You Have the Recording but No Transcript. What Now?
Upload the recording you already have, review the transcript and export the result. This guide covers formats, limits and the steps to take when the meeting platform has no transcript.
TranscriptTo transcribe an existing meeting recording, upload its audio or video file to Kalima, check the processing cost and start transcription. The result is searchable text with speaker labels that you can review and export. You do not need to play the recording into your microphone. If the meeting platform already produced a transcript, ask for access to that first.
If you are starting with Kalima, the account setup guide and file upload walkthrough cover the next steps.
Why the recording exists without a transcript
Recording, live captions and a saved transcript are different outputs. Before processing the file again, check whether the organiser has a transcript to share or whether it is still being processed. For platform-specific checks, see the Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex guides.
If you have an audio or video file but no usable transcript, file transcription gives you a separate route to the text. Only upload recordings you are authorised to process.
Turning the file into text
In Kalima, select the recording in the upload flow, review the estimated cost, then start transcription. The upload walkthrough explains the available language and context settings. Check these limits before choosing the file:
Format. Kalima accepts mp3, wav, m4a, mp4, mov, aac, flac, ogg, opus, webm, aiff and amr. Video files are fine: only the audio track is used, so an mp4 screen recording works exactly like an audio file.
Length. Uploads are capped per plan: 30 minutes per file on Free, three hours on Plus, five hours on Pro and Team. A recording longer than the cap has to be split, which any audio editor does in a minute.
File size. 50 MB on Free, 500 MB on Plus, 1 GB on Pro and Team. A half-hour meeting recorded as m4a is usually well under 50 MB; a video file of the same meeting can be ten times that, so extracting the audio track first is often the difference between fitting and not.
How many. Five uploads a week on Free, 25 on Plus, 50 on Pro and Team.
What you get back
The transcript separates speakers, so a four-person meeting reads as a conversation rather than a wall of text. It is searchable, editable and exports to SRT, VTT, JSON and PDF. A structured summary and chat over the transcript are available on top of it, which for a long recording is usually the faster way in: ask what was decided rather than reading ninety minutes of text.
All 60 transcription languages apply to uploaded files, and a recording with more than one language in it is handled in the same session.
Doing it live next time
If you need to read along during the next meeting, use live transcription. For a recording you already have, use file upload. These solve different needs; the recording modes guide also explains recording first with Post-Process+.
Getting a transcript on your own device
Kalima transcribes microphone and system audio captured on your device. It does not join the meeting as a participant or retrieve the host's cloud recording. Check the desktop audio guide and obtain the required permission before recording a conversation.
- Download the desktop app for Windows or macOS, install it and sign in.
- Start a session and choose the audio: the microphone, the system audio, or both mixed together. For a meeting you want both, so you capture the room and the people on the call.
- The transcript builds while people speak, with speakers separated. If more than one language is in the room, live translation runs in the same session across 60 languages.
- Afterwards you can edit the text, get a structured summary and export to SRT, VTT, JSON or PDF.
The free plan covers 120 minutes a week with sessions up to 45 minutes. Desktop audio capture and meeting detection are included.
Questions people ask
Can I upload a video file? Yes. mp4, mov and webm are accepted and only the audio is used.
What if my recording is longer than the upload limit? Split it. Any audio editor exports a long file into parts, and each part transcribes separately.
How accurate is it on a bad recording? Background noise and overlapping voices make transcription harder. Review names, numbers and decisions against the recording before relying on them. The transcription accuracy guide explains how to assess the result.
Where can I check storage and retention? See the current plan limits and the storage and deletion guide before uploading sensitive material.
Try Kalima on your next call.
Live transcription and translation, no bot in the meeting. Free to start.
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