> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sky-scribe.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Transcribe by uploading a file

> Select a file from your device and process it immediately.

## Overview

* Upload an audio or video file
* Configure transcription settings
* Download your transcript

## Step 1: Upload your file

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to your account">
    Sign in to your SkyScribe account, then navigate to your [SkyScribe dashboard](https://app.sky-scribe.com/dashboard).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Upload method">
    Click on **Upload** as your transcription method.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your file">
    You can upload your audio or video file in two ways:

    * **Drag and drop** your file into the upload area
    * **Click the upload area** to select files from your device

    <Info>
      **Supported formats:** MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG, FLAC
      **Maximum file size:** 500MB
    </Info>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2: Transcribe or translate

Select how you want to process your audio:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Transcribe">
    **Transcribe** converts your audio to text in the same language as the original audio. This is ideal when you want an exact written record of what was said.

    **Use cases:**

    * Meeting notes
    * Interview transcripts
    * Podcast transcriptions
    * Lecture notes
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Translate">
    **Translate** converts your audio to text in a different language. The audio will be transcribed and then translated into your target language.

    **Use cases:**

    * Translating foreign language content
    * Creating multilingual subtitles
    * International content localization
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 3: Select language

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="For Transcribe">
    Choose the language of your audio file:

    * **Auto-detect** (Recommended): SkyScribe will automatically detect the language spoken in your audio or video. This works best for single-language audio.
    * **Manual selection**: Choose a specific language if you know what language is spoken in the audio.

    <Tip>
      Auto-detect is accurate for single-language audio. Use manual selection for mixed-language audio, specialized dialects, or consistent language processing.
    </Tip>

    <Note>
      SkyScribe supports 99 languages. [View the complete language list](/guides/language-support) and performance details.
    </Note>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="For Translate">
    Select the **target language** you want your transcript translated into. Your audio will be transcribed in its original language and then translated to your selected language.

    <Note>
      SkyScribe supports translation between 99 languages powered by OpenAI Whisper. [Learn more about language support](/guides/language-support).
    </Note>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 4: Speaker diarization (optional)

Speaker diarization identifies and labels different speakers in your audio. When enabled, your transcript will indicate who is speaking at each point in the conversation.

<Note>
  **Example output:**

  ```
  Speaker 1: Hello, how are you today?
  Speaker 2: I'm doing great, thanks for asking.
  Speaker 1: That's wonderful to hear.
  ```
</Note>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="When to use it">
    * Multi-person interviews
    * Meetings and conference calls
    * Podcasts with multiple hosts
    * Panel discussions
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="When to skip it">
    * Single-speaker content (lectures, solo podcasts)
    * When speaker identity doesn't matter
    * Faster processing time needed
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Step 5: Start transcribing

Once you've configured all your settings, click the **"Transcribe"** button to start processing your file.

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Your file will be uploaded and queued for processing. You'll see a progress indicator showing the status.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Processing time depends on:

    * File length
    * Selected settings
    * Current queue size

    Typical processing time is 1-2 minutes for a 30-minute file.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Visit [Transcriptions](https://app.sky-scribe.com/transcriptions) for all transcription jobs (running or complete). For each transcription, you can:

    * **View or edit** your transcript in the [transcript editor](/guides/transcript-editor) to resegment, translate, clean up, and improve your transcription
    * **Download** in multiple formats: PDF, DOC, TXT, MD, SRT, VTT, CSV, or JSON
    * [**Share**](#) with team or public
    * [Extract](#) information or generate summaries
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's next

In this tutorial, you've learned how to upload and transcribe an audio file using the SkyScribe dashboard.

Want to learn more?

* Learn how to [fetch media from URLs](/quickstart/fetch) like YouTube or TikTok
* Explore [recording audio directly](/quickstart/record) from your device
* Check out the full [API documentation](/api-reference/introduction) for programmatic access

## Need some help?

If you get stuck, or have any other questions, we'd love to help you out. Contact our support team at [support@sky-scribe.com](mailto:support@sky-scribe.com) or create a support ticket.