Can you transcribe audio from a link or URL?

Yes, some transcription services can take audio from a link, but many cannot. A service that takes a link needs a web address that leads to the audio file itself. Many others need you to upload a file from your computer. Before you download audio from a video site to make a file, check that site's terms, because they may forbid downloading.

Some services take a link, but many need an uploaded file

The services differ, so check the documentation for the one you use. AssemblyAI's guide to pre-recorded audio shows a transcription request that takes an audio file's web address as the audio URL. It also says that to transcribe a local file, you must upload it first ¹. The link route therefore works for audio that is already online and publicly reachable.

Many desktop and web tools work the other way. In Microsoft Word's Transcribe pane, you select Upload audio and choose a file from the file picker ². OpenAI's transcription API takes files up to 25 MB, and larger recordings must be compressed or split ³. A link to a web page that plays the audio is not the same as a link to the file, so the service may fail even when the audio plays in your browser.

Downloading from a video site can break its terms

A link to a video is often the first thing people try, and this is where the rules matter. YouTube's terms say you may not download any part of the service or its content unless the service expressly authorizes it ⁴. The same terms allow you to view or listen to its content for your personal, non-commercial use ⁵.

So playing a video is permitted, but saving a copy to transcribe is not, unless the service expressly authorizes it. The rules differ by site and change over time, so read the terms of the site you use. For captions the platform already provides, see how to get the transcript of a YouTube video.

Three routes, and which one fits

1. A service that takes a link. Paste the audio's web address into the API or the tool, if it accepts one. This is the simplest route when the audio is already hosted and you have the right to use it.
2. A file you are allowed to keep. Your own recording, a file a colleague sends you, or a podcast the publisher lets you download. Upload it to any tool. Which audio formats can be transcribed lists the common ones.
3. A recording of the sound as it plays. If you cannot download the file, you can capture the sound while it plays. That route has its own limits, covered in how to transcribe audio playing on your computer. The site's terms can cover capturing too, so check them first.

What to do

1. Open the link in a private window and check that it leads to the audio file itself, not a web page.
2. Check the terms of the site and the rights in the audio before you download anything.
3. If the service accepts links, paste the address. If not, upload a file you are allowed to keep.
4. For a long file, follow how to transcribe a long audio file.
5. Proofread the draft against the audio, as in our guide to transcribing audio to text, which is part of our overview of transcription.

Two related questions cover free options and offline transcription, if your reason for downloading is privacy or cost.