Instagram Transcription for Reels and Videos
Paste the link of a public Reel or video post (••• → Copy link) and get its speech as text with timestamps; for your own private posts, upload the saved video instead.
Public Reels and video posts by link · or upload the saved video
Public Reels straight from the link
One pan, twelve minutes, no draining.
Start the garlic in cold oil, then turn the heat on.
Click or drag & drop to upload your audio or videoTap to upload your audio or video
MP3, MP4, M4A, MOV, MKV, WEBM, AVI, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, OPUS, WMA, WMV
No credit card required · Stored in the EU · Never used for AI training
What People Do with Instagram Transcripts
The script of a talking-head Reel becomes the caption, a carousel or a newsletter, so one recording works in three places.
Reels can now run for up to 20 minutes. A transcript lets you find the tip at minute 14 without scrubbing.
Agencies and journalists keep a written record of sponsored Reels and statements, with the time of each line.
Instagram and Transcripts at a Glance
Instagram’s own settings decide what can be transcribed from a link.
Facts checked 7 November 2026, against the Instagram Help Center
- Longest Reel
- Up to 20 minutes; Reels over 3 minutes aren’t recommended to new audiences
- Built-in captions
- Speech-recognition captions, turned on under More options → Enable closed captions (mobile app)
- Translated captions
- Optional “Translate closed captions” in the same menu
- Stories
- Disappear after 24 hours unless added to a highlight
- Private accounts
- Only approved followers can see or share their Reels
- Downloads of public Reels
- Allowed unless the creator turns downloads off
Before You Transcribe a Reel
Instagram links fail for predictable reasons.
Account
Public posts only
A link to a private account’s Reel can’t be fetched. For your own private content, save the video to your phone and upload it.
Stories
Save a Story before it expires
Stories vanish after 24 hours. Download your own Story from the archive, or ask for the file, and upload it.
Audio
Music-only Reels have nothing to transcribe
Many Reels use a song with text on screen. Only speech is transcribed, and on-screen text is not read.
How to Transcribe an Instagram Reel
From link or file to editable text in three steps.
Tap ••• or the paper-plane icon on the Reel and choose Copy link.
Paste it under Paste a link. Turn on speaker labels if more than one person talks.
Copy it into a caption or export TXT, DOCX or SRT; SRT also works for captions in your editor.