Transcribing your Zoom meetings can be useful for a variety of reasons. For starters, making notes retrospectively rather than during the meeting or webinar itself means you can stay focused and engaged rather than distracted and stressed. Once you've made or received your transcript, you can use it to compile meeting notes to share with colleagues and clients.

But the benefits don't end there. Zoom transcriptions can be repurposed and used for reports and articles to support your marketing activity, and they can also be turned into subtitles to accompany webinar recordings for accessibility purposes.

Whatever your business objectives, find out how to transcribe a Zoom meeting with our handy step-by-step guide.

Jump to:

• Tools for transcribing Zoom meeting

• How to transcribe a Zoom meeting using Transcribe

• How to get the most accurate Zoom transcription

• How to transcribe a Zoom meeting for free

• Zoom's transcription offering

Zoom has its own built-in audio transcription software, however many users report that it can take hours or even days for the transcription to complete.

• Human transcription services

Transcription services using real-life humans promise accuracy, but these services are typically slower and more expensive than their automated counterparts. As a general rule of thumb, an hour of audio takes approximately four hours for a professional to transcribe, and the average price is 75 cents to $1.50 per minute. That works out as $45-$90 per hour of audio transcription.

• Automated transcription services

Automated transcription services are the quickest way to get a Zoom transcription, and since they use AI software rather than humans, they're typically much cheaper too. Transcribe is one example, and our app and online editor integrate directly with Zoom to make the process even easier. You'll get clear, detailed notes within minutes of the Zoom call ending, and an hour of transcription time costs just $5 (with your first 15 minutes free!).

Without further ado, here's a step by step guide to help you use Transcribe to convert your Zoom meetings to text...

First things first, you need to set up Zoom integration. You only have to do this once, then you can jump to step 4 next time you want to transcribe a Zoom meeting. To integrate with Zoom:

1. Enable downloading of Zoom meetings

Sign into your Zoom account, go to settings, then click the "Recording" tab. Confirm or restore these settings:

• Cloud recording: Toggled on

• Record an audio only file: Checked

• Allow cloud recording sharing: Toggled on

• (Recommended) Automatic recording: Toggled on

• (Recommended) Record in the cloud: Selected

• IP address access control: Toggled off

• Require users to authenticate before viewing cloud recordings: Toggled off

• Set recording as on-demand by default: Toggled off

• Require password to access shared cloud recordings: Toggled off

2. Download the Transcribe app, or launch the online editor

3. Connect Transcribe to Zoom

Sign into your Transcribe account, go to settings, click the "Connect to Zoom" button, then follow the instructions. If you aren't already signed into Zoom, you'll be prompted to do so, then click "Authorize" to complete the integration.

From this point on, Transcribe will automatically be able to access Zoom recordings via the cloud.

4. Import your recording and choose your language

Import your recording to Transcribe from the cloud and select the language of your Zoom meeting from more than 120 languages and dialects.

5. Start the transcription process

Your Zoom transcription will be ready in minutes! Take a tea break or check your emails, and we'll send you a notification when your transcription is complete.

6. Your transcription is ready!

Now that your Zoom transcription is ready, you can proofread and polish the text in the app, online or in your preferred file format - with or without timestamps. With our standard version you can export your transcribed text to TXT, or upgrade to our PRO service to export to PDF, DOCX, SRT and JPG.

Use the transcript to create a meeting summary, subtitles, training material, reports, articles - the sky's the limit!

If you know you're going to want a transcript of a particular Zoom meeting, then there are some steps you can take to ensure your Zoom transcription is as accurate as possible:

• Use a headset or dedicated microphone

Using a headset or a dedicated microphone means the quality of your audio recording will be clearer and louder than if you use the microphone built into your laptop, with less background noise. A higher quality recording will improve the quality of your transcript.

• Speak slowly and clearly

Speaking slowly and clearly can lead to a more accurate transcript.

• Take turns speaking and don't interrupt

Ensure that speakers talk one at a time, as overlapping conversation may result in some confusion in the transcript.

With Transcribe, you can enjoy the first 15 minutes of transcription time for free, so if your Zoom meeting is on the shorter side then this could work out as an entirely free option. Once you've used up your free credit and seen for yourself whether our service meets your needs, you can buy additional credit for $5 an hour, or get 10 hours for just $35. Upgrade to our PRO service for $10 a month and you'll receive 5 hours of transcription time each month.

Ready to transcribe your Zoom meetings? Download the Transcribe app or launch the online editor to get started.

Written By Katie Garrett