Transcribe feature not working

Dear @Shelly C,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I’m sorry to hear about the issues you’re experiencing with transcription in Word. As a forum moderator, I genuinely wish I could directly access your account or delve into the backend systems to diagnose and fix this for you. However, our role here is limited to providing general guidance and solutions that can be applied by users. 
Based on your description, it seems your MP3 file might be encountering a OneDrive sync issue or encryption mismatch within the Microsoft 365 cloud service. When you upload an MP3 for transcription in Word, the file isn’t processed locally on your computer. Instead, it gets uploaded to a specific folder in your OneDrive (OneDrive > Documents > Transcribed Files), and then Word uses a cloud engine to generate the text. Here are some steps you can follow to troubleshoot the issue and resolve it:

1: Check the "Transcribed Files" Folder

If your OneDrive is full or the connection is interrupted, the transcription fails immediately.

1. Log in to OneDrive on the web.
2. Navigate to My files > Transcribed Files.
3. If the folder is missing, create it manually. If it is full, delete old audio files to clear space.
4. If your OneDrive is "Paused" or "Over quota," transcription will remain broken until you clear space.

2: Try using Word Online 

1. Go to Office.com and open Word for the Web.
2. Create a new document and try to upload your MP3 via Home > Transcribe.
3. The web version has a more direct connection to the transcription servers and often bypasses the issue occurring in the desktop app.

3: Verify the File Metadata

Sometimes an MP3 file can have "corrupt" header data that confuses the transcription engine.

• Try a different MP3 file. If a different file works, the issue is with that specific recording.
• Open your MP3 in a simple editor (like Clipchamp or Audacity) and Export it again as a fresh MP3. This "re-wraps" the file and fixes any internal data errors that were causing the transcription to fail.

Additional notes:

• File Size: Ensure the MP3 file is under 200MB.
• Monthly Quota: Most accounts have a limit of 300 minutes (5 hours) per month for transcription.
• Supported Browser: For the best results, make sure you’re using the latest version of Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.

If none of the above solutions work, let me know in the comments for further investigation. Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your reply. 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.