Why OGG shows up where it does
OGG exists because its creators wanted an audio format encumbered by no patents at all. That single decision shaped where it ended up: Linux desktops, open-source recording tools, game engines that ship thousands of sound files, Wikipedia's audio, and voice apps built by developers who did not want to license anything.
It never displaced MP3 with the general public, which means people who hold OGG files often got them without choosing the format. If a recording app or a website handed you a .ogg and other transcription tools have refused it, that is a limitation of those tools rather than anything wrong with your file.
OGG, Vorbis and Opus are not the same thing
The naming here confuses almost everyone. OGG is the container, the wrapper around the audio. Vorbis is the codec that historically went inside it. Opus is a newer codec that can also be wrapped in OGG, which is why some .ogg files are Vorbis and some are Opus even though they look identical in a file listing.
You do not need to work out which one you have. FastScribe reads the stream and handles either, and both transcribe well. If you specifically know your file is Opus, our Opus page covers what that codec does differently, though the upload process is exactly the same.
Frequently asked questions
Why did another transcription tool reject my OGG file?
Many tools support only the handful of formats their users most often upload, and OGG usually misses that list. The file is fine; it simply was not on the menu. Upload it here as it is.
Is OGG audio worse quality than MP3?
No. At the same file size Vorbis generally holds up slightly better than MP3, and neither codec is the limiting factor for transcription. Recording conditions matter far more than the format.
Can I get timestamps from an OGG recording?
Yes. Every transcript comes back with timestamps regardless of the format you uploaded, and you can export the result as TXT, SRT or VTT to jump back to any moment in the audio.