Guide
How to transcribe audio in ChatGPT and Claude (free plugin)
· by the Slice team, who make the plugin
The short answer
Add the free Slice plugin to ChatGPT or Claude, then ask it to transcribe a recording. In ChatGPT you can attach the file or paste a direct link; in Claude you paste a direct link. You get the text back in the chat with speaker turns, plus a page with .txt, .srt and .vtt downloads. It is free with no sign-in: up to 90 minutes a file and 5 files a day. It doesn’t take YouTube or Spotify links, because those are pages rather than files.
New to the plugin? Set up Slice in ChatGPT or Claude first. It takes a couple of minutes.
How do you transcribe audio in ChatGPT or Claude?
- Add the Slice plugin
In ChatGPT, open Plugins, choose Add, then Create MCP App; in Claude, add a custom connector. Either way the address is https://mcp.tryslicemedia.com/mcp. Transcription needs no Slice account.
Screens for both apps are in the setup guide.
- Give it the recording
In ChatGPT, attach the audio or video file, or paste a direct link to it. In Claude, paste a direct link: a link that downloads the file itself, not a page that plays it.
ChatGPT, with a file attached@Slice transcribe thisChatGPT or Claude, with a linkTranscribe this recording: https://example.com/episode-42.mp3 - Wait for the text
Short files come back in the same reply. Longer ones take a minute or two: the assistant says it is still transcribing, and you can ask it to check.
Is it done? - Use the transcript
The transcript arrives in paragraphs with speaker turns, plus a link to its own page with the full text, a copy button and .txt, .srt and .vtt downloads. Ask the assistant to summarise it, quote it or search it in the same chat.
Summarise this in five bullet points and pull out three quotes I could post
What is different between ChatGPT and Claude?
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Attach the file in the chat | Yes | No: paste a direct link |
| Paste a direct link | Yes | Yes |
| Sign-in needed | No | No |
| Limits | 90 minutes a file, 5 a day | 90 minutes a file, 5 a day |
| Results page with .txt, .srt, .vtt | Yes | Yes |
| Email the files to you | Yes, it asks first | Yes, it asks first |
Which files and links work?
Files: MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV, up to 90 minutes long.
Links have to download the file itself. A good test: open the link in a browser tab. If it starts playing or downloading the file on its own, it works. If you see a page with a player on it, it won’t.
| Link | Works? |
|---|---|
| The MP3 address from your podcast’s RSS feed | Yes |
| A link ending in .mp3, .m4a, .wav or .mp4 that downloads the file | Yes |
| A YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts page | No: these are pages, not files |
| A live stream or a call in progress | No: it transcribes recordings, not live audio |
Accuracy is best in English.
What can you do with the transcript in the chat?
The point of transcribing inside an assistant is that the words are then in the conversation. A few things worth asking:
For a long episode the chat may only get the first part of the text; the results page always has all of it. If the transcript is from a video and you want the clips themselves, not just ideas for them, that is the paid half of the same plugin: making podcast clips with ChatGPT.
What if you hit a limit?
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| The file is over 90 minutes | Split it into parts of 90 minutes or less and send each one. |
| You have done 5 today | The count resets the next day. |
| The link was refused | It is probably a page, not a file. Find the direct file link, or attach the file in ChatGPT. |
Prefer a browser tab? Free transcription is also on the website, as audio to text and audio to SRT.
Questions
Is the transcription really free?
Yes. There is no sign-in and no account. The limits are 90 minutes per file and 5 files a day.
Can I transcribe a YouTube video or a Spotify episode?
Not from the page link. YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts links are web pages, not files, and are refused. If it is your podcast, the MP3 address in your RSS feed is a direct link and works.
Why does Claude need a link when ChatGPT takes a file?
Claude passes links to connectors rather than files you attach in the chat. So in Claude, put the recording somewhere that gives a direct download link and paste that.
Does it label who is speaking?
Yes. When there is more than one voice, the transcript is split into speaker turns.
Can I get subtitles for a video?
Yes. Every transcript has its own page with .srt and .vtt downloads, which video editors and web players read, and a .txt.
What happens to my recording?
Slice does not keep a copy of your audio. The transcript is deleted after 30 days, and you can delete it sooner from its page.
More guides
- Set up Slice in ChatGPT and Claude: adding the plugin, with pictures
- How to make podcast clips with ChatGPT (2026): Step by step, from attaching the episode to downloading captioned vertical clips, with the exact prompts.
- Turn a podcast into TikToks, Reels and Shorts inside ChatGPT: After the clips are made: captions, hook titles and post text for each app, all in the same chat.
- Can Claude edit video? How to make clips with Claude: What Claude can and cannot do with video, and how to get clips out of it with a connector.
- AI clipping inside ChatGPT or Claude vs AI clipping apps: An honest comparison of the two ways to work, including where a standalone app is the better choice.
- All guides