No, Claude does not transcribe an audio file you upload. Claude's help centre lists the files you can attach in a chat as documents (PDF, Word, CSV, text, HTML, EPUB, JSON, spreadsheets) and images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP). Audio files such as MP3, M4A or WAV are not on that list. What Claude can do is dictation, which turns your own voice into text in the Claude mobile app, and voice mode, a spoken conversation with Claude. Neither one is a meeting recorder.
To get a transcript of a meeting or a recording and then ask Claude about it, record or import it in MeetNotes and connect MeetNotes to Claude. Claude then reads the speaker-labelled transcript and the minutes (steps below).
Facts about Claude below are from Claude's help centre, checked 18 October 2026.
What Claude can do with audio today
| What you try | Does it work? | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Attach an MP3, M4A or WAV file in a chat | No | Audio is not a supported upload type |
| Tap the microphone in the Claude mobile app | Yes | Dictation: your speech becomes the text of your message. All plans, iOS and Android |
| Tap the sound-wave icon | Yes | Voice mode (beta): you talk with Claude and it talks back |
| Ask Claude about a meeting you recorded in MeetNotes | Yes, with the connector | Claude reads the transcript and minutes of that meeting |
Dictation is available on every Claude plan, including Free. Claude's help centre lists English, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian, with languages other than English in beta. It is built for one person speaking a message, not for a room of people talking to each other, so there are no speaker names and nothing is saved as a meeting.
Can Claude listen to audio?
Only to you, live. Dictation and voice mode both listen to the person holding the phone. Claude cannot listen to a recording you already have, such as a voice memo, a WhatsApp voice note or a lecture recording, because those are audio files and audio files are not accepted as uploads.
If you paste in a transcript as text, Claude is very good at what comes next: a summary, the decisions, a follow-up email, or answers to "what did she say about the budget?". The missing step is the transcript itself.
How to get a meeting transcript you can ask Claude about
MeetNotes records the meeting, writes the transcript with speaker names, and writes the minutes. Connect it to Claude once, and Claude can read every meeting you have recorded.
- Record or import in MeetNotes. Record in the room on your phone or on your Mac, send the MeetNotes Notetaker into a Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams call, or import an audio file you already have in the app.
- Get the transcript and minutes. Every line is labelled by speaker, and the minutes have a summary, key points, decisions, and action items with owners. Meetings that mix languages, such as Hindi and English, are fine.
- Add MeetNotes to Claude as a custom connector. It works on free Claude accounts and takes about two minutes. The steps are in Meeting notes in Claude.
- Ask Claude. "What did we decide in Tuesday's meeting?", "Quote exactly what Rohan said about the delivery date", "Export the minutes of the site visit as a Word file."
Every new MeetNotes account includes 100 free minutes, so you can try this on a real meeting first. Asking Claude about meetings you already recorded does not use minutes.
Claude, ChatGPT or both?
The answer is different for ChatGPT: on paid ChatGPT plans you can upload an audio file and ask for a transcript, though ChatGPT's own help page says speaker identification may be unreliable. We compared the routes in Can ChatGPT transcribe audio?. MeetNotes works inside both, so you can connect it to Claude and ChatGPT and use whichever you prefer. The full setup for each is on our assistants page.
FAQ
Can Claude transcribe audio?
Not from an uploaded file. Claude's supported uploads are documents and images, and audio is not on the list. Claude's dictation turns your own speech into text in the mobile app. To transcribe a meeting or a recording, use a transcription app such as MeetNotes and then ask Claude about the transcript.
Can Claude listen to audio files?
No. You cannot attach an MP3, M4A or WAV file in a Claude chat. Claude listens only live, through dictation or voice mode, to the person using the app.
Does Claude have a voice mode?
Yes. Voice mode is in beta on all Claude plans. You speak and Claude answers out loud. It is a conversation with Claude, not a recorder for a meeting between people.
How do I get a meeting transcript into Claude?
Record or import the meeting in MeetNotes, then add MeetNotes to Claude as a custom connector. Claude can then read the speaker-labelled transcript and the minutes of every meeting you recorded, and export them as a Word file or PDF.
