To turn a Google Meet recording into text, download the video from Google Drive and send it to the Potok bot on Telegram. Meet recordings are saved to Google Drive as video files, and the bot reads the audio track. Files up to 2 GB work, and the transcript exports as TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT or VTT.
Transcribe a recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- A Meet recording is a video file, and only its audio track is used for the text.
- Meeting recordings can be long and large, so check the size before you send.
- Speaker labels are numbers, and on-screen slides or chat messages are not read.
- Everyone in the meeting should know it is being turned into text, especially if it goes to a wider group.
How to do it
- Find the recording in Drive. After the meeting, open Google Drive and look for the Meet recording. The place and the timing depend on your account setup.
- Download the video. Use the download option in Drive. A recording can be downloaded from Drive, but only if you have access to it.
- Check the size. If the file nears 2 GB, use the Upload button of the bot's mini app instead of the chat.
- Send it to the bot. Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram and attach the video as a document.
- Switch on speaker labels. In a meeting, labels separate the voices and timestamps point back to the video. Export DOCX for minutes, or SRT for subtitles.
What the result looks like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Let's begin with the release status.
[00:05] Speaker 2: Testing is done, we only wait for the sign-off.
[00:11] Speaker 1: Good, then we move to the budget.
Sample text written by us to show the layout of a transcript. It is not the output of the recognition engine and not a real recording.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Where it works | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| File size | Up to 2 GB |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Speakers and time | Speaker labels and timestamps can be switched on |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results; a few more with warnings |
| Translation | The transcript is not translated into another language |
| Dictation | A separate Potok desktop app lets you dictate text into any program; it recognises Russian speech |
Common mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Sending a link to the Drive file | The bot reads files, so a sharing link gives it nothing to open. | Download the video and send the file. |
| Forgetting that others spoke | The text contains every participant, including remarks made in passing. | Review it before you circulate the minutes. |
| Trusting attendee names | The bot labels voices with numbers, so the names in the call are lost. | Match Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 to attendees by hand. |
| Letting several people talk at once | Crosstalk mixes words and the transcript shows gaps. | Ask people to take turns in future meetings. |
More
See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.
Frequently asked questions
Where is a Google Meet recording stored?
It is saved to Google Drive as a video file. You can download it from there if you have access.
Can I send the Drive link to the bot?
No. Download the file and send it to the bot.
Does the transcript read slides or the chat?
No. It uses only the spoken words from the call's audio.
How long can the meeting be?
The file can be up to 2 GB, and long results arrive as a file.
Are attendee names added?
No. Labels are numbers, and you can swap them for names in the document.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- Google Meet (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Video file format (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
- Speaker diarisation (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked
Try it on your own recording
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram