Zoom transcription
Upload the recording Zoom saved, on your computer or in the cloud, or send the meeting bot to the call. Up to 32 speakers are labeled.
- 30 min of free transcription a month, no card
- Works with recordings from free Zoom accounts
Transcript
From the meeting's audio file
- 08:14
ClaraCan we have the first draft by the twelfth?
- 08:21
SamYes. I'll send it on Thursday.
Meeting minutes
Website redesign kickoff
41 min · 3 speakers
- Decisions
- The first draft is due on 12 November.
- Action items
- Sam: send the first draft. Due Thursday.
How to transcribe a Zoom meeting
1 Record it, or send the bot
Record on your computer works on every Zoom plan, the free one too. Or paste the meeting's link and the meeting bot joins.
2 Find the recording
On your computer it's in Documents › Zoom, a folder per meeting. Cloud recordings are under Recordings on zoom.us.
3 Upload the M4A or MP4
The audio-only M4A is smaller and uploads faster. Each line shows who spoke and when.
4 Make the minutes and export
One click turns the transcript into minutes. Download it as TXT, SRT, VTT, PDF, Word or Markdown.
Minutes from a Zoom call's transcript
A client call, uploaded as Zoom saved it: who was there, what was decided and who does what by when.
Meeting minutes
Website redesign kickoff
Website redesign kickoff · 41:06 Open transcript
Participants
- Clara Client, marketing lead
- Sam Designer
- Priya Project manager
Agenda
Agree the scope of the redesign, the first draft date and who signs off.
Decisions
- The first draft is due on 12 November.
- Clara signs off on the design; her team reviews the copy.
Action items
Send the first draft Sam Due Thursday
Share the brand guidelines and logins Clara Due Monday
Book the review call Priya Due Friday
The transcript
- 08:14
ClaraCan we have the first draft by the twelfth?
- 08:21
SamYes. I'll send it on Thursday.
- 08:30
PriyaThen I'll book the review call for Friday.
- 19:42
ClaraI'll sign off on the design. My team reviews the copy.
- 19:50
SamGreat. Can you send the brand guidelines?
- 19:55
ClaraMonday, with the logins.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
Send the meeting bot to your Zoom call
Paste the Zoom meeting's link and the bot joins as “PrismaScribe Notetaker”. If the meeting has a waiting room, the host or a co-host lets it in. It leaves when everyone else has left.
- Zoom asks the host to allow the recording. If they don't, the bot can't record and no meeting time is used.
- You don't have to be the host, and no calendar or Zoom account access is needed. Paste the link each time, on the web or in the iPhone app.
- Standard transcribes after the call and detects the language. Live shows text during the call, less accurately, in a language you pick.
Upload a Zoom recording, local or cloud
Zoom saves an MP4 with the video and an M4A with the sound only. Upload either one. Up to 32 speakers are told apart, and you can rename them.
- Recorded on your computer? Free Zoom accounts can do it, and Zoom makes no transcript of it. Upload the file from Documents › Zoom.
- Recorded to the cloud? Download it from Recordings on zoom.us first: a recording's share link can't be pasted.
- Long meetings fit: files up to 5 hr on Starter, 5 hr on Premium and 8 hr 20 min on Pro. Free takes files up to 15 min.
- 04:05
ElenaQuick round first. Who's blocked?
- 04:09
MarcusI'm waiting on the test data from Priya.
- 04:15
PriyaIt's ready. I'll send it after the call.
Zoom's own transcript or PrismaScribe?
Zoom transcribes cloud recordings on paid Zoom plans. A recording saved to your computer gets no transcript, and that's the only kind a free Zoom account can make.
| Feature | Zoom, recorded on your computer | Zoom, recorded to the cloud | PrismaScribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom plan you need | Any, the free one too | Paid Zoom: Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise | Any Zoom plan. Uploads: every PrismaScribe plan. Meeting bot: from $7 a month. |
| Transcript | None | An audio transcript, if the host's account has it switched on | Every speaker labeled, word-timed and editable |
| Languages | None | A limited list of languages | 99+, detected even when people switch, except in Live mode |
| What you take away | The recording only | A VTT file next to the recording | 6 export formats, minutes, a summary, translation or a link that expires |
Zoom's own transcript next to PrismaScribe, checked 21 October 2026
Zoom plan you need
- PrismaScribe
- Any Zoom plan. Uploads: every PrismaScribe plan. Meeting bot: from $7 a month.
How Zoom's own options compare
- Zoom, recorded on your computer
- Any, the free one too
- Zoom, recorded to the cloud
- Paid Zoom: Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise
Transcript
- PrismaScribe
- Every speaker labeled, word-timed and editable
How Zoom's own options compare
- Zoom, recorded on your computer
- None
- Zoom, recorded to the cloud
- An audio transcript, if the host's account has it switched on
Languages
- PrismaScribe
- 99+, detected even when people switch, except in Live mode
How Zoom's own options compare
- Zoom, recorded on your computer
- None
- Zoom, recorded to the cloud
- A limited list of languages
What you take away
- PrismaScribe
- 6 export formats, minutes, a summary, translation or a link that expires
How Zoom's own options compare
- Zoom, recorded on your computer
- The recording only
- Zoom, recorded to the cloud
- A VTT file next to the recording
Sources: Zoom's help pages. Zoom is a trademark of Zoom Communications, Inc.; PrismaScribe isn't affiliated with Zoom. The meeting bot joins as a guest, so meetings that admit only signed-in users keep it out.
Everything else you can do with a Zoom call
Work in the transcript, make what you need from it, then share it.
Work in the transcript
- EditingFix a word or rename a speaker.
- SearchFind any word in the transcript.
After the call
- SummaryThe main points, on every plan.
- AskAsk what was decided and jump to the moment it was said.
- Meeting minutesAgenda, decisions and action items with owners.
- To-do listEach task links to the moment it came up.
- Follow-up emailA draft written from the call.
Share and translate
Zoom calls in 99+ languages, even when people switch
Uploads and the meeting bot's Standard mode detect the language, even when someone switches mid-sentence.
- Detection
- Automatic, except in Live mode
- Translation
- Speaker names kept, on every plan
Read about multilingual transcription and how to translate audio.
El cliente quiere ver los precios antes del viernes.
Friday is fine. I'll update the sheet tonight.
Perfecto, then I'll send it to them on Thursday.
Plans and prices
Free is a plan you can stay on, with no card. Pay monthly, or pay for the year and save up to 38%.
A weekly 30‑minute Zoom call with the bot is about 2 hr a month, which fits Premium.
- Transcription
- 30 min a month, files up to 15 min
- Meeting bot
- Not included
- Monthly
- $0
- Yearly
- $0
- Transcription
- 5 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Meeting bot
- 1 hr a month
- Monthly
- $7 a month
- Yearly
- $52 a year, Save 38%$4.33 a month, billed once a year
- Transcription
- 20 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Meeting bot
- 3 hr a month
- Monthly
- $20 a month
- Yearly
- $150 a year, Save 38%$12.50 a month, billed once a year
- Transcription
- 40 hr a month, files up to 8 hr 20 min
- Meeting bot
- 6 hr a month
- Monthly
- $40 a month
- Yearly
- $300 a year, Save 38%$25 a month, billed once a year
Good to know
- The meeting bot, meeting minutes and to-do lists need a paid plan.
- Meeting time: 1 hr a month on Starter, 3 hr on Premium, 6 hr on Pro, separate from your transcription hours. Top-ups add transcription hours, not meeting time.
- On Zoom the host lets the bot in from the waiting room when it's on, and is asked to allow the recording. Meeting time counts only while it records.
- A Zoom recording's share link can't be imported: download the file and upload it.
- The bot posts a recording notice in the chat. Tell people you're recording too; the rules differ by country and state.
- PrismaScribe isn't currently HIPAA-compliant.
Your meetings stay private
- Encrypted in transit and at rest, and visible only to you and the people you share them with.
- Never used to train AI models.
- Delete a meeting and its recording is deleted from our recording provider too.
Zoom transcription FAQ
More questions? Write to hello@prismascribe.ai.
Does Zoom have transcription?
Yes, on paid Zoom plans. Zoom transcribes cloud recordings when the host's account has it switched on, and the host can start a transcript during a meeting. Recordings saved to your computer get none (Zoom Help, checked 21 October 2026).
Can I transcribe a Zoom meeting for free?
Yes, for short meetings. Record it on your computer, which works on a free Zoom account, then upload the file. PrismaScribe's Free plan takes recordings up to 15 min each, 15 min a day and 30 min a month, no card. Speaker labels, translation and all 6 exports are included. The meeting bot and minutes are on paid plans.
How do I transcribe a Zoom recording?
Find the file Zoom saved: in Documents › Zoom for a recording on your computer, or under Recordings on zoom.us for a cloud recording, where you download it. Upload the MP4 or the audio-only M4A. A few minutes later you have the transcript with every speaker labeled.
Which Zoom file should I upload?
The M4A if you only need the words: it's the meeting's sound alone, so it's smaller and uploads faster. The MP4 works too. If you recorded a separate audio file for each person, each one becomes its own transcript.
Can I paste a Zoom recording link?
No. A cloud recording's share link can't be imported; download the recording and upload the file. The only Zoom link PrismaScribe takes is a meeting's join link, for the meeting bot.
Can I transcribe a Zoom meeting if I'm not the host?
Yes, with the host's help. Send the meeting bot yourself: the host lets it in from the waiting room when it's on, and Zoom asks them to allow the recording. Or upload the host's recording. Zoom's own transcript is the host's to switch on.
Can I see the transcript during the Zoom call?
Yes, if you send the meeting bot with Live transcription: the text appears as people talk. Live is less accurate and you choose the language. Standard waits until the call ends and is the more accurate one.
Does it work for Zoom calls in other languages?
Yes. Uploads and the bot's Standard mode detect 99+ languages, even when someone switches mid-sentence, and the transcript can be translated with the speaker names kept. Zoom's own cloud transcript covers a limited list of languages.
Can I get subtitles for a Zoom recording?
Yes. Download the transcript as SRT or VTT, with the line length and caption duration you choose, and add it to the video wherever you share it. See the subtitle generator.
How accurate is it?
99% on clean audio in widely spoken languages. Headsets help; people talking over each other, echo and background noise lower accuracy. Custom vocabulary helps with names and terms in uploads and counts as 1.25× the minutes.
Is it legal to transcribe a Zoom meeting?
It depends on where you and the others are. Recording rules differ by country and state, and some need everyone's consent, so tell people first. The meeting bot joins as a visible participant, named “PrismaScribe Notetaker” unless you rename it.
How much does Zoom transcription cost?
Free costs $0 for 30 min of transcription a month. The meeting bot and minutes need a paid plan: Starter is $7 a month with 5 hr of transcription and 1 hr of meeting time, Premium ($20) has 20 hr and 3 hr, Pro ($40) has 40 hr and 6 hr. Compare plans.
Transcribe your next Zoom call.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
One recording in.
Everything you need out.