Transcription App

An AI-Powered Transcription App

6. Working with transcripts

Use this tutorial after a file is transcribed. It explains how to review, edit, label, search, import, export, and save transcripts safely and efficiently.

What you will learn

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to:

  • Understand how transcript segments are structured and displayed
  • Edit text directly in the transcript
  • Use the segment popup to edit timestamps and speakers
  • Add, remove, and reorder segments
  • Review and rename speaker labels consistently
  • Search across segments by keyword
  • Save changes properly and export the right formats
  • Avoid common lost-edits situations

Before you start

  • Your file status shows Transcribed.
  • You have opened the transcript by clicking the file card.
  • You can see the transcript list with segments.

If the file is not transcribed yet, see 5. How to transcribe a file first.

1) Understand the transcript layout

A transcript is displayed as a list of segments. Each segment is a row containing a start time, end time, speaker label, and text. The toolbar above the segments gives you access to all editing tools. The media player lets you play back the file while reviewing.

Choosing the right view

  • Use Text View (in the toolbar) for long reading sessions, proofreading, and cleaning up grammar. In Text View, TXT and DOC exports group consecutive same-speaker blocks.
  • Use the default segment view for timestamp corrections, speaker changes, and subtitle alignment work.

Play on click

The Play on click toggle in the toolbar controls what happens when you click a segment. When enabled, clicking a segment seeks and plays audio from that segment’s start time. When disabled, clicking opens the segment popup without jumping playback. Turn Play on click ON for timing checks and OFF when doing long text edits.

2) Edit segment text

Click inside a segment text field, edit the text directly, then click outside the segment or continue to the next one. This is the fastest way to correct spelling, punctuation, and wording.

3) Use the segment popup

Click a segment to open the segment popup. This is where detailed editing happens. From the popup you can:

  • Edit timestamps (expand the Timestamps section)
  • Change the speaker label (expand the Speaker section)
  • Add a segment above or below
  • Delete the segment
  • Use « Change all speakers » to apply a new speaker name to every segment with the same old label

Click « Save Segment » to apply popup changes.

4) Add new segments

  • Click « Add Segment » in the toolbar to append a blank segment at the end.
  • Use « Add Segment Above » in the segment popup to insert a segment before the current one.
  • Use « Add Segment Below » in the segment popup to insert a segment after the current one.

5) Save edits

Depending on your settings, the app may autosave after edits. You can always click the Save icon in the toolbar to save manually. If you leave with unsaved changes, the app warns you first.

When editing through the segment popup, click « Save Segment » first to commit the popup changes, then click the Save icon in the toolbar to persist everything to disk.

You can toggle autosave in Settings > Transcription. See 8. Guide to Settings.

6) Adjust timestamps

  1. Click a segment to open the segment popup.
  2. Expand the Timestamps section.
  3. Edit the Start Time and End Time.
  4. Use the media player to check the timing.
  5. Click « Save Segment », then click the Save icon.

Tip: Enable Play on click to verify that the audio starts at exactly the right point when you click a segment.

7) Manage speakers

Use Speaker Recognition (automatic speaker labeling)

  1. Click « Speaker Recognition » in the toolbar.
  2. Review the recognition settings.
  3. Run the analysis and wait for it to complete.
  4. Review the segment speaker labels.

Note: Running Speaker Recognition resets existing speaker labels and applies new ones. The app recommends labeling at least 3 segments per speaker before running for better matching. See 7. Guide to speaker recognition for full details.

Rename speaker labels manually

  1. Click a segment to open the segment popup.
  2. Expand the Speaker section.
  3. Update the speaker label.
  4. To rename every segment with the same label, use « Change all speakers ».
  5. Click « Save Segment », then click the Save icon.

Other speaker toolbar buttons

  • Merge Speakers — merges consecutive segments with the same speaker after confirmation.
  • Reset Speakers — clears all speaker labels and speaker-profile data after confirmation.

8) Tagging and coding: use Qualitativist

Tags, the tag manager and advanced search are no longer part of Transcription App. If you need to code your transcripts with a codebook, retrieve coded passages or combine search rules with AND and OR, use Qualitativist, our qualitative research suite built on the same private, on-device transcription.

9) Search and navigate

Click « Search » in the toolbar to open Filter Segments. Enter a keyword and, if needed, filter by speaker. Click « Search » to run. Click « Reset Search » in the toolbar to clear the active filter and restore normal navigation.

You can also search across all transcripts in the project from the project header. See 4. Projects and how to create one.

10) Export the transcript

Click « Export » in the toolbar.

  • .txt — plain text, good for quick sharing or copying into another tool.
  • .srt / .vtt — subtitle formats with timing. Quality improves after timestamp cleanup.
  • .doc — Word-compatible HTML, good for sharing with colleagues.
  • .json — full structured export with text, timing and speakers. The most complete format.

Safe export workflow: finish a round of edits, click the Save icon, then export immediately as a backup.

Note: Exports to .txt, .srt and .json are free. Word (.doc) exports and WebVTT (.vtt) subtitle exports require a subscription. See 3. Getting a subscription.

11) Import a transcript

Use « Import » in the toolbar to replace the current transcript editor content with an imported file.

Supported formats: .srt, .vtt, .txt, .doc, .html, .json.

  • SRT / VTT — timing is preserved if valid.
  • TXT / DOC / HTML — extracted text becomes synthetic timed segments.
  • JSON — segments can preserve text, timing and speaker if the file structure matches.

Important: Import replaces the current editor content. The change is not permanent until you save. Always export a backup before importing. Import is available in free mode and is intended for open media transcripts only.

12) Quality checklist

  • Speaker names are consistent
  • Timestamps line up with audio
  • The transcript is saved (Save icon)
  • The transcript is exported in the format you need