Platform
TanLens in the browser: what works without the extension
Use TanLens in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox for microphone captions, file transcription and broadcast rooms, with no extension required.
The TanLens web app runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on a computer. Microphone sessions, file uploads, transcript editing, glossaries and broadcast rooms work without any extension. Browser-tab audio is the one source that needs the Chrome or Edge extension, because a web page cannot capture another tab’s sound on its own.
01What the web app does on its own
Open TanLens in any supported browser, sign in, and choose microphone mode to caption a room, a lecture or a conversation. File transcription works the same way everywhere: upload an audio or video file and wait for the transcript to process. Saved transcripts can be edited and exported as SRT, VTT, ASS or TXT. Broadcast rooms open as ordinary web pages, so viewers can read a host’s captions without installing the extension, and the host can manage rooms from the web app.
02What still needs Chrome or Edge
Tab capture is an extension feature. If the meeting, stream or video plays in a browser tab and you want TanLens to hear it directly, open that page in Chrome or Edge with the extension installed. Safari and Firefox users can still use microphone mode for in-room audio, upload a recording, or join a broadcast room. Native desktop apps are not tabs in any browser, so they need microphone mode; a virtual loopback device can feed their output into the microphone input if needed.
Frequently asked questions
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Put words on the screen tonight
Twenty free minutes a month, no card, no meeting bot. Start with your microphone, then add the extension for tab audio.