WhatsApp voice message to text
Upload a WhatsApp voice note and get an accurate transcript in seconds. Works with the .opus and .ogg files WhatsApp exports, plus .mp3 and .m4a.
Your file is sent over HTTPS, transcribed, and discarded immediately. Nothing is stored. Privacy policy
How to get the voice note file out of WhatsApp
The tool needs the audio file. Getting it takes about five seconds:
- On WhatsApp Web or Desktop: hover the voice message, click the chevron (⌄) that appears, and choose Download. WhatsApp saves it as an
.opusor.oggfile. - On Android: the file is already on your phone at
Internal storage → WhatsApp → Media → WhatsApp Voice Notes. Or tap the message, choose Share, and send it to yourself. - On iPhone: tap and hold the voice message, tap Forward, then the share icon, and save the file.
Then drop it above. You do not need to convert it first — .opus works directly.
Why doesn't WhatsApp just do this?
It partly does, and it is worth knowing where the limit is. WhatsApp has a built-in Voice Message Transcripts feature, but it only runs in the mobile app — not on WhatsApp Web or the desktop app — and it supports about five languages on Android (English, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian and Hindi). iOS covers more, up to twenty on iOS 17 and later.
So if you work on a computer, or your voice notes arrive in Urdu, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Vietnamese or Bengali, the built-in feature will not help you. That is the gap this tool fills.
It is also worth being clear about the difference between transcription and translation. WhatsApp's transcript gives you the words in the language they were spoken. If a supplier sends a voice note in Arabic, you get Arabic text. Turning that into English is a second step.
Downloading and uploading each voice note gets old fast. The Voqua Chrome extension puts a Transcribe button directly on every voice note inside WhatsApp Web, and gives you the translation alongside the transcript — no downloading, no uploading, no tab switching.
Which file formats does WhatsApp use?
| Where it came from | Format | Works here |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Web / Desktop download | .opus or .ogg | Yes |
| Android — WhatsApp Voice Notes folder | .opus | Yes |
| iPhone — forwarded or shared | .m4a or .opus | Yes |
| Recorded elsewhere | .mp3, .wav, .m4a | Yes |
Common questions
Is this free?
Yes, for a few voice notes a day. Heavier use is what the Voqua plans are for, and the Chrome extension's free tier includes five voice notes a day inside WhatsApp Web.
Do you keep my audio?
No. The file is transcribed and discarded. It is not logged, not saved to a database, and not used to train any model. Full detail in the privacy policy.
Can it transcribe a voice note in Urdu, Thai or Arabic?
Yes. This tool is not limited to the five languages WhatsApp's own transcript feature supports on Android.
Can I get a translation as well as the transcript?
Yes — use the free translate-a-voice-note tool, which gives you the transcript and a translation into your language. Or, inside WhatsApp Web, the Voqua extension shows both together on every voice note.
How long can the voice note be?
Up to 10 MB, which is roughly 20–30 minutes of WhatsApp voice audio — voice notes are heavily compressed.