How long does a transcript take?
These are historical measurements from 2026-09-14 using only whisper-tiny.en. They do not measure the current language-detection plus English-transcription workflow, and exclude Instagram lookup and media download.
| Audio length | Historical wall-clock time | Historical model load |
|---|
| 11 s | 16.89 s | included |
| 11 s | 6.49 s | already in memory |
| 30 s | 8.98 s | already in memory |
| 60 s | 16.06 s | already in memory |
| 120 s | 28.58 s | already in memory |
In the historical test, the first run included model loading; subsequent runs retained the English model in memory. Current jobs release that instance before language detection, so a resource cache hit still requires initialization. Wall-clock time is not CPU time, and subtracting two runs does not isolate download or initialization time.
One machine, one WASM browser, one run per historical data point. Audio clips were constructed from a repeated public JFK recording. These rows do not predict today's end-to-end time, other devices or other recording content.
Sources: historical raw CSV · current two-model measurements (2026-10-14) · method, environment and limitations.
How an Instagram transcript generator works
A written post description is not a speech transcript. If playable video cannot be fetched, no transcript is created; upload a saved video or try another public Reel. SRT and VTT export require non-empty speech cues with complete valid start and end times.
Instagram to text means turning the spoken words in a public Reel or an uploaded recording into readable text with timestamps. Paste a public Instagram URL, or upload a file from your device, then copy the result or download it as TXT, SRT or VTT.
For a public Reel workflow, use the Instagram Reels Transcript guide. For a saved video, use Instagram Video to Text. You can also start with the Instagram Transcript Generator or the Reels to Text tool.
Cancel and retry
Only one transcription task can run at a time. While processing, input controls are locked. Cancel processing aborts the active link lookup or media download. A model download or local audio/model operation already in progress may need to finish first; its result is discarded before another task can start.
If a task fails or is cancelled, Try the same input again reuses the selected file or submitted URL in this tab. Selecting a different input clears that retry target. Inputs are not saved as a server-side history.
Instagram lookup has a 60-second timeout and media download has a 120-second timeout, including reading the response body. These limits do not apply to model loading or speech recognition.
FAQ
How do I transcribe an Instagram Reel?
Paste a public Instagram Reel or video post URL above, or upload a downloaded video. The speech recognition runs in your browser and returns timestamped text.
Does InstaScript support non-English audio?
Speech recognition supports English only. Detected non-English speech is rejected; an uncertain or failed language check stops processing with a separate error and creates no transcript.
Do I need an account?
No. You can start without registration, and results can be copied or downloaded as TXT, SRT or VTT.
Recommended
ElevenLabs — an AI voice generator and text-to-speech studio for creators who want to turn written scripts into narration. A free tier is available to try.
This homepage includes an affiliate link; a qualifying ElevenLabs signup may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Review and edit your transcript
After transcription, replay the original recording with the player and click a timestamp to seek to a cue. Edit the words in each cue; Copy, TXT, SRT and VTT use your edits. When every cue has complete valid timing, choose Open in Subtitle Editor to change timing in another tab. Recording playback depends on your browser codec support. Subtitle Editor receives your transcript and recording locally between same-origin tabs; no project is saved.
Export your edited transcript
In the shared transcription tool, Copy and TXT use your edited words. They are plain text by default; enable Include timestamps in TXT, Markdown and Copy to add available start times. This option does not run speech recognition again. SRT, VTT and Open in Subtitle Editor require non-empty cue text and complete valid start/end times. Missing end times are not estimated. If timing is incomplete, keep the recording for review and copy or download TXT instead.
Search your current transcript
After transcription, use Find in this transcript to search your latest edited words. Previous and Next move between occurrences; the preview highlights one match. Choose Edit this match to select its text, or play its cue when a recording and start time are available. Enter moves forward, Shift+Enter moves back, and Escape in the search box clears the query.
Search is literal, ignores ASCII letter case, and stays inside each cue in your current tab. It does not upload or save your query, change subtitle timing, or alter exports.
Export Markdown notes
Choose Markdown to save a .md note with a title and your latest edited words, one paragraph per speech cue (or the available untimed text). Include timestamps in TXT, Markdown and Copy adds only available start times; missing times are not estimated. Markdown punctuation and HTML-like words are escaped as text. The note is built in your browser without uploading content or adding it to a history. This exports a transcript, not an AI summary.