On this page, you will learn how to use MAXQDA Transcription for automatic transcription as a standalone web application without a MAXQDA license.
Do you have a MAXQDA license?
Then please follow the instructions for automatic transcription directly in MAXQDA.
With MAXQDA Transcription, you can automatically create transcripts from audio and video files, such as individual interviews, group discussions, or speeches. Thanks to AI-powered automatic transcription, you save time and can focus more on the content and subsequent analysis of the transcripts.
MAXQDA Transcription supports over 50 different languages. A complete list is provided at the end of this chapter.
Preparation
To use MAXQDA transcription, you need a MAXQDA account and some transcription time credits:
- Create a MAXQDA account
Create a free MAXQDA account on this website if you don't already have one (if you previously created a TeamCloud account, it has been automatically converted to a MAXQDA account, and you can skip this step).
- Purchase and Redeem Transcription Time
- Purchase additional transcription time on this website if needed. You will receive a code via email, which you can redeem in step 5.
- Log in to your MAXQDA Account.
- Click the Online Transcripts button.
- Then click the Redeem button.
- Enter the code and click Redeem again.
The time credits will be immediately loaded to your account and will be available for use. The new budget will be displayed in the top right corner, next to "Available:". If it does not appear, please refresh the page.
Transcription via the MAXQDA Transcription website
Once you have created a MAXQDA account and, if necessary, purchased additional transcription time, you can start the transcription process.
To do this, open the MAXQDA-Transcription website and log in with your MAXQDA account if you are not already logged in.
Step 1: Upload media file
To automatically transcribe an audio or video file, click the Upload Audio/Video File button. The following dialog will appear:

Drag one or more audio or video files into the dialog with your mouse, or click in the upper area to open a file dialog.
Step 2: Select transcription options
- Select the Language of the recordings. Note that recordings with mixed languages cannot be transcribed, except for recordings with Spanish and English.
- For English, you can also choose to have Filler Words like "um" and "hmm" transcribed. This option is not available for other languages.
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Under Add Custom Vocabulary, you can enter words and phrases that occur in the recording but are rarely used in general language. This increases the recognition accuracy for specialized vocabulary, and allows you to control how MAXQDA Transcription writes these words and phrases. To further improve accuracy, you can specify how they sound by adding phonetic spelling in parentheses, e.g., “NGO(en.ji.o.)”.
Step 3: Start the transcription process
Start the transcription by clicking the "Start Transcription" button. The audio and video files will then be uploaded to the MAXQDA server via an encrypted connection, and the transcription process will begin.
All your started transcriptions are displayed in a clear table. In the "Status" column, you can see the progress of the transcription process and the remaining time. Transcription takes approximately one-third of the media file's duration, meaning a one-hour interview will take about 20 minutes to transcribe.

Step 4: Download transcripts
- Once the transcription job is complete, you can download the transcripts by clicking the Download Transcript button.
- You will find the transcripts in your Downloads folder with the same name as the media file, but now in DOCX format for Word.
- Your transcripts will be automatically deleted 7 days after the first download. You can also manually delete a transcript at any time within the 7-day period by clicking the trash can icon.
Step 5: Import transcripts into MAXQDA (optional)
Transcripts you receive from MAXQDA Transcription are excellent for integration into MAXQDA. You can import the downloaded transcripts into an open MAXQDA project as follows:
- Drag the Word document from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder directly into the Documents window.
Or click on the Import menu tab, select Transcripts, and then choose From MAXQDA Transcription from the drop-down menu. - MAXQDA will now ask if you also want to import the associated audio or video file into the MAXQDA project. If you agree, you can select the media file, and MAXQDA will link both files using the timestamps contained in the transcript.
If you have already imported the media file into a MAXQDA project and later want to assign a transcript to the media file, no problem: Right-click on the imported audio or video file in the Documents window and select Import Existing Transcript from the context menu of the document.
What transcription rules are applied?
- Automatic speaker detection:
Each speaker contribution is placed in a single paragraph, with automatically detected speakers labeled using an abbreviation (S1, S2, S3, etc.). - Timestamps:
Each speaker contribution is tagged with a timestamp that allows for easy listening to invidual passages. - Pause transcription:
(.) = 1 second
(..) = 2 seconds
(...) = 3 seconds
Pauses longer than three seconds are indicated numerically, for example, (6) for a pause of 6 seconds.
Although the automatic speaker detection is very precise in most cases, it may not always correctly identify a change in speakers, especially for short interjections by another person.
The quality of speaker detection largely depends on the recording quality—the better the recording, the more reliable the results.
As with human transcription services, it is important to review the automatically generated transcript for accuracy.
Tips for best AI transcription results
- Use a high-quality microphone or recording device.
- Ensure high audio quality with minimal background noise.
- Avoid overlapping speech to improve accuracy.
- In group recordings, ensure all speakers are audible.
How does MAXQDA ensure the security and privacy of my data?
At VERBI, data protection is a top priority. We implement strict security measures to safeguard customer data and comply with all relevant laws and regulations. We continuously update our policies to ensure the highest data protection standards.
- Server security: Audio or video files you automatically transcribe in MAXQDA or via the MAXQDA Transcription website are processed exclusively on GDPR-compliant servers in the Netherlands and Germany. Please refer to this page for more details about third-party providers processing data and server locations.
- Data usage: Your audio and video files are used exclusively for speech recognition and not for any other purposes.
- Data deletion: Your audio and video files are deleted immediately from the server after the transcription is completed. The generated transcripts are automatically deleted seven days after you downloaded them first. You can delete previously downloaded transcripts at any time, even before the seven-day period expires in the table listing your transcription jobs.
- User data protection: No personal data from your user account is sent to AI models.
- Encrypted data transmission: We ensure that your information remains secure during transfer by using only encrypted connections.
Supported languages
MAXQDA Transcription supports the automatic transcription of German dialects spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland ("Swiss German"). Transcriptions of these dialects are provided in standard German. The accuracy of recognition depends, among other factors, on the prevalence of a dialect.
English (AUS, UK, US) |
Greek |
Portuguese |
Arabic |
Hebrew |
Romanian |
Basque |
Hindi |
Russian |
Belarusian |
Hungarian |
Slovakian |
Bulgarian |
Interlingua |
Slovenian |
Cantonese |
Italian |
Spanish |
Catalan |
Indonesian |
Swedish |
Croatian |
Japanese |
Tamil |
Czech |
Korean |
Thai |
Danish |
Latvian |
Turkish |
Dutch |
Lithuanian |
Uyghur |
Esperanto |
Malay |
Ukrainian |
Estonian |
Mandarin (simplified, traditional) |
Vietnamese |
Finnish |
Marathi |
Welsh |
French |
Mongolian |
Mixed English and Spanish |
Galician |
Norwegian |
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German (AT, CH, DE) |
Polish |
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