How long does the Google Meet file stay where it is?
That is the rule of Google Meet and not ours. Take the file as soon as you have it, because a cloud recording can be removed by the platform or by the owner of the account.
Google Meet
Google Meet recording to text
Google Meet recording to text: upload the Meet recording and get the text of it with a timecode on every segment, the speakers on request, and TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV or DOCX out. Free $0, 3 files a day.
3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps
In short
Upload the Meet recording and our own transcription engine returns the text of it. One file may be up to 30 minutes. The export comes as TXT, Markdown, SRT, VTT or CSV, and as DOCX on Pro.
How to get the file and turn it into text
- 1
Find the file on the Drive
The organiser opens the Google Meet folder on the Drive and looks for the recording of the meeting.
- 2
Open the More menu
The recording is opened and the More menu of it is used to download the file to the computer.
- 3
Mind the transcript
The transcript in the same folder holds the spoken words only, so the recording is the better source.
- 4
Read it, fix a name, export
The text comes back one segment per line, with the start and the end time of every piece. Fix a name in the editor and export TXT, Markdown, SRT, VTT, CSV or DOCX.
- 5
Wait for the transcript
Our own measurement on a short file was 0.84 s. A long recording goes through a queue and is saved to your account, so the text is there when you come back for it.
What comes back from the engine
- TXT
One segment per line, the way a person wrote it down. It is the format to paste into a ticket, a chat or a document.
- TXT, CSV
The start and the end time of every segment, and the speakers named separately when you ask for it.
- SRT, VTT
SRT and VTT with the time of every line, so the recording can carry its own subtitles.
- Markdown, DOCX
The transcript is edited through the API and exported as Markdown for a wiki, or as DOCX for a review.
What Google Meet keeps, and what it gives
| What | What the platform says |
|---|---|
| Where the file is | The recording of a meeting is saved in the Google Meet folder on the Drive of the organiser, and the link to it comes in the email and in the calendar entry. |
| Where the file is kept | The transcript of a meeting is a separate Google Doc in the same Google Meet folder, one file for every run of the meeting. |
| What the file is | The transcript of a meeting holds the spoken words only, so it is not a verbatim record of the call. |
| What can go wrong | Only the organiser of the meeting can download the recording of it. |
| What usually fails | The recording can still be processing right after the meeting ends. |
| Length of one file | up to 30 minutes on the free plan, no minute limit on Pro |
| Free plan | $0: 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes per file, no card |
| Pro plan | $10 a month when you pay yearly ($120 a year), or $20 a month |
The case
What the recording does not give you
Two things are worth knowing before you start. First, the service takes a file and not the address of a page: the Meet recording has to reach the disk first, and the steps above say how. Second, a transcript is only as good as the sound, and a headset microphone and the microphone of a room give two very different texts out of the same engine.
Tips
The limit is 30 minutes on the free plan, and the Pro plan has no minute limit.
Name the file after the meeting, not after the day.
Pick the language in the widget; the automatic detection costs a fraction of a second.
Switch the speaker split on before the upload and not after it.
Questions about Google Meet files
Which file should I take when Google Meet offers several?
The audio is the smaller one, and the engine reads audio. If the platform gives you both a video and an audio track, the audio is the one to send here.
Can I transcribe a Google Meet recording that is not mine?
Only if you have the right to listen to it and the right to keep a copy of it. The engine reads what you send, but the right to record comes from the owner of the account.
How long does a Google Meet file take to transcribe?
Our own measurement on a short file was 0.84 s for the transcription and 0.39 s for the language detection. A long recording goes through a queue and is saved to your account.
Related pages
Zoom call to text
Zoom call to text: where Zoom keeps it, and what the engine does with it.
Microsoft Teams recording to textMicrosoft Teams recording to text: where Microsoft Teams keeps it, and what the engine does with it.
Webinar recording to textWebinar recording to text: where Zoom keeps it, and what the engine does with it.
Transcribe a Google Meet recordingThe recording of a Meet meeting, the transcript beside it and the limits of both.
Sources
- SGoogle Meet help: record a meeting and share the recording (read 2026-10-24)support.google.com · checked
- SGoogle Meet help: the transcript of a meeting (read 2026-10-24)support.google.com · checked
Reading: 4 minutesUpdated 
Transcribsi editorial team
Drop a recording — the text arrives in a minute
Speakers by name, a time on every line, export to TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV and Markdown.
3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps