Guides
Guides to offline transcription
How to choose transcription software, how to get clean transcripts of recordings, meetings and calls, and how the technology works. Written for Windows, tested with real numbers.
Choose
Choosing software
Best free offline software
How to choose free offline transcription software for Windows: what offline really means, eight criteria, the main kinds of tools compared, and a 10-minute test.
Read ComparisonOffline vs cloud
Offline or cloud transcription? A side-by-side look at privacy and GDPR, cost per hour, speed, accuracy and convenience, with real offline measurements.
Read GuideWhisper for Windows
Use OpenAI Whisper on Windows without Python, the command line or a CUDA setup: a desktop app with Whisper small and large-v3-turbo, an editor and exports.
ReadHow to
Step by step
Audio to text, offline
Step by step: convert MP3, M4A, WAV or video to text on Windows without internet or uploads, free, with Whisper speech recognition. Plus tips for accuracy.
Read How toZoom, Teams and Meet calls
Record and transcribe Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls on Windows without a bot joining: live text, both sides of the call, and nothing uploaded.
Read How toSRT and VTT subtitles
Make SRT or VTT subtitle files from a video or audio file on Windows, offline and free: transcribe, fix the text against the audio, and export subtitles.
Read GuideImprove accuracy
Twelve practical ways to get more accurate automatic transcripts, from microphones and rooms to model choice and custom words, with measured results.
ReadUnderstand
Meetings, speakers and measurements
Offline meeting notes
Take meeting notes offline on Windows: record any meeting or call, get a live transcript with speakers, keep notes beside it, and export. No bots, no uploads.
Read ExplainerSpeaker identification
How speaker identification (diarization) works, where it struggles, and how to label who said what in a transcript on your own PC with Transcribe - Offline.
Read BenchmarksBenchmarks
How fast and accurate is offline transcription on an ordinary laptop? Every run of both Whisper models, on graphics and processor, in noise and with names.
ReadBy role
Guides for your work
Lawyers and legal teams
Transcribe client meetings, intake interviews and dictations on your own PC. No upload, no third party, folders per matter, and Word or PDF for the file.
Read Use caseJournalists
Transcribe interviews on your laptop without uploading them: protect sources, work without Wi-Fi, check every quote against the audio, and search your archive.
Read Use caseResearchers
Transcribe research interviews and focus groups on your own PC: GDPR-friendly, no third-party processor, speaker labels, pseudonyms, exports for analysis software.
Read Use caseStudents
Turn recorded lectures and seminars into searchable notes for free, on your own laptop, without internet or an account. Works on ordinary student laptops.
Read Use casePodcasters and video makers
Make podcast transcripts and SRT or VTT subtitles on your own PC: speaker names, quotes for clips, show notes, and unreleased episodes kept private.
Read GlossaryGlossary
Plain definitions of transcription and speech recognition terms: Whisper, word error rate, speaker diarization, SRT and VTT, loopback recording and more.
ReadYour recordings stay on your PC.
Free to download. Transcribes without an account, without uploads and without the internet.
Coming soon to the Microsoft Store · Windows 10 and 11