WMA Transcription

Convert WMA to text, free

Upload a WMA file and get a clean transcript with timestamps in seconds. WMA files typically come from older Windows dictation software, legacy office recorders. Free to start, no account required.

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Transcribing your audio…

What an WMA file actually is

WMA is Microsoft's audio format from the era when Windows Media Player was the default. It rarely appears in new recordings, but it is everywhere in older archives — dictation systems, corporate recorders and legal offices produced it for years.

What it means for your transcript

WMA files are usually old, and old recordings were made on worse hardware at lower bitrates. The format itself transcribes fine; the vintage of the audio inside it is what makes these files harder than a modern recording.

The usual problem with WMA

Some WMA files are DRM-protected, a legacy of Windows Media licensing. Those cannot be read by anything except the original player and will need converting first.

Getting better results

→ If a WMA fails to process, check whether it is DRM-protected — that is the usual cause.
→ Legacy dictation recorded at 8 kHz will transcribe less accurately regardless of format.

What you get back

Every job returns both versions. Take whichever fits the job.

Clean transcript for reading and editing

Thanks everyone for joining. Let's start with last month's numbers. I'll share my screen so you can follow along. The headline is that renewals came in ahead of forecast for the third quarter running.

Timestamped for subtitles and citation

[00:00 → 00:04] Thanks everyone for joining.

[00:04 → 00:09] Let's start with last month's numbers.

[00:09 → 00:14] I'll share my screen so you can follow along.

An illustration of the two output formats. Not the result of any particular recording.

Questions about WMA transcription

Almost always DRM protection carried over from Windows Media licensing. Convert it with a tool that can read the licence.

The format is comparable. WMA files simply tend to be older and recorded at lower quality.

Yes, and it is worth doing. Converting an archive to MP3 or FLAC once makes everything after that simpler.

Other formats we transcribe

MP3 .mp3 M4A .m4a WAV .wav FLAC .flac OGG .ogg MP4 .mp4

Working in a specific language? See our language-by-language transcription guides →

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