Mr. Transcription Delete and Bulk Delete: How to Use and Notes
5 Best Transcription Tools for Mac (Beyond Google Docs)
Oct. 13, 2026
There are so few transcription apps that work on Mac...
Now that recording tools have become so handy, more and more of us save the contents of business meetings and conferences as audio files and then transcribe them (create minutes), don't we?
But almost all of the well-known transcription programs for PCs are Windows-only.
If you work on a MacBook or an iMac, you may be struggling to find software.
I can't find a transcription tool that works on Mac!
So in this article, we have put together 5 transcription tools and programs that are ideal for transcribing on a MacBook or iMac!
If you read this article, you will be able to transcribe easily on the MacBook or iMac you already use, without preparing a Windows PC.
Please read to the end!
3 Ways to Transcribe on a Mac
First of all, let us explain 3 ways to transcribe on a MacBook or iMac!
There are mainly three ways to transcribe using tools and software.
- Transcribe manually with transcription (tape-typing) software
- Transcribe automatically with a transcription tool that works in your browser
- Transcribe automatically with an installable transcription app
Let's go through them in order.
1. Transcribe manually with transcription software
Transcribing with tape-typing software is the old-fashioned method.
You listen to the recorded audio file and type it out yourself on the keyboard.
In the past this was the only way, so there are plenty of programs and apps made for it, such as dedicated audio player software.
The biggest problem is that it takes effort and time.
Transcribing one hour of audio takes 3 to 4 hours, however smoothly it goes.
If you are going to transcribe from now on, the "transcription tools" and "transcription apps" introduced next are easier and more comfortable!
2. Transcribe automatically with a transcription tool that works in your browser
This is the one we recommend!
It is a method of transcribing with the latest AI-powered transcription tool.
Using the browser in which you are viewing this page right now, you open a transcription tool's website and transcribe from there.
For example, with Mr. Transcription, from the top page you simply upload a file and transcription starts.
Just leave the rest to the AI.
Not only does it save effort, it is also easy to use.
You can use it from anywhere, so you can even transcribe from your MacBook while you are out.
Mr. Transcription User Guide: From Sign-Up to Finished Transcription
A guide to using Mr. Transcription, from sign-up and uploading to checking results, with images. It also covers handy features such as pricing plans, AI summaries and subtitle export.
Web-App-Type AI Transcription Tools Come in Many Varieties
Web-app-type automatic transcription tools include the following kinds:
- Tools that transcribe video, images, PDFs and more, in addition to audio
- Tools that turn recorded audio files (such as mp3) into text
- Tools that convert live input audio into text
- Tools that also support English and Chinese speech recognition and can translate
- Tools that integrate with web conferencing tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams
There are various kinds like these.
Thanks to advances in AI, tools like Mr. Transcription have appeared that can transcribe with high accuracy, and much faster than by hand.
If you can't decide how to transcribe, why not first try AI transcription for free?
3. Transcribe automatically with an installable transcription app
Finally, there is also the method of installing an app (software) on your MacBook or iMac and transcribing with it.
Installable apps and web apps seem similar, but
- Installable: can be used offline (with some exceptions)
- Web app: can be used on multiple devices
Since each has different characteristics like this, choose the best one for your working environment.
However, installable transcription software does not support Mac, so you need a trick: using a virtualization app (explained later).
We Recommend Web-App-Type AI Transcription Tools
We have introduced three methods, but if you can't decide, we recommend using a "web-app-type transcription tool"!
The latest AI transcribes quickly and with high quality.
5 Recommended Mac-Compatible Transcription Tools
Next, let's take a concrete look at which tools are available for transcribing on a MacBook or iMac!
1. Mr. Transcription
The first one we recommend is the AI-powered transcription tool Mr. Transcription!
Mr. Transcription is a web-app-type transcription tool.
Its biggest feature is that it is very easy to use.
Open this link in your web browser, upload a file, and leave everything else to the high-performance AI!
On top of that, it supports more than 20 file formats.
Just upload audio and video files saved on your smartphone as they are, so there is no hassle at all.
It can also extract text from image files and PDF data (OCR).
You can try transcribing images with the image transcription tool and transcribing PDFs with the PDF transcription tool, both for free.
7 Recommended OCR Apps to Turn Images, PDFs and Photos into Text (Some Free) [2026 Edition]
A comparison of 7 recommended apps that turn images, PDFs and photos into text with OCR, by free quota, accuracy and handwriting support. Also explains how to extract text from smartphone photos, scanned documents and screenshots.
Unlike software you install, it can be used from anywhere, so you can also use it to transcribe when you take your MacBook out and about.
Not only on a Mac, you can also use it from your iPhone or iPad.
With Mr. Transcription, no registration or login is required for uses of up to 3 minutes.
If you sign up for a free membership, audio and video of up to 10 minutes and images (up to 10) can be converted to text!
You can also save and search your transcription history.
Mr. Transcription is a recommended AI transcription service whose appeal is its versatile performance.
For more details, please see this page!
2. Express Scribe
Express Scribe is installable software that streamlines manual transcription work, and it is available not only for Windows but also for Mac.
Audio control with hotkeys or a foot pedal and playback speed changes are possible, and it also supports automatic file sending and receiving.
A free version (with limits on supported files) is available for personal use, so it is also recommended for transcription beginners.
It is a handy option when you are looking for installable software.
3. Speechnotes
Here is a web-app-type tool that is perfect for easy real-time transcription.
Voice typing in Google Docs has the drawback that transcription stops if you do other things, but the big feature of this tool is that it can run in the background.
There is also an Android app.
It is a paid feature, but it also supports converting audio files to text.
4. Sloos
If you want to take meeting minutes easily, the web-app-type tool Sloos is also recommended.
Because it can identify speakers with a single microphone, just placing one Mac in the room lets you transcribe even where many people are talking.
Zoom and Microsoft Teams, two popular web conferencing tools, can be used together with it, so it handles today's online meetings well.
The price is 800 yen per month for the personal plan, and you can try it with a free trial of up to 30 days.
If you have never introduced a tool like this, why not start around here?
5. Notta
If you want to transcribe foreign languages or translate into Japanese, this is the web app we recommend.
Like Mr. Transcription, it supports many languages: it can transcribe 104 languages including Japanese and English, and translate 42 languages.
In addition to the web version that works in your browser, there is also a smartphone app. It is full-featured, so if you want to use it for a variety of purposes, installing this one first might just get you by.
Notta: How to Use It, Features and Pricing Explained (Free Plan Available)
Explains Notta's features, how to use it and pricing plans with the latest 2026 information. Also covers free plan limits, how to take meeting minutes, and a comparison with free transcription sites that need no registration.
How to Transcribe with Mac's Built-In Features
As a bit of trivia, we also introduce a way to transcribe using the features that come built into your MacBook or iMac.
Use Mac's Built-In Real-Time Dictation
First, this is the method of using the dictation feature built into your MacBook or iMac.
Did you know that a Mac comes with a voice input (Dictation) feature built in?
System Preferences → Keyboard → Dictation
Go to the location above and make the following settings.
- Dictation: ON
- Use Enhanced Dictation: ON
- Languages: Add a language (US / UK) *1
- Shortcut: Set a shortcut key (the default is pressing the Fn key twice)
*1: If you use Japanese only, it is hard to type the alphabet, so we recommend adding English as well.
After that, just press the shortcut key you set and a microphone icon appears in the input field of supported apps (you can also dictate punctuation, symbols, line breaks and paragraph breaks).
Many apps are supported, and it works well in Office apps, note-taking apps and various browsers, so please give it a try.
Dictate messages and documents on Mac - Apple Support
For Transcribing Audio Files, AI Transcription Tools Are More Convenient
However, as you would expect, this method can only recognize speech in real time.
Mac's AI speech recognition itself is of high quality, as you can tell from the performance of Siri, but as a way to transcribe it is less convenient than AI transcription services that run in a browser.
If you already have a recorded audio file, we recommend using an AI transcription tool such as Mr. Transcription!
How to Transcribe Audio and Video in Google Docs
Another method is to open Google Docs in your Mac's browser and transcribe there.
The familiar tool Google Docs also has a feature for real-time voice typing and for reading audio or video played in the background and transcribing it.
However, unlike Windows, a Mac does not come with a sound mixer function as standard, so to use this feature you need to set up two things separately: a "virtual audio device" and an "audio mixing app".
The procedure has the following 3 steps.
- Soundflower (virtual audio device): install
- LadioCast (audio mixing app): install
- System Preferences / LadioCast settings
There are 2 sound settings in System Preferences.
- Output: Soundflower (64ch)
- Input: Soundflower (64ch)
The LadioCast settings are the following 3.
- Input: Soundflower (64ch) → enable "Main" and "Aux 1"
- Output Main: Soundflower (2ch)
- Output Aux 1: Built-in Output
After that, play the audio file you want to transcribe and start the voice typing tool in Google Docs, and the text is entered into the editor automatically.
Because you have to install software and make complicated settings, this is for advanced users.
[Free] 4 Easy Ways to Transcribe with Google Docs
For those who want to make the most of Google Docs voice typing, this explains in detail real-time transcription, converting audio data to text, web meeting minutes, and extracting text from images and PDFs.
AI Transcription Tools Are Still the Most Convenient
As you can see, transcribing itself is certainly possible with Mac's built-in tools or the familiar Google Docs.
However, troublesome settings are unavoidable.
In that respect, with tools and software built from the start for AI transcription, there is nothing that leaves you wondering how to get started.
Mac's built-in tools and Google Docs are free, but you can try AI transcription tools for free too.
For smooth transcription on a MacBook or iMac, we recommend trying an easy and convenient AI transcription tool!
Tips for Transcribing Smoothly on a Mac
Finally, we introduce tips for transcribing even more smoothly on a MacBook or iMac.
1. Choose a transcription service that supports M4A and MOV files
When choosing a transcription service, check that it supports file formats commonly used on Apple products such as the MacBook, iMac and iPhone.
If you choose a service that lets you upload audio files in “M4A” format or video files in “MOV” format as they are, you can transcribe right away without converting the files, which is very smooth.
For example, Mr. Transcription supports M4A and MOV formats, so it is ideal for transcribing on a MacBook or iMac!
Mr. Transcription: Supported Files and File Sizes, and What to Do with Unsupported Files
A guide to the files Mr. Transcription supports, and what to do when your file is not supported.
2. Pay attention to recording sound quality
A MacBook's built-in microphone is of very high quality compared with the microphone of a Windows PC.
But if it is far from the speaker or there is a lot of noise, that performance goes to waste.
When recording with a MacBook, we recommend ways like placing it where everyone's voice is picked up well and, if that does not work, attaching an external microphone to the MacBook.
[AI Transcription] 6 Recording Tips for Highly Accurate Transcription
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3. We recommend GarageBand for adjusting audio
AI transcription is very high-performing, so you can get high-quality transcription even if you upload the recorded audio as it is, but there may be times when you want to edit the audio file beforehand.
In that case, we recommend using the Apple-made app GarageBand, which is available on MacBook and iMac.
Although it is a free app, it allows editing on a par with paid apps, such as cutting and pasting and processing audio.
If you don't have it yet, why not install it on your MacBook or iMac right now?
Summary
In this article, we explained transcription tools and software that also work on a Mac.
Finally, here is a summary of the apps, services and software introduced in the article.
- Mr. Transcription (versatile support for audio, video, images and PDFs; highly capable)
- Express Scribe (manual transcription)
- Speechnotes (real-time)
- Sloos (meeting minutes)
- Notta (multilingual support and translation)
Compared with Windows, there tend to be fewer apps (in any genre) that work on a Mac, but if you look carefully, you can find plenty of useful tools on a Mac too.
If you are thinking, "I'd like to try transcribing on a Mac from now on!", don't be afraid, and please give it a try!
We also explain how to transcribe on a Windows PC and on an iPhone in these articles.
■ AI transcription service "Mr. Transscription"
"Mr. Transcription" is an online transcription tool that can be used from zero initial cost and 1,000 yen per month (* free version available).
- Supports more than 20 file formats such as audio, video, and images
- Can be used from both PC and smartphone
- Supports technical terms such as medical care, IT, and long-term care
- Supports creation of subtitle files and speaker separation
- Supports transcription in approximately 100 languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Italian, etc.
To use it, just upload the audio file from the site. Transcription text is available in seconds to tens of minutes.
You can use it for free if you transcribe it for up to 10 minutes, so please try it once.
It is "Mr. Transcription" who can easily transcribe from audio, video, and images.
Transcription allows you to transcribe for up to 10 minutes for free.
You can copy, download, search, delete, etc. the transcribed text.
You can also create subtitle files, which is ideal for transcription of interview videos.
HP: mojiokoshi3.com
Email: mojiokoshi3.com@gmail.com
Email: mojiokoshi3.com@gmail.com
Related article
Transcription for audio / video / image transcription. It is a transcription service that anyone can use for free without installation.
- What is Mr. Transcription?
- Transcript images, sounds, and videos with Mr. Transcription
- Free registration
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- manual
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