# When a transcription fails

> Why a recording might not get transcribed, and how to try again.

Web page: https://noteclearly.com/en/help/transcription-failed/  
Help center: https://noteclearly.com/en/help/  
Updated: 2026-10-22

Now and then a recording can't be transcribed. The note says **Transcription failed** and why, and you get a notification. The recording itself is kept for 7 days, so you can try again.

## What the message means

- **The transcription service could not be reached.** A temporary problem on our side. NoteClearly retries on its own first; if it still fails, click **Try again** in a little while.
- **The transcription service could not process the recording.** Try again; if it fails again, [contact us](https://noteclearly.com/en/contact/).
- **The recording could not be read. It may be empty or damaged.** The audio may be silent (a muted or wrong microphone) or the file broken. Check your microphone (see [Microphone problems](https://noteclearly.com/en/help/microphone-problems/)), or export the file again from the app that made it.
- **The recording is no longer available.** It has been more than 7 days, so the audio has been deleted. Record it again or upload the file again.

## Try again

Open the note and click **Try again**. A failed transcription isn't counted toward your monthly minutes.

## Notes stuck on "Queued" or "Transcribing"

A note waits in **Queued** while others are transcribed before it, and longer recordings take longer - an hour of audio can take a few minutes. If a note is still not done after an hour, [contact us](https://noteclearly.com/en/contact/) and tell us roughly when you recorded it.