Upload audio files on the web

On the web, drag audio files from your computer anywhere onto Canto — an overlay appears saying Drop audio to import — and drop them. You can drop several at once; as the overlay says, "Each file becomes a recording", with its own transcript, speakers, and AI notes.

How do I upload files?

Two ways:

• Drag and drop — drag files from your file manager over the Canto window and release when the Drop audio to import overlay appears. This works from anywhere in the app.
• Import audio button — click it on the home screen and pick files with the system dialog.

Either way, each file starts uploading immediately and shows up in your library, moving through Uploading, Processing, and Transcribing to Ready — see How does Canto process recordings?

Keep the tab open until uploads finish. Once a file shows Transcribing, the cloud has it and you can close the tab.

What about multiple files?

Drop them all together. They upload in parallel and each becomes a separate recording — Canto never merges files. That makes the web the right place to migrate a backlog: a folder of old voice memos or interview files becomes a searchable, chattable library in one drag. Untitled files are named "Imported recording" until the AI titles them from their content.

Which formats work?

m4a, mp4 (audio), aac, mp3, wav, ogg, oga, opus, flac, webm, and caf — which covers the voice-note formats messaging apps export — up to 1 GB per file. A file Canto can't recognise as audio fails with an import error naming the file; other files in the same drop still go through.

Do uploads count against my free minutes?

Yes — every transcribed minute counts, recorded or uploaded. The free plan includes 100 min / mo per month, so a bulk import can hit the limit; files over it wait untranscribed until you upgrade or the month resets. See Why is my recording locked or not transcribed?

FAQ

Can I upload from my phone's browser?

Use the apps instead — they take shared files from any app, which is the natural path on a phone. See Import audio files on iOS and Android

Where do uploaded recordings go?

Into your library, synced to all your devices like any recording. To file them, see Move recordings

The language of my file isn't English — anything to set?

No. Transcription detects the spoken language per file automatically.