How to Transcribe Zoom Meetings & Recordings [2023 Guide]

2022-05-015 mins

Transcribing meetings and recordings can be time-consuming and tedious. It’s also very important if you want to gain anything from a meeting or presentation. 

If done correctly, Zoom transcription can be one of the most helpful ways to save time and get more done. It makes meetings and presentations more actionable, effective, and transparent for everyone involved! Below are some tips on how to effectively transcribe meetings and Zoom Recordings.

How to Transcribe Zoom Recordings with Notta

Let’s look at how to use Notta to do a Zoom transcription after recording a meeting.

Step 1: First, you have to locate your Zoom recording. Go to zoom.us and click ‘Sign In’.

Zoom homepage with Sign in option highlighted

Step 2: Click on ‘Recordings’ on the right-side panel. If you don’t have a Zoom Cloud account, go to Step 3. We will create the Zoom transcript for a Local Recording.

If you’re creating Zoom Cloud Recording transcripts, they will be located here. Click the ‘Down Arrow’ next to the recording you want to transcribe. Click ‘Download’.

Recordings option on Zoom web portal

Step 3: Click on ‘Local Recordings’.

Zoom web portal with a red arrow points to Local recordings.

Step 4: Locate the recording that you want to transcribe and click ‘Open’ on the right side of the screen.

A red arrow points to the Open button.

A pop-up window will appear.

Step 5: Click ‘Open zoom.us’.

A red arrow points to Open zoom.us on the pop up window.

Step 6: You will get 3 files. The one we want is the .m4a audio file. Copy and Paste it somewhere where you can easily find it.

A m4a file

Step 7: Go to your Notta Dashboard and click ‘Import Files’.

Import Files window on Notta web.

Step 8: Drag and drop your .m4a file into the box. It won’t take more than 10 minutes to upload.

Step 9: Click ‘Close’ and you will now see your transcript on your dashboard.

A red arrow points to the close icon on the Import files window.

Step 10: Click on your transcript.

Check your transcript recording on Notta web.

Well done! Now you have your Zoom transcript!

View your Zoom transcript on Notta web.

How to Review and Edit the Recording

In this section, we’ll go over how to edit your Zoom transcription. Notta transcribes audio with very high accuracy. As you can see there are a few small edits we can make to the transcript.

Review and edit transcript on Notta web.

Step 1: Let’s edit our text a little bit. Notta is a fantastic text editor as well. All you have to do is click on the text and you can edit it.

Edit transcript on Notta.

click on the text and you can edit it

Step 2: Click ‘Play’ on any part of the transcript. You will have access to a Zoom audio transcript with Notta as well. It will highlight the text as the words are spoken.

Check the transcript with the audio playing on Notta.

Step 3: You can turn ‘Automatic correction’ off above the transcript if you are going to edit it yourself.

Turn on Automatic correction.

Step 4: Highlight key points of the transcript by hovering over the text block. Click ‘Key Point’

Add notes to transcript.

Step 5: Add an image by clicking ‘Add Image’.

Add image to transcript.

Not sure why I chose pizza, it just seemed like a good way to remember this part.

Step 6: Rename your transcript to something you can remember it by. Click the title of the transcript at the top and rename it.

Rename the name of the transcript and recording.

Step 7: Click ‘Export’ at the top to download your Zoom transcript.

Option to share/export/search the transcript.

Step 8: Choose your preferred ‘File format’ for your transcript. You can also download a Zoom audio transcript if you’d like.  I like to check the box to ‘Include timestamps’ as well. When you are done click ‘Confirm’.

Export file setting on Notta web.

Step 9: Now, we can save this to a folder so we can access it easily when we need it. Click the ‘...’ at the top of the transcript.

A red arrow points to the three dots of the recording.

Step 10: Click ‘Move to Folder’.

Move to Folder option

Step 11: Click the plus with a circle around it.

Add a folder

Step 12: Name your folder and click ‘Confirm’.

A red arrow points to the Confirm button on the pop up window of creating a new folder.

Step 13: Click on your new folder.

A red arrow points to the newly created folder named Zoom Transcripts.

Step 14: Click on ‘Folders’ on the sidebar to the right.

A red arrow points to the Folders on the sidebar.

Step 15: Click on the folder you just created.

A red arrow points to the Zoom_Transcripts folder.

Great! Now you have a special folder for your Zoom transcripts! 

The interface of the folder page.

How to Automate Recording and Live Transcription in a Zoom Meeting

Here’s how to use the Notta robot to automatically create your Zoom transcription.

Step 1: First, we’ll need to copy the link to the Zoom recording. Move your mouse to the bottom of the screen, and a window will pop up. Click ‘Participants’.

Click Participants on the tool bar of a Zoom meeting.

Step 2: A window will pop up to the left. Click ‘Invite’ at the bottom of that window.

The participants list of Zoom with a red arrow points to the Invite.

Step 3: Click ‘Copy Invite Link’.

The interface of invite a participant with a red arrow points to Copy Invite Link.

Step 4: Go to your Notta Dashboard and click ‘Join Live Meeting’.

Notta transcribe options with a red arrow points to Join Live Meeting.

Step 5: Paste the link into the “Meeting URL” box, name your robot and click ‘Transcribe Now’.

Required information to join a Zoom meeting.

Step 6: If you look at “Participants” again, you’ll see your robot in the meeting.

Check Zoom participant list and find Notta Bot as a participant.

Step 7: Go back to your Notta Dashboard and you will see the live transcript. Click on the live transcript.

Check the live transcript of the Zoom meeting on your dashboard.

Step 8: Now, you can watch the robot transcribe the meeting in real-time.

Notta transcribing Zoom meeting.

You can instantly see the transcript without recording the entire Zoom meeting first. The robot will note which speaker is talking at each timestamp as well.

Step 9: Press ‘Stop’ when you would like your robot to leave the meeting. It will automatically leave when the meeting ends.

The transcription details page with a red arrows pointing to the stop button.

Success! The robot has successfully transcribed the meeting.

Why Choose Notta as a Meeting Transcription Tool?

Notta is a meeting transcription tool that offers convenience and ease of use. This application offers Zoom transcription in multiple languages. It allows you to upload your recordings, transcribe them online, and share or export your work. With Notta, online tools are at your fingertips.

We also support multi-terminal synchronization technology. Your entire team can transcript audio and video files simultaneously. You can get more done with your team using Notta's synchronized sharing features.

Our highly accurate transcription tool will help you get straight to work. You won’t have to wait for another person to transcribe your meeting. 

Have a Notta Robot Attend the Zoom Meeting Instead

What do you do if you can’t be in a meeting due to time or location constraints? You could automate the task entirely with the Notta robot. 

The robot will attend your meetings and transcribe them for later review. This may sound complicated, but it's really easy. All you have to do is send it the link to your Zoom meeting and it will start recording automatically. 

Now you can focus on other important tasks and read the transcript later.

Perhaps you double booked two Zoom meetings? Have a Notta robot go to one meeting while you attend the other. After you finish the first meeting you can read the Zoom transcript of the other meeting later.

FAQ

Where Does Zoom Save Recordings?

Zoom saves your recordings in a folder on your computer. To find that folder, simply log in to your account and click on 'Recordings'. Click on 'Local Recordings' and you'll see all of your meetings. 

There will be a button that says 'Open' to the right of each one. This will open the folder on your computer that contains the Zoom files.

Does Zoom Offer Free Transcription?

While Zoom offers free transcription, it can be very inaccurate and a bit frustrating. It may not be reliable as a reference tool in any capacity. The quality of your recordings will often depend on various factors. It also does not specify who is speaking at what time.

If you have a Notta robot create your Zoom transcription, it will be far more accurate. With Notta's AI technology, it's able to transcribe with very high accuracy.

Final Thoughts

It's very important to have transcriptions ready when going over the key points of a Zoom meeting. Notta offers a simple and affordable way to get your meetings transcribed quickly.

If you like to save time by sending a robot to do your transcriptions it may be worth it.