Transcribe audio files
Turn one WAV, AIFF or M4A file into raw text, entirely on your Mac.
Mouthtype can turn one audio file into a raw transcript using the speech model already loaded on your Mac. It doesn't record the microphone or upload your audio.
Transcribe a file
- Choose Transcribe Audio File… in Mouthtype's menu, or the Transcribe a file… button on Home. The window opens even when no Mouthtype window is up.
- Choose one WAV, AIFF or M4A file.
- Wait for the status chip to finish. Mouthtype reads and resamples the file in small chunks and shows preparation, transcription and cancellation states.
- Use Copy to put the transcript on the clipboard, or Save Text… to write a UTF-8 text file. Neither action runs automatically.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Formats | WAV, AIFF, M4A |
| Length | Up to 10 minutes |
| Size | Up to 512 MB |
What you get
The window shows the file's name, length and size with a status chip, then the full raw transcript with a word count and a RAW · NO CLEANUP tag. The text is selectable. Your original audio is preserved, and Mouthtype refuses to save the transcript over that source file.
What it doesn't do
- It doesn't apply cleanup, saved spellings or phrase replacements.
- It doesn't paste into another app.
- It doesn't add to recent dictations.
- It doesn't change dictation statistics.
While it runs
Cancel stops further work when the current recognition operation returns. A file that fails to import leaves the previous transcript on screen and says which file failed.
Note
Closing the Transcribe Audio File window also cancels a running import. Closing or switching the Mouthtype window does not; the transcript is there when you reopen it.
Dictation, saved-recording recovery and update installation wait until file transcription has finished or cancellation has settled. Finish any dictation or recovery before importing a file.