Convert MP4 to text
Upload an MP4 video and Scribewren transcribes its audio track, with timestamps and speaker labels you can edit.
Turn MP4 into text
- Upload the MP4 as it is. You do not need to extract the audio yourself.
- Select the spoken language and start the transcription.
- Play the video alongside the transcript and correct any mistakes.
- Export the text, or export SRT or VTT for subtitles.
About MP4 files
- What it is
- A container that usually holds H.264 or H.265 video together with an AAC audio track.
- Typical source
- Screen recordings, meeting platform downloads, phone and camera video, and exported webinars.
- What gets transcribed
- The audio track only. Text shown on screen is not read.
- Subtitle export
- SRT and VTT files carry the timing of each line, so they can be loaded next to the original video.
- Maximum file size
- Up to 5 GB per file, which suits most recordings without trimming.
- Free plan length
- Free files longer than 30 minutes are cut: only the first 30 minutes are transcribed.
An MP4 is a video file, but most people who transcribe one only care about the voices in it. That is a common case: a recorded online meeting, a screen capture of a product walkthrough, a webinar saved for later, or a phone video of a family story. The picture is not needed; the words are.
Scribewren reads the audio track and ignores the rest, so there is no need to strip the video first. This also keeps your workflow simple when the same file is going to your editor for subtitles: transcribe once, play the video beside the text, and export an SRT or VTT file when the wording is right.
Large video files
Video is heavy. A short clip at high resolution can be bigger than an hour of audio. Files up to 5 GB are accepted, and longer recordings follow your plan's length rule: Unlimited takes files up to 10 hours, while Free transcribes the first 30 minutes. If you only need the speech, exporting audio from your editor first will make the upload faster.
Questions
Do I need to convert my MP4 to audio first?
No. Upload the video directly. Only its audio is used, and you skip a conversion step.
Can I get subtitles for my MP4?
Yes. Export SRT or VTT from the transcript and load the file in your video player or editor. Check line breaks and timing by eye before publishing.
Will it read on-screen text or slides?
No. Scribewren transcribes speech. Slide text, captions burned into the picture and chat windows are not included.
My MP4 is several gigabytes. Is that fine?
Files up to 5 GB are accepted. The upload goes directly from your browser to storage.
What if the MP4 has no sound?
There is nothing to transcribe in a silent file. Check the audio track in a player before uploading.
Try it on your own recording
Free includes a few transcriptions a day. No card needed. Compare plans.
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