Transcribe M4A to text free.
Drop an M4A file — a voice memo, a Zoom recording, an interview — and get an accurate transcript with AI. No sign-up, no upload.
Keep this tab open while it works. Finished files are saved in this browser, and if the tab closes, you can pick up where it stopped.
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The speech model downloads once (about 110 MB for Fast, 310 MB for High accuracy), then it's cached. Chrome or Edge on a computer is fastest.
Free.Unlimited.Forever.
Easy as one, two, three
How to transcribe M4A to text
- 1
Choose your M4A file
Drag it into the box or click Choose a file. Voice memos, Zoom audio and podcast recordings all work.
- 2
Generate the transcript
The audio is transcribed locally by AI. The spoken language is detected for you.
- 3
Copy or download the text
Copy the transcript or save it as a TXT file. SRT subtitles and Markdown come with it.
M4A to text, explained
From an M4A recording to a text file
M4A is the audio format Apple devices use by default. It's an MPEG-4 file with only an audio track, usually compressed with AAC, so it sounds good at a small size. To convert M4A to text, Corbeia decodes the audio in your browser, runs speech recognition on it, and writes out what was said as clean paragraphs.
M4A files people transcribe
- iPhone Voice Memos — every memo is an .m4a file. Transcribe lectures, ideas and meetings you recorded on your phone. Step by step: how to transcribe voice memos.
- Zoom audio recordings — Zoom saves an audio-only .m4a next to the video. It's smaller and faster to transcribe than the MP4.
- Interviews — journalists and researchers record on iPhone or with apps that export M4A.
- Podcasts and audiobooks — many podcast tools and Apple apps export M4A.
- GarageBand and Logic exports — share a project as AAC and you get an M4A.
A free M4A to text converter online — with no limits
Most online converters give you a few free minutes, then ask for a subscription, because every file they process costs them server time. Corbeia runs the speech model on your computer instead, so there is nothing to meter: transcribe one M4A or a hundred, ten minutes or three hours.
Tips for an accurate M4A transcript
- Record close to the speaker. A phone on the table picks up a room; a phone near the mouth picks up words.
- If you know the spoken language, choose it instead of auto-detect — it helps with short memos.
- Pick High accuracy for interviews, accents and noisy rooms.
- Long M4A files are saved as they go, so closing the tab doesn't lose the work done so far.
What you get from your M4A
| File | What it's for |
|---|---|
.txt | Plain transcript in paragraphs — paste into notes, email or an AI chat |
.md | Markdown for Notion, Obsidian or docs |
.srt / .vtt | Timed lines, if you need to find where something was said |
Every format, all free
One M4A, every format
Transcript, timed subtitles and translations from a single M4A file.
Why it's free
Unlimited M4A to text. Your recordings stay with you.
Cloud transcription tools upload your video and pay for servers by the minute — so they charge you by the minute. Corbeia runs the speech model inside your browser. There's no server bill per video, so there's nothing to charge you for.
Cloud tools
- Upload your video
- Limited free minutes
- Sign-up required
- Pay per minute
Corbeia
- Nothing uploaded
- Unlimited
- No account
- $0, forever
Corbeia for Windows · Free download
For long videos and whole courses.
- Higher accuracy — the large speech model a browser can't run
- Much faster — your full GPU, hours-long files, any format
- Works offline — the speech model is built in, no setup
- Batch processing — drop a folder, get every file Pro
- No watermark lines in your subtitle files Pro
First launch: if Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. Corbeia is a new app, so Microsoft SmartScreen doesn't recognize it yet.
Questions? We've got answers
M4A to text FAQ
How do I transcribe an M4A file?
Drop the M4A file into the converter above, leave the language on auto-detect and click Generate subtitles. When it finishes, copy the text or download it as a TXT file.
Is this M4A to text converter free?
Yes — free and unlimited. No sign-up, no limit on the number of files and no limit on length, because the transcription runs on your own computer.
How do I transcribe iPhone voice memos?
iPhone Voice Memos are saved as M4A files. Share the memo to Files (or AirDrop it to your computer), then drop the .m4a file here. You get the full recording as text.
Is my M4A recording uploaded anywhere?
No. The audio is decoded and transcribed inside your browser. Nothing is sent to us or to any AI provider, so private interviews and voice notes stay private.
Can I convert M4A to text with timestamps?
Yes. Along with the plain transcript you get SRT and VTT files, which have a start and end time for every line.
What languages can it transcribe?
More than 35, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. The spoken language is detected automatically, or you can pick it.
Can I translate the M4A transcript?
Yes. Choose a language under Translate to and you get a translated transcript next to the original.
Does it work for other audio files?
Yes. MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG, FLAC and video files like MP4 and MOV work the same way.
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