Ever struggled to remember key details from a Zoom meeting? Or needed an accurate transcript of a recorded session for later reference? Transcribing Zoom meetings and recordings helps capture important discussions, improve documentation, and ensure nothing gets lost in conversation.
Zoom offers built-in transcription features, but they come with accuracy limitations and restricted access based on plan type. If you need precise, AI-powered transcriptions with real-time captions and smart summaries, Krisp provides a more efficient alternative.
In this guide, we’ll explore:
How to enable Zoom’s native transcription
How to transcribe live meetings and recordings using Krisp
A comparison of Krisp vs. Zoom transcription features
Best practices for more accurate transcripts
What is Zoom Transcription?
Zoom transcription is the process of converting spoken words from a Zoom meeting into text, either in real-time or after the meeting ends. It helps participants capture discussions, review key points, and create accurate meeting records.
Zoom offers two types of transcription:
Live transcription – Displays captions in real-time during a meeting.
Post-meeting transcription – Generates a transcript after the meeting from a recorded session.
Both transcription methods are available within Zoom, but they come with limitations in accuracy, availability, and usability. AI-powered tools like Krisp provide a more reliable and efficient alternative.
If you’re using a Zoom Pro, Business, or Enterprise plan, you can turn on Zoom’s built-in live transcription with just a few clicks. Here’s how:
Sign in to your Zoom account at zoom.us.
Go to Settings > Meeting > In Meeting (Advanced).
Scroll down and find “Automated captions” – toggle it on.
(Optional) Enable “Full transcript” if you want a running transcript alongside the captions.
When you start a meeting, click “Live Transcript” in the toolbar and select “Enable”.
How to Transcribe a Zoom Meeting for Free with Krisp
Transcribing a Zoom meeting with Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant is a simple and efficient way to capture accurate meeting notes. Follow these steps to enable real-time transcription and post-meeting summaries effortlessly.
Step 1: Set Up Krisp for Zoom
Download and install Krisp on your computer.
Sign in to your Krisp account.
In Zoom’s audio settings, set Krisp as the microphone and speaker to enable noise cancellation and clear transcription.
Step 2: Start a Zoom Meeting with Krisp Transcription
Open Zoom and start your meeting as usual.
In Krisp, click on the Transcript feature to enable it before or during the meeting.
Zoom meetings are essential for remote work, but they often come with challenges like background noise, unclear audio, and the need for accurate transcription. Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant enhances your Zoom experience by providing crystal-clear audio, real-time transcription, and AI-generated meeting summaries—helping you stay focused and productive.
Here’s how Krisp takes your Zoom meetings to the next level:
1. AI-Powered Noise Cancellation for Clearer Communication
One of the biggest distractions in virtual meetings is background noise—whether it’s keyboard typing, barking dogs, or street traffic. Krisp eliminates unwanted noise in real time, ensuring that only your voice is heard clearly. In addition to standard noise cancellation, Krisp also includes background voice cancellation—a feature that filters out other people speaking around you, even if they’re close by. This is especially useful in shared spaces, busy homes, or open offices.
Removes background noise from your microphone and incoming audio
Cancels background voices with Krisp Pro and Free plans
Works with any headset, microphone, or speaker
No additional hardware needed—just enable Krisp and start speaking
2. Real-Time Transcription for Effortless Meeting Notes
Instead of struggling to take notes while participating in a discussion, Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant automatically transcribes your Zoom meetings with high accuracy.
Speaker identification to clarify who said what
Editable transcripts for easy review and correction
Searchable text to find key points quickly
3. AI-Generated Summaries to Save Time
After a long meeting, reviewing the full transcript can be overwhelming. Krisp AI Note Taker summarizes key takeaways, action items, and decisions so you don’t have to.
Saves time by providing quick insights without reading the entire transcript
4. Screen Recording for Meetings (Audio & Video)
With Krisp’s built-in recording feature, you can capture both audio and video of your Zoom meetings and transcribe them later. This is perfect for reviewing discussions, training sessions, and documentation.
Records audio and video in high quality
Automatically syncs with Krisp’s transcription feature
No need for third-party recording tools
5. Seamless Integration with Zoom and Other Tools
Krisp works alongside Zoom without extra setup, making it an effortless addition to your workflow.
You can transcribe a Zoom meeting for free using third-party meeting transcription services like Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant.
You can do an audio transcription through Zoom’s native cloud transcription services if you have a paid account. However, you can also rely on third-party tools like Krisp to do an audio transcription of all your audio Zoom recordings.
Yes, you can get a transcript of a Zoom meeting if you are on a paid Zoom plan. If your cloud recording and transcription are turned on, you will get a link to the transcription in your email shortly after the meeting. Alternatively, you can access the transcription on your Zoom web portal.
Yes, with Krisp, you can get a transcription of your Zoom meeting without recording it, as Krisp transcribes the audio in real-time.
Yes, Zoom transcription is secure as it uses encryption and secure access control to protect your data. Krisp also ensures security by using advanced encryption and privacy measures to protect your transcriptions.
Zoom typically takes about twice as long to transcribe as your meeting lasts. So, an hour-long meeting might take about 2 hours to transcribe. Processing times may vary. In contrast, Krisp provides transcripts immediately after the meeting ends.
