Uploading Audio and Video Files

How do I upload an existing file?

If you already have an audio or video file, a voice memo, a meeting recording, a video export, you don't need to play it out loud and re-record it. Upload it directly:

1. On your dashboard, open Other ways to add.
2. Tap Upload a file ("Add an existing audio or video file").
3. Choose the file from your device.
4. Optionally add a note in the Instructions for AI box before submitting, for example a request about the output format.
5. Tap Submit (or Cancel to back out).

From there, InstantOwl runs the exact same pipeline as a live recording: transcription, an AI-generated title, an output document, extracted tags, and any tasks it finds. See output formats and tasks for what happens next.

What file types are supported?

InstantOwl accepts audio and video files, including:

.mp3, .mp4, .m4a, .wav, .ogg, .webm, .mov, .aac, .flac

If your file is video, InstantOwl processes the audio track for transcription; the file type itself does not need to be audio-only.

Is there a size limit?

Yes, 150MB per file. This is enforced both when you pick the file and again on the server, so if a file is too large you'll see it flagged right away ("File too large (max 150MB)") rather than after a long wait.

If your file is close to that limit, note that upload happens in chunks (5MB at a time) with automatic retry, so a shaky connection is less likely to force you to start over from scratch.

For transcription specifically (a separate step from upload), files over 24MB are automatically split into pieces behind the scenes. You don't need to do anything for this, it just means very large files may take a bit longer to process.

What happens while the file uploads?

You'll see the same review-and-submit flow as a live recording, adapted for a file: once you pick a file, you get an Instructions for AI box (optional, same as a live recording) and two buttons, Cancel and Submit. After you submit, InstantOwl shows upload progress as a percentage while the file transfers, then moves into the same "Transcribing your audio…" and "Generating your output…" stages you'd see after any recording. As with a live recording, this runs in the background, so you can leave the page and come back once it's done. See recording basics for more detail on those processing stages.

When should I upload a file instead of recording live?

Uploading is the right move any time the thought already exists somewhere else: a voice memo from another app, a meeting recorded on a separate device, an audio note a colleague sent you, or a video export you want turned into a document. You don't need to play it out loud into your microphone. Just bring the file in directly and let InstantOwl do the rest.

What if I'd rather import from YouTube instead?

If your source is a YouTube video rather than a local file, use YouTube import instead. It works from a pasted link and does not require downloading anything first.

For more on turning existing audio or video into text, see the blog posts on MP3 to text and transcription.