ParrotNotes

M4A to Text Converter

Upload an M4A up to 10 minutes, such as an iPhone voice memo, an Android recording or the audio-only file from Zoom, and get the words as text with a short summary. There is no need to convert it to MP3 first. Free with a ParrotNotes account, 3 files a month.

Drop your M4A file here or click to browse

M4A up to 10 minutes and 100 MB; MP3, WAV and other audio files work too

    How to turn an M4A into text

    The M4A goes in as it is. On an iPhone, the one extra step is saving the memo as a file.

    1. 1

      Drop in the M4A

      Drag the .m4a file into the box, or tap the box on your phone and pick it from your files. It can be up to 10 minutes long and 100 MB; a normal voice memo of that length is only a few MB. Choose the language spoken, or keep Auto-detect.

    2. 2

      Sign in once

      Use Google, Apple or a one-time code sent to your email. The account is free, and it is where the transcript is kept, so you can find it again later.

    3. 3

      Read, copy or share

      The recording comes back as punctuated paragraphs, with a short summary. Copy the text into your notes or an email, or pass on the share link.

    More on this in our guides to transcribing a voice memo and moving voice memos from an iPhone to a computer.

    Where the M4A comes from

    M4A is the format phones record in. Here is how to get the file out of the three most common sources.

    iPhone Voice Memos

    1. On the iPhone: open Voice Memos, tap the recording, tap the three dots and choose Save to Files. Then open this page in Safari and pick the file.
    2. To a computer: tap Share instead and send it by AirDrop or email.
    3. On a Mac: memos synced through iCloud show up in the Voice Memos app. Drag one to the desktop and you have the M4A.

    If Voice Memos is set to Lossless, the M4A holds Apple Lossless audio, which Chrome, Edge and Firefox may not read. Use Safari for those memos, or convert them to MP3 first.

    An Android recorder

    1. Samsung Voice Recorder and the Recorder app on Pixel phones save or share recordings as M4A.
    2. Open the recorder, select the recording and tap Share, then save it to Drive or your downloads. Or open this page on the phone and pick the file there.
    3. If your recorder saves .amr or .3gp files instead, this page will not take them. The AMR to MP3 Converter handles .amr.

    Zoom's audio-only file

    1. A Zoom recording saved on your computer has an M4A next to the MP4 video, in the meeting's folder inside the Zoom folder.
    2. For a cloud recording, the audio-only M4A is on the Recordings page if the host switched that option on.
    3. Upload the M4A, not the video: it holds the same speech in a far smaller file.

    A meeting usually runs longer than 10 minutes. Cut the part you need out of the M4A with the Audio Trimmer before you upload it.

    This page takes M4A files up to 10 minutes and 100 MB. MP3, WAV, FLAC and OGG audio and MP4 or WebM video work too. AAC, AMR, M4B and M4R files are not accepted.

    What you get from an M4A

    A recording you would have had to listen to again, as text you can skim.

    • The words, written out

      What was said in the M4A, punctuated and in paragraphs. It is plain text: no speaker names and no time codes.

    • A summary on top

      A few lines that say what the recording was about, so you can tell two memos apart without reading both.

    • One link to send

      The share link opens the transcript for anyone you send it to. They need no account and do not get the audio.

    • Copy and paste

      Take the text into a visit report, a message to the office, your CRM or a to-do list.

    M4A recordings people turn into text

    • A voice memo recorded in the car after a customer visit
    • A note to self with the tasks from a site walk
    • A short interview recorded on a phone, for the quotes
    • The audio-only file from a short Zoom call
    • A memo a colleague sent instead of typing a long message
    • A lecture or training excerpt recorded on a phone

    Upload the M4A as it is, or change it first?

    Nearly every M4A can go straight in. These are the exceptions.

    Upload it as it is when

    • It is a normal voice memo or phone recording (AAC audio in an M4A file)
    • It is 10 minutes or shorter
    • It ends in .m4a or .mp4
    • You only want the text: an MP3 copy adds nothing

    Trim or convert it first when

    • It runs past 10 minutes: cut it with the Audio Trimmer, which saves an MP3
    • It is a lossless memo and your browser cannot read it: use Safari, or the M4A to MP3 Converter in Safari
    • It ends in .aac or .amr: convert it to MP3 first
    • It is an .m4b audiobook or an .m4p purchase: those are not accepted here

    Is the recording a WAV, FLAC or OGG file instead? The Audio to Text Converter is the same tool for every audio format.

    Or record it where the transcript is made

    ParrotNotes records meetings, calls and voice notes on your phone and turns them into transcripts and summaries, so there is no M4A to export and upload afterwards. The free plan gives you 100 minutes of recording a month.

    Get ParrotNotes free

    M4A to text converter FAQ

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