Free tool · Transcribe
M4A to Text Converter
Turn an M4A recording — like an iPhone voice memo — into an accurate transcript.
Drop your M4A here
or click to choose a file
M4A — up to 200MB, 90 min
How it works
- 1
Upload your M4A
Up to 200MB and 90 minutes long.
- 2
Wait a few seconds
The audio is sent off for transcription and processed in memory only.
- 3
Copy or download
The transcript appears as editable text — copy it or download a .txt file.
Why use it
No conversion step first
Upload the M4A straight from Voice Memos — no need to convert it to MP3 or WAV.
No software to install
Runs entirely in the browser tab you're already in.
Nothing is kept afterward
Your file is discarded the moment the transcript comes back.
Who it's for
- iPhone voice memos — The default format from Apple's Voice Memos app.
- GarageBand exports — Vocal or narration tracks exported from GarageBand.
- Recordings shared from a Mac — M4A is a common default across Apple's recording tools.
Example
An iPhone voice memo
Input
“don't forget, dry cleaning pickup before six”
Output
Don't forget — dry cleaning pickup before six.
Frequently asked questions
Why do iPhone recordings come as M4A?
Apple's Voice Memos app and iOS's built-in recorder save in M4A (AAC) by default — it's a good compression format, so this is normal, not a mistake or a broken file.
Does this only work with M4A files?
No — it also accepts MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG, WEBM, and FLAC. This page is tuned for M4A specifically since it's the default format for Apple's recording apps.
Is it free?
Yes. It's free with no account required, limited to a fair-use number of transcriptions per hour to keep it available for everyone.
What's the file size and length limit?
Up to 200MB and 90 minutes per file on the free tier.
Is my file stored on your servers?
No. It's processed in memory during transcription and discarded immediately after — never written to disk or a database.
Related tools
Read more: How to turn a voice memo into text
Need this outside the browser?
VoxaType turns your voice into polished text everywhere you type — messages, emails, notes, and code — no upload, no file size limit, no waiting for a page to process.