Two Types of Zoom Recordings
Which type you have determines which method works for you.
| Cloud Recording | Local Recording | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it saves | Zoom cloud (account portal) | Your computer's hard drive (.mp4) |
| Zoom plan required | Pro or higher ($15.99/mo) | Any plan (including free) |
| Zoom native transcription | ✓ Available | ✗ Not available |
| NovaScribe transcription | ✓ Download + upload | ✓ Upload directly |
Most free Zoom users have local recordings. If Zoom native transcription isn't an option for you, skip to Method 2 below.
Method 1: Zoom's Built-In Transcription
Cloud recordings only — requires a paid Zoom plan ($15.99/mo+)
Enable transcription in Zoom settings
Zoom web portal → Settings → Recording → "Audio transcript" → toggle ON. Requires Pro, Business, or Enterprise plan.
Start your meeting with cloud recording
Click Record → Record to the Cloud during your meeting. Participants see a recording notification.
Wait for processing
Zoom emails you when the cloud recording and transcript are ready — typically 5–15 minutes after the meeting ends.
Download the transcript
zoom.us → Recordings → click the recording → download the VTT file.
Zoom native limitations to know:
- •Requires a paid Zoom plan — not available on free accounts
- •Only works with cloud recordings, not local .mp4 saves
- •Export format: VTT only (no TXT, DOCX, or SRT)
- •Accuracy: 75–85% — lower for accents and technical terms
- •No speaker identification — speakers labeled as “Unknown”
Method 2: Upload to NovaScribe
Works for cloud recordings (downloaded .mp4) and local recordings. No Zoom paid plan needed.
Locate your Zoom recording
Cloud recording: zoom.us → Recordings → Download the MP4 file. Local recording: Zoom desktop app → Meetings tab → Recorded tab → Show in Explorer/Finder.
Upload to NovaScribe
Drag and drop the .mp4 file, or click to browse. Files up to 500 MB supported.
Wait for processing
A 60-minute Zoom meeting typically processes in 3–5 minutes. Language is auto-detected.
Review speaker labels
NovaScribe labels speakers as "Speaker 1", "Speaker 2". Rename to real names in the built-in editor.
Export
Download as TXT, DOCX, SRT, or VTT. Share with your team, paste into Notion, or use as meeting notes.
Zoom Transcription Options Compared
| Feature | Zoom Native | NovaScribe | Otter.ai | Fireflies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local recordings | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Paid Zoom required | ✓ Yes ($15.99/mo) | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Accuracy | 75–85% | 90–95% | 85–90% | ~90% |
| Languages | 36 | 100+ | English only | Limited |
| Speaker labels | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export formats | VTT only | TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT | TXT, DOCX | TXT, DOCX |
| Price | Included in Pro ($15.99/mo) | From $2/mo | From $16.99/mo | From $18/mo |
Zoom native is convenient if you're already on a paid plan and only need VTT. For local recordings, free Zoom accounts, better accuracy, or formats beyond VTT, a third-party tool is the better choice.
How to Transcribe a Zoom Recording with NovaScribe
Export your Zoom recording
Cloud recording: zoom.us → Recordings → Download the MP4. Local recording: Zoom desktop app → Meetings → Recorded tab → Show in Explorer.
Upload to NovaScribe
Drag and drop the .mp4 or .m4a file, or click to browse. A 60-minute Zoom meeting processes in 3–5 minutes.
Review, rename speakers, and export
Rename Participant 1/2/3 to real names in the editor. Export as TXT, DOCX, SRT, or VTT — share with your team or paste into meeting notes.
Tips for Better Zoom Recording Quality
Small changes that meaningfully improve transcription accuracy.
Ask participants to unmute only when speaking
Background noise from muted participants is automatically suppressed. Noise from unmuted participants gets transcribed as speech — even if it’s just keyboard clicks.
Record locally if your connection is unstable
Cloud recordings can have compression artifacts from a poor network connection. Local recordings preserve the original audio quality.
Enable HD audio in Zoom settings
Zoom Settings → Audio → Show in-meeting option to “Enable Original Sound”. HD audio processing reduces background noise at the source.
Use a wired headset or external mic
Laptop microphones pick up keyboard noise, HVAC, and room echo. A $30 USB headset or external mic dramatically improves accuracy for all participants.
Rename participants before the meeting starts
NovaScribe uses display names as a hint when assigning speaker labels. Participants named “John Smith” are easier to identify than “iPhone” or “MacBook Pro”.
Why Use NovaScribe for Zoom Transcription
Everything Zoom native doesn't offer
Works with local recordings
No Zoom paid plan needed. Upload any .mp4 saved on your device — free Zoom accounts included.
Automatic speaker identification
Each participant labeled and separated throughout the transcript. Rename to real names in the editor.
100+ languages
Works for international meetings. Language is auto-detected from the audio.
Word-level timestamps
Jump to any moment in the meeting. Find when a decision was made or a topic was discussed.
TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT export
Not just VTT like Zoom native. Export as plain text, Word document, or subtitle files for any use case.
From $2/month
Transcribe 3+ hours of Zoom calls per month on the Starter plan. Free trial with 30 minutes, no credit card.
Simple, Affordable Pricing
Less than the cost of a Zoom Pro upgrade — with better accuracy and more export formats.
Free
Free
30 min
$2/mo
Starter
200 min (~3 hrs)
$5/mo
Basic
1,000 min (~16 hrs)
$10/mo
Pro
2,500 min
$20/mo
Studio
6,000 min
Zoom Transcription FAQ
Can I transcribe a Zoom recording for free?
Yes. NovaScribe gives you 30 free minutes with no credit card required — enough to transcribe most single meetings. Upload your MP4 or M4A recording and get a full transcript in 3–5 minutes. For ongoing use, plans start at $2/month for 200 minutes.
Does Zoom have built-in transcription?
Yes, but only on paid plans (Pro and above). Cloud recordings get an auto-generated transcript in VTT format with ~75–85% accuracy and no speaker labels. Local recordings get no transcription at all from Zoom. For higher accuracy with speaker identification, use a dedicated tool like NovaScribe.
How do I transcribe a local Zoom recording?
Local Zoom recordings save as MP4 files (usually in Documents/Zoom on your computer). Upload the MP4 directly to NovaScribe. The AI extracts the audio and transcribes with speaker identification. Zoom's native transcription does not work for local recordings — only cloud recordings.
How long does it take to transcribe a Zoom recording?
NovaScribe processes roughly 4–6× faster than real time: a 60-minute meeting takes 10–15 minutes. A 30-minute meeting is usually done in 5–8 minutes. Processing time varies slightly based on audio quality and the number of speakers.
What format does the Zoom transcript export in?
Zoom's built-in transcription exports VTT (subtitle format). NovaScribe exports plain text (TXT), Word document (DOCX), SubRip subtitles (SRT), and WebVTT (VTT). For sharing with colleagues or importing into Google Docs, use TXT or DOCX.
Can I transcribe Zoom recordings in other languages?
Yes. NovaScribe supports transcription in 100+ languages. The AI auto-detects the language from the audio, so you don't need to set it manually. Multilingual meetings (code-switching) are handled, though accuracy is highest when speakers stay in one language.
Do I need to be the host to transcribe a Zoom recording?
Only for Zoom's built-in transcription (hosts control cloud recording access). With NovaScribe, you just need the video or audio file — host permissions are irrelevant. If a colleague shares their Zoom MP4 with you, you can upload and transcribe it yourself.
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