What are the steps to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message?
The file of the voice message from WhatsApp is the input, and the engine reads it as it is: no conversion, no link, and no account.
WhatsApp, step by step
How to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message
How to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message: the steps that take the voice message from WhatsApp and turn it into text. Free $0, 3 files a day.
3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps
In short
The voice message from WhatsApp is the only thing this service needs from WhatsApp. The time of every segment of the voice message from WhatsApp stays in the export. The free plan is $0 with 3 files a day, and one file may be 30 minutes.
How to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message, step by step
- 1
Play the message
Open the chat with the voice message and play it once: the media of it is downloaded automatically.
- 2
Check the auto-download
Open Settings, then Chats, then Media auto-download, and choose the media to keep on the device.
- 3
Look for the transcript
The transcript of the message is written by the app of your device, and on a device without the feature it may not be there.
- 4
Do not convert the file first
The engine reads the file the way the platform made it: MP4, MP3, M4A, WAV and the other containers of the recorders.
- 5
Fix the names in the editor
A wrong name in the text is corrected in the editor. The correction moves no timestamp: the line keeps the moment it was said.
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.
How WhatsApp stores the file, and what it says about it
| What | What the platform says |
|---|---|
| Where the file is | The voice messages that you receive on WhatsApp are downloaded automatically. |
| What can go wrong | The setting of the automatic download decides which of the media files are kept on the device. |
| 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 |
The case
What the recording does not give you
Say one word of a decision three weeks later and see whether you can find it in the voice message from WhatsApp. Everything that comes after the recording asks for an hour of somebody's time, and that hour is hard to find. The engine reads the voice message from WhatsApp once and hands the text back, so nobody has to listen to it twice.
Tips
Name the file of the voice message from WhatsApp after the meeting, not after the day.
WhatsApp gives the file, but the name of the file is yours to choose.
Check the length of the voice message from WhatsApp before the upload: 30 minutes is the limit of one file.
Over 30 minutes on the free plan a file has to be cut before sending; Pro has no minute limit.
Set the language of the voice message from WhatsApp yourself when you know it, or leave it on automatic detection.
Questions about how to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message
What do I need before I transcribe a WhatsApp voice message?
Bring the voice message from WhatsApp to your disk and upload it here; our own engine returns the text with the time of every line.
Do I need an account to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message?
Our own engine reads the voice message from WhatsApp and keeps the time of every segment, so the work ends with a document.
What is in the file after I transcribe a WhatsApp voice message?
Send the voice message from WhatsApp to the widget and the text comes back as a document, with the speakers on request.
Is there a faster way to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message?
There is one step before the engine: the file of the voice message from WhatsApp has to be on your own disk.
Related pages
WhatsApp voice message to text
WhatsApp voice message to text: where WhatsApp keeps the file, and what the engine does with it.
Free WhatsApp voice note transcriptionFree WhatsApp voice note transcription: the steps of the platform, and what comes back from the engine.
How to transcribe a podcastHow to transcribe a podcast: the file of Podcasts, the limits of it and the price of the service.
Transcribe any audio fileThe plain version of the service: a file in, a text with the times out.
Sources
- FWhatsApp help: how to play voice messages (read 2026-10-24)faq.whatsapp.com · checked
- FWhatsApp help: how to configure auto-download (read 2026-10-24)faq.whatsapp.com · checked
- TTranscription service page (read 2026-10-25)transcrib.si · checked
- TPricing page (read 2026-10-25)transcrib.si · 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