Can ChatGPT Transcribe Audio? Full Guide for 2025

Ever wish your Zoom meetings, interviews, or podcasts could be transcribed instantly using ChatGPT? You’re not alone. As AI tools continue to evolve, more and more users are turning to ChatGPT—not just for writing help, but also for smarter, more efficient workflows like transcription.

While ChatGPT is primarily a text-based AI, it cannot be transcribe by itself.

But Don’t you worry, its potential can be expanded when combined with other powerful tools like OpenAI’s Whisper. And this matters more than ever, whether you’re a content creator, student, or business professional, having quick and accurate transcriptions can boost productivity, improve accessibility, and streamline your content pipeline.

In this guide, we’ll break down whether ChatGPT transcribe audio, how it works (with and without external tools), explore the best alternatives, and share tips to help you choose the right transcription setup for your needs.

Does ChatGPT Support Audio Transcription?

As powerful as ChatGPT is, it does not natively transcribe audio. In its current form, ChatGPT is designed for text-based interactions. This means if you try to upload or stream an audio file directly into ChatGPT, it won’t process or convert it into text.

Ran into “Oops, an error occurred” in ChatGPT? Don’t let it interrupt your session — check out our quick fix guide for this common error.

However, there’s a solution: OpenAI’s Whisper model.

Whisper is a separate AI developed specifically for speech-to-text tasks. To use ChatGPT for transcription, you’ll need to pair it with Whisper, either through:

• API integrations
• Third-party transcription tools
• Developer workflows that combine both models

This combination allows you to transcribe audio with Whisper and refine or organize the text using ChatGPT—a powerful duo for creators, educators, and professionals.

What is Whisper by OpenAI?

Whisper is OpenAI’s automatic speech recognition (ASR) model. Trained on hundreds of thousands of hours of multilingual audio data, it can:

• Transcribe audio into text in multiple languages
• Handle varied accents and background noise
• Translate speech from one language to another

While Whisper is not embedded directly into ChatGPT, developers and platforms can integrate it via API or use it through apps that connect both tools.

How it works:

1. Upload an audio file to Whisper.
2. Whisper converts the audio into written text.
3. Use ChatGPT to summarize, clean up, or reformat the transcription.

This approach gives you more control, higher accuracy, and flexibility when working with audio content.

How to Transcribe Audio Using ChatGPT (Step-by-Step)

ChatGPT cannot directly transcribe audio. However, by using OpenAI’s Whisper model or third-party tools that integrate it with ChatGPT, you can accurately convert audio to text. Here are two effective methods to get the job done.

Method 1: Using Whisper API + ChatGPT

This approach is ideal for users comfortable with basic coding and looking for more flexibility.

Tools Needed:

• OpenAI Whisper API access
• OpenAI API key
• Python or a similar scripting environment

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Get API Access
   Sign up on the OpenAI platform and obtain your API key.
2. Set Up Your Environment
   Install Python and necessary libraries:

bash

pip install openai

3. Upload Your Audio File
   Ensure your audio is in a supported format like .mp3, .mp4, .wav, or .m4a.
4. Run the Transcription Script
   Example in Python:

python

import openai

openai.api_key = 'your-api-key'

audio_file = open("your-audio-file.mp3", "rb")

transcript = openai.Audio.transcribe("whisper-1", audio_file)

print(transcript["text"])

5. Optional – Use ChatGPT for Cleanup or Summarization
   Once transcribed, you can paste the output into ChatGPT to summarize, correct grammar, or format it for specific use cases.

Pros:

• Full control over the transcription process
• Can be customized and automated

Cons:

• Requires technical setup
• Not ideal for non-technical users

Method 2: Use Third-Party Apps That Combine Whisper and ChatGPT

For non-technical users, several applications already integrate Whisper with user-friendly interfaces and even ChatGPT-powered features.

Popular Tools:

• MacWhisper – A desktop app for macOS that runs Whisper locally
• Whisper.cpp – Lightweight command-line tool that operates offline
• Descript – A comprehensive audio editor with transcription and AI assistance

Pros and Cons:

Best For:

• MacWhisper: Creators who value privacy and fast local transcription
• Whisper.cpp: Developers or advanced users who prefer minimal setups
• Descript: Podcasters, marketers, and teams needing full media workflows

Getting a “Message Stream” error in ChatGPT? Learn what causes it and how to fix it fast in our detailed troubleshooting guide.

Method 3: Transcribe Long Videos with ChatGPT – Step-by-Step Workflow

If you’re working with long video content like webinars, interviews, or lectures, this method walks you through turning those into clean, professional transcripts using ChatGPT and a speech-to-text tool like Whisper.

Step 1: Prepare Your Video

Before starting transcription, make sure your video is optimized:

• Ensure clear audio quality (remove excessive background noise or static).
• Use standard video formats like MP4 or MOV.
• Label or identify speakers, especially in multi-person dialogues.
• Split lengthy videos into smaller segments (15–30 minutes) to improve processing and accuracy.

Step 2: Extract the Audio

ChatGPT cannot process video or extract audio directly. You’ll need to:

• Use VLC Media Player, Audacity, or similar tools.
• Export the audio as MP3, WAV, or M4A—formats supported by Whisper and other transcription tools.

Step 3: Transcribe Using Whisper or a Speech-to-Text API

Upload your extracted audio to a transcription service:

• Use Whisper, Google Speech-to-Text, or Rev.ai to convert the speech into raw text.
• If using Whisper via API or locally, follow the same process outlined in Method 1.

Step 4: Refine the Transcript with ChatGPT

Once you have the transcript:

• Paste it into ChatGPT.
• Prompt it to format the transcript, add punctuation, label speakers, or even insert timestamps.
• Ask for grammar fixes, summary sections, or highlighted key points for added clarity.

Step 5: Continue After Interruptions

If you’re working in chunks or your input is interrupted:

• Simply provide the last sentence or timestamp to ChatGPT, and it can pick up where it left off.

Step 6: Translate Multilingual Content

For videos with multiple languages:

• Ask ChatGPT to translate or localize the transcript into your target language.
• Specify the tone or formality if needed (e.g., conversational, academic, business-friendly).

Step 7: Final Review

Always review your final transcript to ensure:

• Accuracy and completeness
• Speaker consistency and tone
• Cultural or contextual relevance for translated content

Having trouble uploading audio or other files to ChatGPT? Check out our guide on how to fix the “Attach Files” issue in ChatGPT so you can get back to transcribing smoothly.

No Code? No Problem – Easy Transcription Tools That Use Whisper and ChatGPT

Best for Comparison:

• Otter.ai is ideal for real-time transcriptions in remote meetings and team collaborations, with a mobile app for flexibility.
• Rev.ai offers powerful transcription capabilities for developers integrating audio into projects, offering custom vocabularies and timestamping.
• Google Speech-to-Text supports multi-language transcription and is great for teams dealing with diverse linguistic content.
• Amazon Transcribe integrates well with AWS users and provides advanced options like batch processing.
• Sonix excels for content creators working on international media with its support for multiple languages and editing features.
• VIQ Solutions is focused on quick turnaround times for personal or low-stakes use cases requiring fast transcriptions.
• Trint is perfect for media teams and newsrooms, offering robust collaboration and editing tools.
• Happy Scribe is ideal for video content creators and social media managers who need accurate subtitles in over 119 languages.
• Verbit.ai provides specialized AI transcription services for large organizations and institutions requiring industry-specific models and workflow automation.

ChatGPT + Whisper vs. Other Transcription Tools: Which One Is Right for You?

When deciding on a transcription tool, accuracy, cost, real-time capabilities, and ease of editing are crucial.

Here’s a comparison table between ChatGPT + Whisper and other popular transcription tools:

Key Insights:

• ChatGPT + Whisper:
  • Best for developers or technical users who want to build a custom transcription tool.
  • Requires some setup (API integration with Whisper and OpenAI), but it is flexible and can handle unique use cases.
  • No real-time transcription feature available natively, but high-quality transcriptions when used with Whisper.
• Otter.ai:
  • Best suited for remote meetings and team collaborations due to its real-time transcription and speaker ID features.
  • Offers both free and paid plans, with easy-to-use features for individuals and teams.
  • Editing interface allows users to make adjustments after transcription.
• Rev.ai:
  • Known for high accuracy and timestamped transcriptions, Rev.ai is a reliable choice for professional use.
  • Ideal for media teams and developers requiring detailed transcriptions with custom vocabulary.
  • Offers API access for integration into other platforms or custom workflows.
• Google Speech-to-Text:
  • Best for users needing a high-quality, scalable transcription tool with support for multiple languages.
  • Ideal for businesses or global teams, as it integrates seamlessly with Google Cloud products.
  • Provides API access, but no real-time transcription unless integrated with other tools.
• Sonix:
  • Offers an automated translation feature, which makes it ideal for content creators working with international audiences.
  • Provides a robust editing suite to refine transcriptions after they are generated.
  • Good for high-volume transcription and international media content creation.

How People Are Using AI Audio Transcription Tools

1. Students – Transcribing Lectures

Students often record lectures to avoid missing important details during fast-paced classes. With AI tools, they can automatically transcribe these recordings into clean, searchable notes. This saves time and helps in reviewing key concepts later.

2. Podcasters – Repurposing Content

Podcasters use transcription to turn their spoken episodes into written blog posts, show notes, or even newsletters. This improves accessibility for hearing-impaired audiences and boosts SEO by making the content indexable on search engines.

3. Marketers – Creating Multi-Format Content

Marketers can take webinars, interviews, or promotional videos and use AI transcription to quickly generate captions, blog posts, email copy, and more. It helps in repurposing a single piece of content across multiple platforms efficiently.

4. Remote Teams – Documenting Meetings

Remote teams benefit by using transcription tools during video calls or meetings. Instead of manually taking notes, they get an automated summary that highlights key points, action items, and decisions. This leads to better team alignment and accountability.

Ethical and Privacy Considerations When Using AI Transcription Tools

When using tools like ChatGPT + Whisper or other AI transcription services, it’s important to be mindful of ethical practices and data privacy:

1. Confidentiality of Recorded Data

Any audio you record—especially in professional, academic, or personal settings—may contain sensitive information. Ensure that your chosen tool has strong data protection measures in place and doesn’t store or misuse your data without permission.

2. Data Storage by Third-Party Tools

If you’re using third-party apps to transcribe audio, always check their privacy policy. Some services may upload your files to cloud servers or store transcripts for analytics. Look for tools that allow local processing or explicitly promise not to retain user data.

3. Consent Before Recording or Transcribing

In many jurisdictions, it’s illegal—or at least unethical—to record or transcribe someone without their knowledge. Always ask for consent, especially in interviews, meetings, or collaborative projects, to respect privacy and avoid legal complications.

Using ChatGPT’s audio features? If the Read Aloud function isn’t working properly, don’t worry — here’s a quick guide to fix common Read Aloud issues in ChatGPT and get it working again.

Queries related to the Can ChatGPT Transcribe Audio?

1. Can ChatGPT transcribe audio for free?

No, ChatGPT cannot transcribe audio directly as it does not have native support for audio-to-text transcription. However, you can use OpenAI’s Whisper (a speech-to-text model) alongside ChatGPT for transcription tasks. Whisper is a free tool, but integrating it with ChatGPT requires some setup, such as using an API or third-party apps.

2. Can ChatGPT transcribe audio Reddit?

ChatGPT itself cannot transcribe audio directly. However, many users discuss using AI tools like Whisper, which can be integrated with ChatGPT, to transcribe audio for free or at a low cost on Reddit. Check specific subreddits for guides on setting up these integrations.

3. How to use ChatGPT to transcribe audio?

To transcribe audio using ChatGPT, follow these steps:

• Step 1: Use Whisper (OpenAI’s speech-to-text model) to transcribe audio into text.
• Step 2: Once the text is generated by Whisper, you can input it into ChatGPT for further summarization, analysis, or editing.

You can also use third-party apps that combine Whisper with ChatGPT for an easier process.

4. Transcribe audio to text free

You can transcribe audio to text for free using tools like OpenAI’s Whisper. It’s an open-source speech recognition model that allows you to convert audio files to text without any cost, though you may need a bit of technical setup.

5. ChatGPT audio to text free

While ChatGPT does not transcribe audio directly, you can use Whisper (free to use) to transcribe the audio first and then input the transcribed text into ChatGPT for summarization, editing, or further refinement.

6. ChatGPT transcribe video

ChatGPT cannot transcribe videos directly. However, you can extract the audio from a video and use Whisper to convert the audio into text. Then, you can use ChatGPT to edit or summarize the text as needed.

7. ChatGPT transcription

ChatGPT is not a transcription tool by itself, but it can help process, summarize, and analyze text once the transcription is done using other tools like Whisper. So, it works well for cleaning up or working with transcripts generated from audio or video.

8. Can ChatGPT listen to audio files?

No, ChatGPT cannot listen to audio files directly. It lacks the capability to process audio or speech inputs. For transcription purposes, you need to first use a tool like Whisper to convert the audio into text, and then ChatGPT can assist with further tasks like summarizing or editing the transcript.

Seeing “Error Loading Image” in ChatGPT? Follow our quick troubleshooting guide to fix image display issues and keep your workflow smooth.

FAQs About ChatGPT and Audio Transcription (2025 Edition)

Can ChatGPT transcribe audio files directly?

No, ChatGPT does not currently accept audio input directly. However, it can work with transcribed text from tools like Whisper.

What’s the best way to transcribe using ChatGPT?

Use OpenAI’s Whisper model for speech-to-text, then process or summarize the output with ChatGPT.

Is Whisper by OpenAI free to use?

Yes, the Whisper model is open-source, but you may incur costs if you use the API on OpenAI’s platform.

Are there free apps that combine Whisper and ChatGPT?

Yes—MacWhisper and Whisper.cpp are popular community tools that integrate Whisper with user-friendly interfaces.

Conclusion

While ChatGPT alone can’t transcribe audio, it becomes a powerful transcription tool when paired with Whisper. With the right setup, users can create an efficient workflow to turn speech into structured, useful text.
👉 Ready to get started? Explore our [Whisper + ChatGPT Setup Guide] or try a tool like MacWhisper today!