How to Get a Transcript of a Zoom Recording (and Teams)

To get a transcript of a Zoom recording, turn on Audio transcript under Advanced cloud recording settings, record the meeting to the cloud, and when Zoom emails you that the transcript is ready, open Recordings & Transcripts in the web portal and download the VTT file. Cloud recording, and so the audio transcript, needs a paid Zoom plan: Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise.

More on this topic: Subtitles and captions, every guide in one place.

On a free account, or for a recording you saved to your computer, you need a different route. This guide covers Zoom's own transcript, the free-account options, Microsoft Teams transcripts, and transcribing any MP4 or M4A you already have.

The short answer

Zoom: Settings > Recording > Advanced cloud recording settings > tick Audio transcript, record to the cloud, then Recordings & Transcripts > Cloud recordings > the meeting > download the VTT. Needs Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise. Teams: meeting chat > Recap > Transcript > Download as .docx or .vtt. For a local recording, upload the MP4 to a transcription tool and download SRT, VTT or TXT.

Key takeaways

• Zoom's audio transcript works only on cloud recordings, which need a paid plan.
• The transcript is saved as a separate VTT file with the recording; you can edit it.
• Since 18 May 2026, Zoom no longer lets you save closed captions; Meeting transcripts save a .TXT instead.
• Teams organisers can download a meeting transcript as .docx or .vtt from the Recap tab.
• Any recording file can be transcribed afterwards with a transcription tool.

Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.

How do you turn on Zoom's audio transcript?

You turn on Zoom's audio transcript in your recording settings, before the meeting. Zoom's support page gives the paths, checked on 26 October 2026:

Zoom's requirements: a Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account with cloud recording enabled. If the option is greyed out, your admin has locked it at the account or group level. Then record the meeting to the cloud (Record > Record to the cloud), not to your computer: the audio transcript only runs on cloud recordings.

Where do you find and download a Zoom transcript?

You find a Zoom transcript in the web portal under Recordings & Transcripts, on the Cloud recordings tab. Zoom's steps:

1. Wait for the emails: Zoom sends one when the recording is ready and another when the transcript is ready, which can take longer.
2. Sign in to the Zoom web portal and open Recordings & Transcripts.
3. On the Cloud recordings tab, click the meeting name, then the recording thumbnail. The transcript appears beside the video.
4. Download the files: the transcript is listed as a separate VTT file, which opens in any text editor.

Zoom says the transcript can be edited for accuracy, capitalisation and punctuation. Zoom's recording-formats page also lists a separate CC.VTT file, which holds closed captions from the meeting, distinct from the audio transcript (VTT).

On languages, Zoom's two pages disagree: the setting page says audio transcription only supports English, while the page on using it says English is the default and lists 19 supported languages, including Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Arabic, with a Change Language option to re-transcribe. Check which your account offers.

How do you get a transcript on a free Zoom account?

On a free (Basic) Zoom account you can't use the audio transcript, because Zoom's recording page says cloud recording is for paid Pro, Business, Education and Enterprise plans. Local (computer) recording is available on all accounts, so record locally and transcribe the file afterwards.

1. Record to your computer during the meeting.
2. Find the MP4 (and an M4A audio file) in your Zoom folder, usually Documents/Zoom.
3. Upload the MP4 to a transcription tool and download the text.

Older guides tell you to save the meeting's closed captions instead. That no longer works: Zoom says that from 18 May 2026 users can no longer save or download closed captions, and points to Meeting transcripts, which save a .TXT file to Documents/Zoom on Windows, Mac and Linux when the feature is enabled.

How do you download a Teams meeting transcript?

You download a Teams meeting transcript from the meeting's Recap tab. Microsoft's steps:

1. In Teams, open Chat and select the meeting's chat.
2. Open Recap, then Transcript.
3. Click Download and choose a format: .docx (Word) or .vtt.

Recordings themselves go to OneDrive for work or school, or SharePoint for channel meetings, and need a licence such as Office 365 E1, E3 or E5 or a Microsoft 365 Business plan, plus an admin who has enabled recording. If the transcript is missing, the meeting may simply not have been transcribed; transcribe the recording file instead.

How do you transcribe a recording you already have?

You transcribe a recording you already have by uploading the file to a transcription tool, then fixing and downloading the text. This works for local Zoom recordings, Teams recordings you can download, webinars and phone recordings.

In QuickVeed, auto subtitles transcribe videos up to 3 hours with OpenAI's whisper-1, detect the spoken language, and let you edit every line before download:

1. Open auto subtitles (Captions & subtitles in the sidebar) and upload the video, up to 3 hours long, or pick one from your library.
2. Pick a caption style (11 to choose from) and a position: bottom, middle or top. Untick the captioned-video option if you only want subtitle files.
3. Press Transcribe. Allow about a minute of processing per 10 minutes of video.
4. On the Edit tab, click a time to jump to it, correct the text and save. Saving clears any translations, so edit before you translate.
5. On the Translate tab, tick up to 5 of 32 languages at a time. Each line keeps its timing.
6. On the Download tab, get an SRT, VTT or TXT file per language. On the Burn in tab, make a captioned copy per language; it's saved to your library.

A transcript costs 1.5 credits a minute, rounded up (2 credits for a 1-minute video, 15 for 10 minutes). Each burned-in copy is a credit a minute, 3 at least, for videos up to 30 minutes, and translation usually adds a credit or two per language. A 45-minute meeting costs 68 credits to transcribe. Download TXT for meeting notes, or SRT/VTT if you'll publish the recording with captions. One limit: QuickVeed doesn't label speakers, so in a multi-person meeting add names to the text yourself.

For more on choosing a method, see how to transcribe a video; to turn an SRT or VTT into clean paragraphs, the free SRT to text converter removes numbers and timestamps.

What can you do with a meeting transcript?

A checked transcript is the quickest starting point for meeting notes, captions and short clips:

• Captions for a published recording. Upload the SRT or VTT with the video, or burn captions in; how to add subtitles to an MP4 covers both.
• Clips for social. Find the quotable two minutes and cut them out; how to turn a webinar into social clips shows the workflow.
• Translated versions. Translate the transcript with timing kept; see how to translate subtitles.

Get consent before recording or transcribing a meeting: Zoom and Teams both notify participants when recording starts, and many workplaces have their own rules.

Frequently asked questions

Does Zoom transcribe recordings automatically?

Yes, for cloud recordings on Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise plans with Audio transcript turned on. The transcript is saved as a VTT file with the recording.

Can I get a Zoom transcript on a free account?

Not Zoom's audio transcript, which needs cloud recording. Record locally and transcribe the MP4 with another tool.

What format is a Zoom transcript?

VTT, a timed text file that opens in any text editor. Meeting transcripts saved during a meeting are .TXT files.

Can I still save closed captions in Zoom?

No. Zoom ended saving and downloading closed captions on 18 May 2026 and recommends Meeting transcripts instead.

How do I download a Teams transcript?

Open the meeting chat, go to Recap, then Transcript, click Download and choose .docx or .vtt. Organisers and co-organisers can download it.

Can I transcribe a Zoom recording after the meeting?

Yes. Turn on Audio transcript before recording for Zoom's own transcript, or upload any saved recording to a transcription tool.

Try it with your own video

Transcribe a meeting recording, fix the text, and download it as TXT, SRT or VTT. Upload the MP4 from your Zoom or Teams folder and edit the transcript before you download it. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.

Sources

Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.

• Zoom Support: enabling or disabling audio transcription for cloud recordings
• Zoom Support: using audio transcription for cloud recordings
• Zoom Support: understanding recording file formats
• Zoom Support: saving closed captions in a meeting (ended 18 May 2026)
• Zoom Support: using Meeting transcripts
• Zoom Support: getting started with computer and cloud recording
• Microsoft Support: start, stop and download live transcripts in Teams meetings
• Microsoft Support: start, stop and find meeting recordings in Teams
• Microsoft Support: I can't transcribe a meeting in Teams
• QuickVeed Help: add captions and subtitles