# Claude: Summarize a Meeting Transcript Step by Step > Upload or paste a meeting transcript into Claude and get a summary, decisions, action items with owners and dates, and open questions. Copy the request. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/claude-summarize-meeting-transcript · Updated 2026-10-16 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Quick answer To summarize a [meeting transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/meeting-transcript) in [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude), attach the transcript file or paste the text, then send a request for a short summary, the decisions, an [action items](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/action-items) table with an owner and due date, and open questions. Add one rule: use only what is in the transcript, and write "Not stated" when an owner or date is missing. The free [Summarize a Meeting Transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) lesson practices exactly this request, in ChatGPT, and [Your first chat with Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial) shows Claude's upload menu. Last updated October 16, 2026 [Take the free module →](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/intro-to-ai-automation/3)Module 3 of the free [Intro to AI Automation](https://learn.ynteractive.com/courses/intro-to-ai-automation) course, about 9 minutes. No account needed. By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 16, 2026 · Updated October 16, 2026 · 5 min read Claude · Meetings This guide covers the request, the two ways to give Claude the transcript, what Claude's help center says about file limits, and what to check before you send a recap. ## What request should I send Claude with a meeting transcript? Ask for four named things and add the "Not stated" rule. A vague "summarize this" returns a friendly paragraph that retells the meeting. A request with sections returns something people can act on. Copy this and paste the transcript under it: ```text You're my assistant for our team. Below is the transcript of today's meeting. Give me: 1. A three-sentence summary 2. The decisions we made 3. The action items as a table: task, owner, due date 4. Open questions Only use what's in the transcript. If an owner or date isn't said, write "Not stated". ``` This is the same request used in the [ChatGPT version](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/meeting-transcript-to-action-items), where it is explained line by line. The wording is not tied to one tool, so it works in Claude too. We have not tested Claude's output for this guide, so read the result against your transcript instead of assuming it is right. ## How do I give Claude the transcript: upload or paste? Either works. Pasting is quick when the transcript is already open as a Google Doc. Uploading is easier when someone sent you a file. According to Claude's help center, you attach a file with the **+** button in the chat box, or drag and drop it into the window. The help article names the menu item **Add files or photos**; the [Check a contract for red flags with Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/check-a-contract-for-red-flags-with-claude) lesson shows it as **Upload or add files**, so menu wording can differ. Claude's help center lists these document types: PDF, DOCX, CSV, TXT, HTML, ODT, RTF, EPUB, JSON and XLSX. It does not list **.vtt**, the caption format some meeting tools export. If your transcript is a .vtt file, open it, copy the text and paste it, or save the text as a TXT or DOCX file first. For non-PDF files, Claude extracts the text only. If you paste, remember that plain Enter sends the message. Press Shift+Enter for a new line, then paste. ## What are Claude's upload limits? The help center gives these limits for chat uploads: up to 500MB per file and up to 20 files per chat. Files added to a project have a 30MB per-file cap, and the total content of project files must fit the context window. A one-hour meeting transcript is far below these limits. A very long one may still need to be split, for example one file per meeting. ## How do I check the summary before I send it? Read the action items table first, then compare names, dates and amounts with the transcript. Anything that says "Not stated" is Claude following your rule instead of guessing. Fill it in with one short message, such as "The library quote is due Wednesday, and Luis will call about the oven today," and ask Claude to update the table. Then ask for the follow-up in the same chat: "Write a short, friendly recap email to the team with the decisions and action items, under 150 words." Claude still has the whole meeting, so you do not paste anything again. Read the email before you send it from your own account. Client meetings need more care. Check your company's rules on AI tools before you paste, use a plan your company has approved, and leave out account numbers and anything private. The contract lesson points to the model-training setting under **Settings** then **Privacy** in Claude. ## How can I reuse this in a Claude project? Save the request as project instructions so you do not paste it every time. In [Claude Projects: your business, remembered](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-projects-tutorial), you create a project, write instructions for tone and policies, and add files as project knowledge. A "Meeting recaps" project can hold the request above, so each new chat only needs the transcript. ## Which free meeting lessons can I practice with? Start with [Summarize a Meeting Transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript), then try the version closest to your work: - [Summarize a Client Meeting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-client-meeting-recap-accounting-firm) for an accounting firm's client review. - [Turn a Board Meeting into Minutes and Next Steps](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/nonprofit-board-meeting-recap) for a nonprofit board. - [Run a Weekly Ops Review Where Every Task Has an Owner](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-weekly-operations-meeting-recap) for vendor and operations meetings. - [Turn Every Policy Review into Clear Next Steps](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-policy-review-meeting-recap-insurance-agency) for an insurance agency. More on this topic: the Teams side is in [Microsoft Copilot in Teams: Meeting Recap](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/copilot-teams-meeting-recap), a fill-in format is in the [AI meeting minutes template](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ai-meeting-minutes-template), and the glossary explains the [meeting transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/meeting-transcript) itself. ## Key takeaways - Send Claude a named request: summary, decisions, an action items table with owner and due date, and open questions. - Add "Only use what's in the transcript" and "Not stated" so Claude does not guess owners or dates. - Claude's help center lists TXT, DOCX and PDF among supported files, and does not list .vtt, so paste caption text. - Chat uploads allow up to 20 files and 500MB per file, per Claude's help center. - Check every owner, date and number against the transcript before a recap leaves your hands. ## Frequently asked questions **Can Claude summarize a meeting transcript?** Yes. Attach the transcript or paste it, and ask for a summary, decisions, action items and open questions. Check the result against the transcript. **Can Claude read a .vtt transcript file?** Claude's help center does not list .vtt among supported file types. Copy the text and paste it, or save it as a TXT or DOCX file and upload that. **How long a transcript can Claude handle?** The help center gives file size and count limits for uploads, but long text also has to fit the model's context window. If a transcript is very long, split it by meeting or by topic. **Should I use ChatGPT or Claude for meeting summaries?** Use the one your company approves. The request in this guide works in either. The [four assistants lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task) shows how to test them on your own task. ## Build it yourself, free **Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT**. Paste a long meeting transcript into ChatGPT and get the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email ready to send. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/chatgpt-meeting-summary) [Or read the full step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript) ## Free lessons in this post - [Summarize a Meeting Transcript with ChatGPT](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-summarize-meeting-transcript): Paste a long meeting transcript into ChatGPT and get the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a follow-up email ready to send. - [Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial): Pick a model, attach a customer's complaint email with the + menu, write a four-part prompt, read Claude's reply, ask a follow-up, then pin and rename the chat. - [Claude Projects for Your Business: Instructions, Knowledge and Quotes](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-projects-tutorial): Create a project for your business, give it instructions for tone and policies, add your price sheet and warranty as project knowledge, and get a customer quote that… - [Turn a Board Meeting into Minutes and Next Steps for Operations](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/nonprofit-board-meeting-recap): Turn the transcript of a nonprofit board meeting into the decisions, an action items table with owners and due dates, and a recap email to the board. ## Watch it in a free lesson: Check a Contract for Red Flags with Claude ### Check a contract for red flags with Claude: video walkthrough Full walkthrough · 3:30 · with captions Upload a vendor contract, get it in plain English, find the risky clauses with the exact words quoted, draft questions for the vendor, and save the review as a project for the next one. The whole lesson narrated step by step, recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment. [Watch it with chapters and the full transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/check-a-contract-for-red-flags-with-claude#watch) From the free lesson [Check a Contract for Red Flags with Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/check-a-contract-for-red-flags-with-claude) ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Meeting transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/meeting-transcript) · [Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude) · [Action items](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/action-items) · [AI note-taker](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-note-taker) · [AI summarization](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-summarization) · [Anthropic](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/anthropic) · [Claude model picker](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude-model-picker) · [Context window](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/context-window) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## Related prompts - [Action items table prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/action-items-table-prompt): Paste a meeting transcript or rough notes and get a table of every task, owner and due date, with "Not stated" wherever nobody… - [Board meeting minutes prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/board-meeting-minutes-prompt): Copy this ChatGPT prompt to turn a board meeting transcript into formal minutes: attendees, motions, votes and action items… - [Complaint reply four-part prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/complaint-email-first-chat-prompt): A four-part prompt for your first AI chat: a role, the context, the task and the format, to reply to an unhappy customer and… - [Feedback conversation script prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/feedback-conversation-script-prompt): Plan a short, direct feedback talk with a teammate: the specific moment, why it mattered, a question to hear their side and one… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) ## More terms on this topic [Standup meeting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/standup-meeting) ## More prompts on this topic - [Meeting request email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/meeting-request-email-prompt): Ask a busy client, vendor or partner for a meeting: what it will settle, a short agenda, a set length and real times, so saying… - [Process improvement ideas prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/process-improvement-ideas-prompt): Describe how a task runs today and where it breaks, and get five specific fixes tied to real steps, with effort, risks and a way… - [Project risk register prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/project-risk-register-prompt): List what could go wrong with a project from your notes: each risk with likelihood, impact, an early warning sign, a response… ## Visual guides The same ideas as quick visual guides: swipe through the slides, or read each one as text. - [Claude First Chat: Pick a Model, Attach a File, Prompt in 5 Steps](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/your-first-chat-with-claude-in-5-steps): A visual guide to your first chat with Claude: check the model picker, attach an email with +, write a four-part prompt, follow up, then pin the chat. - [Meeting notes myth: “summarize this” is all ChatGPT needs](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/summarize-this-myth): Myth: paste a transcript, type “summarize this”, done. Fact: ask for the decisions, an action items table with owners and dates, and open questions. - [Prompt of the Day: Summarize an Email Thread for a Handoff](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual/prompt-summarize-an-email-thread): A visual prompt card: turn a long email thread into a short handoff with the situation, what was promised and each question marked Answered or Open. [All visual guides](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/visual) ## Keep reading - [AI Meeting Minutes Template (Copy and Paste)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/ai-meeting-minutes-template): A fill-in meeting minutes template plus an AI prompt that fills it from a transcript, with Not stated for gaps. Works in ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot. - [Microsoft Copilot in Teams: Meeting Recap Explained](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/copilot-teams-meeting-recap): What Copilot can do in a Teams meeting and after it, what it needs, and how to check a recap, using only Microsoft's own help pages. Free lesson links. - [Meeting Minutes vs Notes vs Summary: Which Do You Need?](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/meeting-minutes-vs-meeting-summary): Meeting minutes are the formal record, notes are your own, a summary is the short version. When to use each, with examples and ChatGPT prompts. [All blog posts](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)