Choose the file.
Use the button at the top. MP4, MOV, WebM, MP3, M4A and WAV are the formats this page names. You do not extract the audio first.
Your file, then the words
MP4 to transcript
Upload an MP4, MOV, WebM, MP3, M4A or WAV file and get the spoken words as text you can copy or download. TXT is the reading copy. SRT and VTT keep a clock on each line.
MP4, MOV, WebM, MP3, M4A or WAV
Choose an MP4, MOV, WebM, MP3, M4A or WAV file.
Free · No sign-up · TXT, SRT or VTT
Up to 20 minutes and 200 MB per file. Speech recognition: 30 minutes a day per network.
The good parts, on paper.
FROM SCREEN TO PAGEHOW IT LOOKS
VIDEO EXAMPLE
The art of paying attention
00:00Some of our best ideas arrive when we finally slow down enough to notice them.
00:12Try keeping a small notebook. Not for everything. Just for the things you want to return to.
00:26A sentence. A question. A different way of seeing something familiar.
An illustration of the reading experience.
Watch once. Come back to the words.
01 — CHOOSE THE FILE
How to convert an MP4 to a transcript
Wait for the words.
This browser reads the file, splits the audio into short pieces, and speech recognition returns the spoken words.
Copy or download.
Copy the words, or save TXT, SRT or VTT. The download is built in this browser.
02 — LIMITS NEXT TO THE FILE
What you can upload
The file control accepts an audio or video file. The formats named on the control are MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4, MOV and WebM. A file this browser cannot read comes back with a message to try an MP3, M4A or WAV. The limit is 20 minutes and 200 MB.
TXT, SRT and VTT
TXT is the words. SRT puts a number and a clock on each cue. VTT carries those cues for a web player. If a result has no timings, SRT and VTT stay off and the text can still be copied.
English page, spoken language unchanged
This page is in English. It does not edit the words, move the timings, or burn captions into the video. The speech request does not set a language, so the recording is transcribed in the language that is spoken.
Where the file goes
Your browser turns the audio into short pieces and sends each piece to this site. The server passes that audio to speech recognition and returns the text. It does not save the audio or the text. A download file is created on your device. The privacy page says the same thing. Hosting logs can still record the time of a request and the address it came from.
A YouTube link belongs on the YouTube transcript page. This page does not read a link. It reads a file you already have. Convert mp4 to text here means that file, not a caption track pulled from a website.
What happens after you choose the file
Choose a file to start. Your browser reads the audio before sending it in short pieces for transcription.
Size and length are checked before any piece goes out. A file the browser cannot decode stops there. The message asks you to try an MP3, M4A or WAV.
Your browser splits the audio into 30-second pieces and sends them to WatchToText one at a time. The progress bar shows how much of the file has been transcribed.
When transcription finishes, copy the full text or download TXT. SRT and VTT are available when the result includes timings.
How long and how large a file can be
Files can be up to 20 minutes and 200 MB. If either limit is exceeded, the page stops and shows a message.
If the browser hears no sound, it says so and stops. If the pieces come back without recognisable speech, the message is "No speech was recognized in this file."
If transcription stops because of a processing error, the message shows where it stopped. Use Try again to resume from that point. If you have started too many uploads, wait a few minutes. Speech recognition is limited to 30 minutes a day per network. Once that allowance is used, uploads stop until it resets.
A clearer recording, or captions you already have
When you can control the recording, pick a quiet place, stay near the microphone, and let one person talk at a time. Speech is easier to follow that way. The guide to getting a more accurate transcript has more of the same practical notes.
If the video is already on YouTube and it has a caption track, use the YouTube transcript page. That page reads the caption track. A YouTube video with no caption track is not sent on to speech recognition.
If it is already on TikTok and it has a caption track, use the TikTok transcript page. The words come from that track, and the speech step is skipped. If the TikTok video has no caption track, the page tries speech recognition on its audio.
03 — BEFORE YOU UPLOAD
Questions before you upload a file
How do I convert MP4 to text for free?
Choose the file at the top of this page. No account and no charge. The limit is 20 minutes and 200 MB.
How do I convert an MP4 to a transcript?
Choose the MP4, wait for the spoken words, then copy them or download TXT, SRT or VTT.
Do I need to extract the audio or convert the MP4 first?
No. Choose the MP4 as it is. This browser reads the audio inside the file.
Can I export my MP4 transcript as SRT for subtitles?
Yes, when the result has timings. SRT and VTT are both available, along with TXT. This page does not burn those captions into the video.
Is converting MP4 to text free?
Yes. There is no account and no charge. A file longer than 20 minutes, or larger than 200 MB, is refused.
how to transcribe video/audio to text for free?
Choose the file on this page. MP4 transcription here is the spoken words from that file. It is not a new script, and it is not a YouTube caption download.