Skip to main content
In addition to live recording, HyperWhisper can transcribe audio files you already have on disk. The flow is the same on both platforms — pick a file from the menu, watch a progress popup, and the result lands in your History — but the supported formats and provider limits differ. Pick your platform below.

​
Open the file picker

Click the HyperWhisper menu bar icon, hover Transcribe File, and choose the mode you want to use. A standard macOS file picker opens immediately.HyperWhisper menu bar with Transcribe File submenu openEach mode in your library shows up as a submenu item, so you can transcribe with Hyper, Voice to text, Meeting, or any custom mode without changing your default first.

​
Supported formats

HyperWhisper accepts most common audio containers, plus the two main video containers — for video files, the audio track is extracted locally before transcription.
Cloud providers each support a different subset of audio formats. If you select a format the provider does not accept, HyperWhisper catches it before upload and tells you which formats that provider supports — so you do not have to wait for a cryptic API error after a long upload.

​
File size limits

Local models have no file size limit. Cloud providers each have their own cap, enforced by HyperWhisper before upload:If the file is too large for the selected mode’s provider, you get a friendly error showing the file size, the provider’s limit, and the provider name — switch the mode to a different provider (for example, HyperWhisper Cloud or a local model) to transcribe larger files.

​
What happens during transcription

A floating progress popup appears as soon as you pick the file. It walks through three stages:
1

Preparing (0–15%)

HyperWhisper validates the file size and format, copies the file into your recordings folder, extracts the audio track if it is a video, and runs VAD silence trimming if you have it enabled and the file is at least 30 seconds long.
2

Transcribing (15–85%)

The audio is sent to the local model or cloud provider configured by your mode. The progress bar animates while the provider works.
3

Finishing (85–100%)

Post-processing rules from the mode (formatting, vocabulary, custom prompt) are applied, the transcript is saved, and the main window jumps to History so you can copy or edit the result.
You can cancel at any point with the Cancel button on the popup. If you cancel, the copied file is cleaned up and no transcript is saved.

​
VAD trimming

If you have Voice Activity Detection enabled in settings and the imported file is 30 seconds or longer, HyperWhisper trims leading and trailing silence before sending it to the provider. The trimmed version is what gets transcribed, but the original audio is preserved — you can toggle between the two from the History view.

​
After transcription

On both platforms the result appears in History with the original audio attached. From there you can:
  • Re-copy the text or post-processed version to your clipboard
  • Re-run a different mode against the same file
  • Edit the transcript inline
  • Delete the entry along with the saved audio
If a transcription fails partway through, the entry is still created in History with an error so you can retry without re-importing the file.