So ChatGPT definitely cannot do it?

As of today it is not something to rely on, and this is exactly the kind of thing that changes. Its file handling and audio support vary by plan and by platform, so check your own account. What we can say is that it is not a transcription service, and a workflow built on it being one is fragile.

What should I do instead?

Transcribe the MP4 first, then bring the text to ChatGPT. That splits the job at the right seam: a transcription service produces the transcript, and ChatGPT reasons over text, which is what it is for.

Can WhipScribe take an MP4 directly?

Yes. Upload the video file and the audio in it is transcribed. One file up to 5 GB and up to 12 hours, language detected automatically out of 99. You can also paste a public video link instead of uploading.

Which export should I paste into ChatGPT?

TXT for plain text you are going to paste. JSON if a script is going to read it first. SRT and VTT are for captions rather than for a chat window, and DOCX is for editing in a word processor.

Will the transcript be labelled by speaker for ChatGPT to use?

No. WhipScribe does not label speakers or separate who said what, so the text you paste is the spoken words without attribution. Any tool reading it, ChatGPT included, is working from that.

Is there a cost to get the transcript?

The first transcript is free at any length, with no card and no account needed to start. The second is $0.99, once per email address. After that, packs are $8 / 1,000 minutes, $12 / 2,000 minutes and $24 / 5,000 minutes, and the minutes do not expire.

Can ChatGPT transcribe an MP4?

As of today — and this changes — no. ChatGPT is not a transcription service: it will not reliably take an MP4 and hand back a transcript of its audio, and what it accepts varies by plan and platform. Check your own plan. The dependable route is to transcribe the MP4 elsewhere, then bring the text to ChatGPT.

Why this answer has a date on it

ChatGPT's file handling and audio support have changed repeatedly, and they differ between plans and between the web, desktop and mobile apps. Any specific limit written down today can be wrong next month.

So treat the answer above as true as of today and check your own plan before you build a workflow on it. What has stayed true is the shape of the thing: ChatGPT is a place to reason about text, not a service built to turn a video file into an accurate transcript of its audio.

The route that works

Transcribe the MP4 with something built for it, then paste or upload the transcript into ChatGPT and work with it there. Text is what ChatGPT is good at, and a transcript is text.

This also survives the next change to ChatGPT's file handling, because the transcription step does not depend on it.

Doing the transcription step with WhipScribe

Upload the MP4 — video is fine, the audio is what gets transcribed. One file up to 5 GB and up to 12 hours. The language is detected automatically out of 99. Processing usually runs about two minutes of wall clock per hour of audio.

Export as TXT and paste it into ChatGPT, or as JSON if something else is going to read it first. Transcripts are never used to train AI.

Or skip the round trip

Much of what people take a transcript to ChatGPT for is already written alongside it: an overview, the takeaways, chapters, and key quotes with the timestamp each sits at. There is also a chat over the transcript itself, which answers from the recording rather than from a pasted excerpt of it.

That is worth knowing before you paste three hours of text into a chat window and start trimming it to fit.

What it costs to do the transcription

First transcript free at any length, no card and no account needed to start. Second $0.99, once per email address. Then $8 / 1,000 minutes, $12 / 2,000 minutes, or $24 / 5,000 minutes, one-time, with minutes that do not expire. Workspace is $19/month for unlimited transcription on the web app.

How to do it

Check what your own ChatGPT plan currently accepts — this changes.
Transcribe the MP4 with a transcription service rather than in the chat window.
Export the transcript as TXT, or as JSON for another tool to read.
Paste or upload the text into ChatGPT and ask your questions there.
Or read the overview, takeaways and chapters written alongside the transcript first.