How to transcribe audio in Microsoft Word, and what to do when you can't

If you have Microsoft 365, Microsoft Word may already transcribe your recordings. This guide shows where the feature is, what it can and can't do, why the button is sometimes missing, and what to do when you hit its limits. All details are from Microsoft's Transcribe help page; Microsoft updates the feature, so check there if something looks different.

Where to find Transcribe in Microsoft Word

1. Sign in to Word for the web with your Microsoft 365 account, and open a new document.
2. On the Home tab, click the arrow next to Dictate and choose Transcribe.
3. Choose Upload audio and pick the file, or Start recording to record in the browser.
4. Wait while the file is transcribed. Long recordings take a while.
5. The transcript opens in a side panel. Click Add all to document to place it in the page, or add one section at a time.

You can rename "Speaker 1" and "Speaker 2" in the side panel before you add the text.

What Word's Transcribe can and can't do

• 300 minutes a month of uploaded audio with a Microsoft 365 subscription.
• File types: MP3, M4A, WAV and MP4 only. OGG, OPUS (WhatsApp and Telegram), WebM and MOV aren't accepted.
• One transcript per document. To transcribe another file, open a new document.
• Uploads are saved to your OneDrive, in a Transcribed Files folder.
• Not listed for Mac. On a Mac, use Word for the web in your browser.
• No SRT or VTT subtitles. You get text in a Word document.

Transcribe button missing? Check these

• The account. Transcribe needs a Microsoft 365 subscription. A free Microsoft account or a one-off Office purchase doesn't include it.
• The app. Use Word for the web in Edge or Chrome. In Word for Windows, Microsoft lists it for work and school (commercial) accounts only, so a home account needs Word for the web.
• Your organisation. At work, an administrator can turn features off. Ask your IT team.
• The language. Transcribe supports many languages, but not every one. If yours isn't in the list, the result will be poor.
• The browser. Allow microphone access only if you're recording; for uploads it isn't needed. Try a private window to rule out extensions.

Files Microsoft Word won't accept

If Word rejects your file, convert it first:

• WhatsApp or Telegram voice notes (OPUS or OGG): use the free OPUS to MP3 or OGG to MP3 converter.
• WebM or MOV recordings: use the WebM to MP3 or MOV to MP3 converter.

These converters run in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.

When 300 minutes isn't enough

Four hour-long interviews in a month use up the whole allowance. Your options:

• Wait for next month. The allowance resets monthly.
• Upload elsewhere and keep using Word. On Allnote on the go, upload the file, rename the speakers, and download a Word (.docx) file with names and timestamps. Open it in Word as usual.

The free cost calculator adds up a set of recordings before you upload them.

Transcribe in Microsoft Word or upload elsewhere?

Editing the transcript in Word

Once the text is in your document, it's ordinary Word text. Use Find and Replace (Ctrl+H) to fix a name everywhere, apply a Heading style to each speaker's name so it shows in the Navigation pane, and add Comments to mark quotes you still need to check against the audio.

Getting a better transcript in Microsoft Word, or anywhere

• Record close to the speaker, away from fans and traffic.
• One person at a time. Speaker labels go wrong when people talk over each other.
• Fix names once. Use find and replace for a name the transcript gets wrong every time.
• Check the audio before you quote anything important.

What it costs elsewhere

On Allnote on the go there's no subscription. You pay for each file, or use credits that never expire, and the first part is free to read.

Questions

Written with AI help.