Audio to text converter: free ways to transcribe on a Mac

The quickest audio to text converter on a Mac is probably already installed. If the recording is in Voice Memos and you're on macOS 15 or later, click it and press the Transcription button; for any other file, Word for the web, Audacity's free Whisper plugin, or a local transcription app will turn it into text without you typing a word.

Which one is best depends on where the audio came from and how long it is. Steps below are from Apple, Microsoft and Audacity's own documentation, checked November 2026.

#Pick the right method

#Method 1: Voice Memos (macOS 15 or later)

Apple's Voice Memos guide covers this. Transcription needs a supported language and region, and Apple lists macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon.

1. Open Voice Memos.
2. Click the recording in the list.
3. Click the Transcription button.
4. Select the text, Control-click it and choose Copy, then paste it wherever it's going.

Recordings made on macOS 14 or earlier get transcribed automatically when you open them, as long as they contain speech. The search field also searches transcripts, which is handy for finding the memo where you said something about the budget.

On an iPhone, open the recording, tap More Actions and pick View Transcript or Copy Transcript. Apple's iPhone guide lists iPhone 12 or later and a set of languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. We walk through the full Voice Memos route in how to transcribe Apple Voice Memos.

#Method 2: Word for the web

If you pay for Microsoft 365, Word can transcribe an uploaded file. Microsoft's Transcribe your recordings page lists the limits: Word for the web in Microsoft Edge or Chrome, .wav, .mp4, .m4a and .mp3 files, and up to 300 minutes of uploads a month on a Microsoft 365 subscription. Word for Mac's desktop app isn't on the list, so use the browser.

1. Sign in to Microsoft 365 in Edge or Chrome and open a blank Word document.
2. On the Home tab, open the Dictate dropdown and choose Transcribe.
3. Click Upload audio and pick your file.
4. Keep the pane open while it works. It can take roughly as long as the recording.

The audio goes to Microsoft for processing, so this needs a connection. More detail in our Word transcription guide.

#Method 3: Audacity (free, offline)

Audacity added macOS support for Intel's OpenVINO AI plugins in version 3.7.4, per the Audacity team's announcement. One of the effects runs OpenAI's Whisper model locally, so the audio stays on your Mac.

1. Install Audacity 3.7.4 or later, then the OpenVINO plugins from Audacity's download page. The model installer supports macOS 12 and later.
2. Open your recording in Audacity and select the audio.
3. Choose Effects › OpenVINO AI Effects and the Whisper transcription effect.
4. The text appears as a label track under the waveform.
5. Export it with File › Export Other › Export Labels.

The Audacity team called the first Mac release a beta of sorts and noted that the Intel build sometimes ran better than the Apple silicon one, so if it struggles, try the other. The output is timed labels rather than tidy paragraphs, which suits subtitles more than documents.

#When the conversion goes wrong

Garbled words or gaps. Transcription is only as good as the recording. Wind, a room echo, or a phone in a pocket hurt more than any tool choice. If you can re-record, get the mic closer.

No Transcription button in Voice Memos. Check your macOS version, then whether your language and region are supported. Intel Macs don't get it.

Word says the file isn't supported. Convert it to MP3 or M4A first (QuickTime Player's File › Export As › Audio Only does this), and check you haven't used your monthly minutes.

Several speakers run together. Voice Memos and Audacity give you one block of text. For interviews and meetings where you need who said what, use a dedicated tool; see the best transcription software.

#If the recording is just your own voice, skip it

A lot of "convert my recording to text" is really "I talked because it was faster than typing, and now I need the words". For that, recording first and converting later is a detour. You get a transcript full of "um" and restarts, then you clean it up.

Dictating puts the finished text where it's going in one step. That's the difference between dictation and transcription, and it's what Sayburst is built for: click into any app, hold fn, talk, let go. Speech is recognized on your Mac and cleaned up before it's inserted.

Say you're writing up a site visit straight into your notes app:

"Site visit, Hendricks property. Um, flashing on the north side, sorry, the east side is lifting. Gutters are, uh, full of leaves. Bullet point quote for flashing repair. Bullet point book gutter clean"

What lands in your notes:

Site visit, Hendricks property. Flashing on the east side is lifting. Gutters are full of leaves.

• Quote for flashing repair
• Book gutter clean

The correction is resolved, the fillers are gone, and the spoken bullets became a list. No file to convert, nothing uploaded. Sayburst can also transcribe files you already have: drop an audio or video file on its History window and it's transcribed locally, using the same Parakeet or Whisper models (how they compare is in Parakeet vs Whisper on Apple silicon).

#When the free tools are enough

For the odd recording, the built-ins are fine. Voice Memos is the least effort if you're already in Apple's world, Word is fine for a meeting file if you pay for Microsoft 365, and Audacity is the free offline option if you don't mind a few installs.

Sayburst makes sense when you produce text by voice every day: messages, notes, documents, email. It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later and costs $29 once, with no subscription. On Windows, Word for the web's Transcribe works the same way in Edge or Chrome; Sayburst is Mac-only.

Questions people ask

How do I convert an audio file to text for free on a Mac?

If the recording is in Voice Memos on macOS 15 or later, click it and then the Transcription button. For other files, Audacity 3.7.4 or later with Intel's OpenVINO plugins can run Whisper locally, or Word for the web can transcribe an uploaded file if you have Microsoft 365.

Can Audacity convert audio to text?

Yes, with the OpenVINO AI plugins installed. Choose Effects › OpenVINO AI Effects and the Whisper transcription effect, which writes the text into a label track you can export with File › Export Other › Export Labels.

How do I convert a voice recording on my iPhone to text?

Open the recording in Voice Memos, tap More Actions and choose View Transcript or Copy Transcript. Apple lists iPhone 12 or later and a set of supported languages for this.

What is the best way to transcribe an audio file?

For a short recording, use the tool you already have: Voice Memos or Word. For long interviews with several speakers, use a dedicated transcription app. If the audio is only a way to get your own words into text, skip the recording and dictate directly.