up to 24 MB are sent as they are; bigger ones are converted to compact speech audio in your browser first. You do not need to convert M4A to MP3 first.
Other formats
Not an M4A?
Podcasts and downloads: MP3 to text. Meeting and lecture videos: MP4 to text. Every other format: the audio to text converter.
Needs internetTranscription runs on our servers, so you need a connection.
No speaker labelsThe transcript is one block of text, without names for each speaker.
Free: 3 notes or 60 minIn total, whichever comes first. Pro: files up to 90 minutes each.
Notes stay in your browserUse Download to keep a copy as a text file.
Privacy
Your audio is processed,
Your audio is processed,
not kept.
Audio is sent over an encrypted connection, transcribed, and deleted from our servers after processing, always within 24 hours. Your notes are kept in your browser.
Encrypted connection
Audio deleted within 24 hours
Notes kept in your browser
FAQ
Questions
Updated
Does iPhone transcribe Voice Memos by itself?
Newer iOS versions can show a transcript for some memos in some languages. Uploading the M4A here gives you a transcript in 60+ languages plus a summary, action items, questions and translation.
How do I export a voice memo as M4A?
On a Mac, drag the memo out of Voice Memos. On iPhone, tap the memo, then ••• and Save to Files, or AirDrop it to your computer. The exported file is an M4A.
Do I need to convert M4A to MP3 first?
No. Upload the M4A as it is. Converting first only costs time and a little quality.
Is M4A to text free?
Yes, with a free account: 3 notes or 60 minutes of transcription in total. Pro removes the limit.
Where are my transcripts kept?
In your browser. The audio is deleted from our servers after processing, always within 24 hours. Use Download to keep a copy as a text file.
More converters and guides
Keep going
Try it with your own file.
Free account, transcript in about a minute.
