Why does my long audio fail to upload? three limits and a connection, checked in order.
Most failed long uploads hit one of three lines: a file over 5 GB or 10 hours, a file over 2 GB before the account has its first pack, or a connection that drops before the last byte arrives. Keep each file inside those limits (an audio-only export puts even a 10-hour recording near 290 to 580 MB) and the transcript follows at about 2 minutes per audio hour, first 20 minutes free, with a 4-hour file using 240 minutes of the $6 pack of 500.
Work through it in order
Size, length, connection, then the file itself.
The size lines
There are three numbers to know. The upload box on this page accepts files up to 500 MB; anything larger, up to 5 GB, goes through the upload page. Before the first pack is on an account, files over 2 GB wait, and they start the moment a pack is added. Your file manager shows the exact size in a second.
The connection
A big file is only as fast as your upstream speed. At 10 Mbps up, a 3 GB video needs about 40 minutes just to travel, and a laptop that sleeps or a phone that locks its screen halfway can end the transfer. Keep the tab open and the device awake until the progress bar completes.
The file itself
A file that shows in a synced folder may only be a placeholder until the cloud copy is downloaded to the device. An export that is still being written, or an editor project file rather than the media, will also refuse to go. Play the last minute of the file before you send it; if it plays, it can be transcribed.
Skip the upload altogether
If the recording already lives online, a link avoids your connection completely. YouTube, including live replays, Vimeo, Twitch and Kick VODs, Google Drive share links and folders, and podcast or RSS feeds are fetched directly; stream recordings over 6 hours start once a pack is on the account.
Symptom and fix
Each common failure has a plain cause.
✗ What you see
The symptoms people report with long files.
- The bar freezes at the same point
- A message about the file being too large
- A 3 GB file that will not start
- The upload dies when the laptop sleeps
- A synced file that never begins
- A recording past the 10-hour mark
✓ What to do
The fix that matches each one.
- Re-export the file and try once more
- Use the main upload page above 500 MB
- Add a pack, and files to 5 GB start
- Keep the device awake until it finishes
- Download the cloud copy to the device first
- Cut it in two at a natural pause
Sample output
Once it lands, hour six reads like hour one.
Illustrative lines invented for this page, not from a real recording, from late in a long training day that uploaded on the second try.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $6 (500 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$6/500 min
8 hours of audio — $0.72 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 500 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$12/2,000 min
33 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 2,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$24/5,000 min
83 hours of audio — $0.29 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 5,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
Questions about failed uploads.
Why does my long audio file fail to upload?
Check size first: over 5 GB is too large for one file, and over 2 GB waits until a pack is on the account. Then length, where 10 hours is the ceiling. If both are fine, the cause is usually the connection dropping or a file that is not fully on the device.
Why does the upload stop at the same percentage every time?
A repeat stop at one point usually means the file is damaged near that spot, often from an export that was cut short. Export it again from the original, or convert it to M4A or MP3, and upload the fresh copy.
Can I upload from my phone?
Yes, but a phone locks its screen and pauses the browser, which can end a long transfer. Keep the screen on while it uploads, use Wi-Fi rather than mobile data for anything over a few hundred megabytes, or upload the same file from a computer.
My work network blocks large uploads. What now?
Some office networks and VPNs cut long transfers. Try from another network, or put the file in Google Drive, share it by link and paste the link here, so the transfer never runs through your own connection.
What does it cost once the upload works?
Minutes follow the running time. A 4-hour file uses 240 minutes of the $6 pack of 500; nine such files in a month, 2,160 minutes, need the $24 pack of 5,000. The first 20 minutes on a first visit are free.
Can I delete a recording after a failed or finished upload?
You can delete any recording, with its transcript, from your account whenever you choose. Everything that does arrive is transcribed on our own servers and never used for training.
Related
Related help.
Upload sorted? Send it again and watch it run.
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