Transcription is vital for Google Meet sessions for a few reasons. First, there’s accuracy. If you’re conducting an important interview, a board meeting, or any important team conversation, you want the record to reflect exactly what was said.

Transcription also eliminates the need for comprehensive note-taking, which frees the entire team to be more engaged in the conversation. It provides a shareable recap of the meeting for anyone who missed it, acts as a searchable record of meeting events, and it’s the basis for the Google Meet captioning that helps make your meetings accessible.

But how do you get a Google Meet transcription? If you have a paid subscription to Google Meet, you can get Google to transcribe your meeting with their app. If you are using the free version, you’ll have to record your meeting and upload the file to a reliable transcription service — C’mon. Do we have to say it? — for your transcription.

Here are the simple steps for getting a live Google transcription from the Google Meets app. (We’ll get into how to use an outside transcription service later.)

Step 1: Start Your Meeting

Log into your Google account and start your meeting. If you’re not the host, join the meeting.

Step 2: Turn on Transcripts

Find the “Activities” menu on the bottom right corner of your screen. The dropdown menu will show a number of options and plug-ins, but you’re looking for the “Transcripts” option. Click “Transcripts,” then click “Start Transcription.”

Step 3: See Transcripts in Real Time

You can use Google Meet captioning to see your transcript in real time. First, click on the “Settings” menu ( the icon looks like a gear) at the top right corner of the screen. From that menu, choose “Turn on captions.” This should automatically display captions on the screen during the meeting.

If you get into your meeting and don’t see the captions, find the “CC” button in the bottom right corner of the screen. Click it, and your captions will appear.

Step 4: Find and Share Your Transcripts

After your meeting ends, Google will automatically send a link to the meeting transcript to the meeting hosts and whoever turned on the transcript option. The link will take users to the transcript file in Google Drive.

The transcript link will also be available to all attendees in the original Google Calendar invitation. You can send the link to people who weren’t in the meeting via chat or email, but they may need to grant permission to access the file. Another option is to download the file and email it as an attachment.

Step 5: Save Your Transcripts

The transcript will automatically be saved to the host’s Google Drive, but will only stay there for 90 days unless the file is moved to another folder. You can move it to another folder with a simple drag-and-drop, where it will stay unless you delete it, move it again, or deactivate your Google account.

How to Get A Google Meet Recording Transcribed With Rev

If you don’t have a paid Google Meets account, you decide you want to wait until later to transcribe your meeting, or you simply want the most accurate transcription available, you’ll need to record your meeting.

Rev’s new VoiceHub service will not only transcribe your meeting with best-in-the-industry accuracy, it will extract critical details from your conversations and keep your data secure.

Here’s how to get a transcript from a Google Meet recording with VoiceHub.

1. Record your Google Meet by clicking “Activities” in the bottom right corner of the screen, then click “Recordings” and “Start Recording.”
2. After the meeting, find your recording in the meeting host’s “My Drive” folder.
3. Head over to our homepage and click “Get Started,” where you can choose from a number of paid services as well as a free option.
4. Create an account if you don’t already have one.
5. Click “Place New Order” and choose the type of service you want.
6. Upload your audio or video file by dragging it to the “Upload Files” box or pasting a URL for the file.
7. Click “Checkout” and complete your order. Rev will send you an email when your transcript is ready. AI transcription can be delivered in minutes, while human transcription can take an average of two hours (for a ten-minute recording) to 48 hours (for a recording 120 minutes or longer).
8. Review your Google Meet transcripts and make edits as needed. VoiceHub has a built-in transcript editor to make this step simple.

Benefits of Meeting Transcriptions

If you’re using Google Meet for work or other important meetings, recording and transcribing your meeting can drastically improve your productivity. This holds true for Zoom transcription, Microsoft Teams transcription, and any other meeting app you might use.

Here are just a few ways you can improve your productivity with accurate transcription:

• Improved efficiency. Anyone who was in the meeting — or anyone else you want to share with — can easily skim the meeting content at any time without having to scroll through a video or audio recording.
• Searchable reference. It’s much easier to search for specific meeting content in written form. Command F is your friend!
• Versatility. You can easily repurpose transcribed meeting content into other educational or training materials.
• Accessibility. Basic web accessibility guidelines dictate that transcription is an essential service for making online content accessible to everyone.
• Better SEO. If you’re posting your interview or podcast, a text file of the conversation is much better for your site’s SEO than a recording, which doesn’t help at all.

Is Google Meet Transcription Free?

Google transcription is not free, as it requires a paid Google Meet account. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to use an outside transcription service. Some of those offer a free option, but usually for limited minutes.

What About Google Hangouts?

Google Hangouts, the text, video, and voice chat app that came with every Gmail account, was discontinued in 2022. All the same services are still available from Google, though. Google Chat is essentially the text-based part of Hangouts, while Google Meet is now the go-to app for those who want to record a Google Hangout session.

VoiceHub Is a More Accurate Alternative to Google Transcriptions

If you’re going to transcribe your Google Meet sessions (or any other video conferencing sessions), you want to use the best audio transcription software available. And when it comes to accuracy, Rev VoiceHub has proven to be more reliable than Otter, Trint, and, yes, Google Meet. Rev VoiceHub can provide transcription that is 99% accurate, making it the most reliable transcription available.

Accurate transcription ensures that what was said in the meeting is what was recorded in text, and saves you from having to make comprehensive edits. Voicehub will also summarize your meetings and point out highlights and important information. Heck, VoiceHub’s Notetaker will even attend the meeting for you so you don’t even have to be there to hit “record.” That’s efficiency!