To transcribe a Zoom meeting, turn on captions and use View full transcript, then Save transcript to download it as a text file. For a full transcript after the meeting, record to the cloud with audio transcription turned on, and Zoom emails you when the transcript is ready. Cloud transcripts need a Pro or higher account.
Zoom can give you a written record of a meeting in three different ways, and which one you can use depends on your account and whether you remembered to press record. One works for anyone with captions on, one needs cloud recording, and one comes with Zoom's AI Companion. Here's each route, step by step, and how to make the transcript worth reading.
Three ways to get a Zoom transcript
| Route | What you get | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Live captions transcript | A text file of the captions, saved during the meeting | Automated captions turned on |
| Cloud recording transcript | A timestamped VTT file with your recording | Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account, cloud recording and audio transcription on |
| AI Companion meeting summary | A summary, with transcripts kept if your account allows | A licensed Zoom Workplace Pro or higher account |
Save the live captions as a transcript
- Turn on captions with Show captions in the meeting controls.
- Click the up arrow next to the captions icon.
- Under Captions and translation, click View full transcript.
- Click Save transcript to download a .TXT file.
Do this before the meeting ends. The transcript panel also has a search bar, which is handy mid-meeting when someone says 'as I mentioned earlier'.
Get a transcript from a cloud recording
- Make sure cloud recording and audio transcription are enabled in your Zoom web portal settings.
- Start a cloud recording during the meeting.
- After the meeting, wait for Zoom's email saying the recording is ready, then a second email for the transcript.
- Open the transcript from the email or your list of recorded meetings. It's saved as a separate VTT file.
Zoom splits the transcript into timestamped sections, so you can jump to the part of the recording you need. It doesn't add capitalisation or punctuation, but you can edit the text to tidy it up. You can also show the transcript on the video like closed captions, and decide whether people you share the recording with can see it.
If you have the right account and settings but can't find the option, Zoom says to contact its support team to enable the feature.
Transcripts from AI Companion
If your organisation uses Zoom's AI Companion, the host or a co-host can start a meeting summary from the meeting controls. Zoom lists this as needing a licensed user on a Zoom Workplace Pro or higher plan, and it doesn't work in breakout rooms. Where hosts are allowed to keep transcripts, you'll find them in the Zoom web portal under your profile, then Recordings and Transcripts, then the Transcripts tab, where you can download them.
Make the transcript accurate
Every route depends on clean audio. Zoom's own tips for transcripts are worth following:
- Keep background noise to a minimum.
- Ask people to speak clearly, and not to shuffle papers, type loudly or chat among themselves.
- Put the microphone near whoever is speaking, especially in a room sharing one dial-in.
- Use an external microphone rather than a laptop's built-in one.
Zoom also notes that caption accuracy is affected by the speaker's volume and accent, and by specialist words. For anything legal or official, check the transcript against the recording.
Be upfront about recording
Transcribing a meeting means recording what people say, so tell everyone at the start, and check your organisation's rules for client calls. If you use AI note-takers on client calls, my piece on AI note-takers and NDA risk explains what to watch. And if you're curious about doing this professionally, my guide to what transcription work involves covers the human side.
Turn the transcript into something useful
A raw transcript is long and messy, and nobody reads it end to end. The value is in what you pull out of it. Straight after the call, skim it for three things: decisions made, actions agreed with a name and a deadline, and any questions left open. Paste those into a short follow-up email while the meeting is still fresh. If you keep transcripts of regular client calls, save them in one folder with the date in the file name, so you can search back months later for who said what. That habit alone settles a surprising number of 'I thought we agreed' conversations.
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Which route should you use?
For a quick record of a short call, save the captions transcript. For anything you'll want to search or quote later, record to the cloud with transcription on, because you get timestamps and the recording together. If your company already has AI Companion, the summary plus transcript is the least effort of all.
My verdict
Captions plus Save transcript works for almost anyone, as long as you do it before the meeting ends. Cloud recording with audio transcription gives the best record, but needs a Pro or higher account and the right settings switched on in advance. Either way, good audio is what makes the transcript readable.
Frequently asked questions
Can Zoom transcribe meetings?
Yes. You can save the live captions transcript during a meeting, or get an audio transcript of a cloud recording afterwards.
How do I download a Zoom transcript?
During the meeting, click the arrow next to Show captions, choose View full transcript and click Save transcript to download a text file.
Do I need a Pro account for Zoom transcripts?
Not to save the captions transcript, as long as captions are enabled. Cloud recording transcripts need a Pro, Business, Education or Enterprise account.
How long does a Zoom cloud transcript take?
Zoom emails you when the recording is ready, then again when the transcript is ready, and says it may take extra time to process.
What format is a Zoom transcript?
Cloud recording transcripts are VTT files. The live captions transcript downloads as a .TXT file.
