How to transcribe audio to text in Word (Mac and web)

To transcribe audio to text in Word, open your document in Word for the web, choose Home › Dictate › Transcribe, then either Upload audio or Start recording. Word turns the file into a transcript split by speaker, and Add all to document drops it into the page. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription, an internet connection and, in a browser, Microsoft Edge or Chrome.

The catch for Mac users: Microsoft's Transcribe help page lists Word for the web and Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows (for commercial accounts). The Word app on your Mac isn't on that list. So on a Mac, you transcribe through the browser.

#Transcribe an audio file in Word, step by step

1. Save the document to OneDrive and open it at office.com in Edge or Chrome. Microsoft says Transcribe only works in those two browsers, so Safari and Firefox are out.
2. Open Transcribe. Go to Home › Dictate › Transcribe. Transcribe lives under the Dictate button, and it opens in a pane beside the document.
3. Upload the file. Click Upload audio and pick your recording. Microsoft lists .wav, .mp4, .m4a and .mp3. A Voice Memos recording on your Mac is an .m4a, so you can use it as is.
4. Wait for it to process. Longer files take longer. Keep the tab open.
5. Clean up speaker names. Word labels voices as Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on. Rename one and you can apply the change everywhere that label appears.
6. Add it to the document. Choose Add all to document for the whole transcript, or add single sections from the pane.

Microsoft says the uploaded file is saved to a Transcribed Files folder in your OneDrive, where you can delete it later.

#Record and transcribe live in Word

For a meeting or interview that's happening now, choose Start recording in the same pane instead of uploading. Two things trip people up:

• You won't see text while you record. Word shows the transcript only after you stop and it processes the recording. If you want words appearing as you speak, that's dictation, not transcription.
• The browser needs microphone access. Microsoft notes you may need to allow the microphone for your company's SharePoint site in browser settings. On a Mac, Chrome or Edge also needs a switch in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone.

If you're only trying to write a document by talking, use Home › Dictate instead. Our guide to dictating in Word on a Mac covers that, and dictation vs transcription explains why they're different tools.

#Limits worth knowing before you upload

From Microsoft's support pages, checked October 31, 2026.

The one-transcript rule matters. Transcribe two interviews into the same document and the first transcript is replaced. Use a new document for each recording, then copy what you need into your main file.

#When it doesn't work

• No Transcribe option. You're in the Mac desktop app, in Safari or Firefox, or signed in without an active Microsoft 365 subscription. Switch to Word for the web in Edge or Chrome and check the account.
• The upload is refused. Check the format. Convert anything outside the four listed types first.
• It ran out of minutes. The 300-minute allowance is for uploads per month. Split the work across months or use another tool for the overflow.
• Recording hears nothing. Allow the microphone in the browser's site settings and in macOS privacy settings, then reload.

#When Word's Transcribe is the right tool

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, an interview with two or three voices, and you want speaker labels in a Word document, Transcribe does that job well. It's already in what you pay for.

It's less handy when you're offline, when the file is sensitive and you'd rather not upload it, or when what you really want is to write in Word on your Mac by talking.

#Transcribe on your Mac, or skip the recording

Sayburst covers both sides of that.

For a file you already have, drop the audio or video file onto Sayburst's History window and it's transcribed on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded, so it works on a plane and keeps a sensitive recording off other people's servers. Copy the text into Word when it's done. If you need Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 labels, Word's Transcribe is the better fit for that particular job.

For writing, skip the file. Many people record a voice memo only to transcribe it later. With Sayburst you click into the Word document, hold fn, talk, and let go; the cleaned-up text goes straight in at the cursor, in the Word app itself.

Say this after an interview, with Notes mode on:

"Main takeaways from the Kessler call. Bullet point they're, um, moving off the old CRM in Q1. Bullet point budget is approved but, uh, procurement takes about six weeks. Bullet point Marta wants a pilot with the finance team first."

What lands in Word:

Main takeaways from the Kessler call:

• They're moving off the old CRM in Q1.
• Budget is approved but procurement takes about six weeks.
• Marta wants a pilot with the finance team first.

Recognition and cleanup run on your Mac, not on a server. Our local vs cloud dictation guide breaks down where each step happens. Sayburst needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later, and it costs $29 once after a 7-day free trial.

#Which to use

• Two or more speakers, you want labels, you have Microsoft 365: Word for the web's Transcribe.
• A private recording, or no internet: transcribe it on your Mac with Sayburst, then paste.
• Writing a document by voice: don't record at all. Dictate straight into Word. The Word use case shows how that works day to day.

Questions people ask

Can Microsoft Word transcribe audio to text?

Yes. Word's Transcribe feature turns a live recording or an uploaded audio file into a transcript with speaker labels. Microsoft offers it in Word for the web and in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows for business accounts, and it needs a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Is Transcribe available in Word for Mac?

Microsoft's Transcribe help doesn't list the Mac desktop app. On a Mac, open your document in Word for the web in Microsoft Edge or Chrome, where Transcribe is supported.

How many minutes can Word transcribe?

Microsoft says a Microsoft 365 subscription allows up to 300 minutes of uploaded audio per month.

What audio files does Word Transcribe accept?

Microsoft lists .wav, .mp4, .m4a and .mp3. Voice Memos recordings are .m4a, so they upload as they are.

How do I record audio in Word?

Open Transcribe from Home › Dictate › Transcribe and choose Start recording. Word shows no text while you record; the transcript appears after you stop and it finishes processing.