Play TRM Files on Mac & iPhone | Open Court Audio Without FTR Player
FTR Player doesn't work on Mac or iPhone. MatterScribe lets you upload, play, and transcribe .TRM court audio files from any browser on any device.
You received a court recording. It's a .TRM file from a ForTheRecord™ system. You're on a Mac. Or you're at the courthouse with your iPhone. You need to hear what happened in that hearing.
And you can't open the file.
This is one of the most common frustrations in legal practice, and it affects every attorney, paralegal, and legal professional who uses Apple devices. ForTheRecord's FTR Player — the official tool for playing .TRM court audio files — is a Windows-only desktop application. There is no Mac version. There is no iPhone app. There is no iPad app.
If you use Apple devices in your legal practice, you've been locked out of your own court recordings. Until now.
Why FTR Player Doesn't Work on Mac or iPhone
FTR Player was developed as a Windows desktop application and has never been ported to macOS or iOS. ForTheRecord (which entered into an acquisition agreement with Tyler Technologies in early 2026) has not released a native Mac application, and the Windows version cannot be run directly on Apple hardware.
This means:
Mac users cannot install or run FTR Player natively on macOS. The application requires Windows, and there is no Mac-compatible version available from ForTheRecord.
iPhone and iPad users have no way to play TRM files on their mobile devices. There is no FTR Player app in the App Store, and the file format is not recognized by any native iOS audio player.
Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4 chips) present an additional barrier. Even virtualization solutions like Parallels, which allow running Windows on a Mac, can have compatibility issues with FTR Player depending on the version and configuration.
For the growing number of attorneys who have moved to Mac laptops, iPhones, and iPads as their primary devices, this is not a minor inconvenience — it's a barrier to accessing the official record of court proceedings.
The Workarounds (And Why They Fall Short)
Attorneys on Macs have tried several workarounds over the years. None of them are good solutions.
Windows Virtual Machine (Parallels or VMware)
You can install Windows on your Mac through virtualization software like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, then install FTR Player within the Windows environment.
Problems: You need to purchase a Windows license and virtualization software (combined cost: $100-$250+). You need to allocate significant disk space and RAM to the virtual machine. Performance can be sluggish, especially on older Macs. On Apple Silicon Macs, you're running Windows for ARM, which may have compatibility issues with FTR Player. And none of this works on an iPhone or iPad — it's a desktop-only solution.
This workaround turns a 30-second task (open a file and listen) into a multi-step process involving booting a virtual machine, waiting for Windows to load, launching FTR Player, and then playing the audio. For a busy attorney who needs to quickly check what a judge said, this is unacceptably slow.
Boot Camp (Intel Macs Only)
On older Intel-based Macs, Boot Camp allowed you to dual-boot between macOS and Windows. You could restart your Mac into Windows, run FTR Player, and then restart back into macOS when done.
Problems: Boot Camp is not available on Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later), which means this option is disappearing as attorneys upgrade their hardware. Even when available, restarting your entire computer to play a single audio file is absurdly inefficient. And again, it doesn't solve the iPhone/iPad problem at all.
FTR Web Player (Browser-Based)
ForTheRecord offers a web-based player that works in Chrome and other browsers. You upload your TRM file to the FTR Web Player and stream the audio through your browser.
Problems: The Web Player provides playback only — you can listen, but you can't search the audio, generate a transcript, or do anything with the content beyond listening. Upload speeds for large TRM files can be slow. And while it technically works in a browser on a Mac, the experience is clunky and doesn't work well on mobile browsers.
Manual Conversion via Chrome Developer Tools
A known workaround involves using the FTR Web Player in Chrome, opening Developer Tools, capturing the media stream from the Network tab, and downloading it as an MP4 file that can be played on any device.
Problems: This is a technical process that most attorneys and paralegals aren't comfortable with. It requires knowledge of Chrome Developer Tools. Each file must be exported individually. You lose the multi-channel audio in the export. And the resulting MP4 still needs to be transcribed separately if you want searchable text.
Ask Someone With a Windows PC
Many attorneys resort to asking a colleague, paralegal, or IT staff member who has a Windows computer to play the file for them or export it to a standard format.
Problems: This creates a dependency on another person's availability. It introduces delays. And for attorneys working remotely, at the courthouse, or outside the office, the Windows-PC person may not be reachable when you need them.
The Solution: MatterScribe Works on Every Device
MatterScribe is a web-based platform that runs in any modern browser — on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android, or any other device with internet access. There is no software to install. There is no operating system requirement.
Upload your .TRM file from any device. MatterScribe reads the TRM format natively, preserving the full recording, and gives you two things that no other tool provides to Apple users:
1. Playback. Listen to your court recording directly through the MatterScribe Review Dashboard — on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Click any section to jump to that point in the audio. Adjust playback as needed. No FTR Player. No Windows. No virtual machine.
2. A searchable transcript. MatterScribe doesn't just play the audio — it transcribes it. You get a full text transcript with speaker identification and timestamps in minutes. Search for any word, name, or phrase across the entire recording. Click any line in the transcript to hear the corresponding audio.
For Mac and iPhone users, MatterScribe solves two problems simultaneously: it gives you a way to hear the audio, and it turns that audio into a searchable, usable document.
How It Works on Mac
- Open any browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave — anything)
- Go to matterscribe.com and log in
- Upload your .TRM file (drag and drop or file picker)
- Wait a few minutes while the AI processes the audio
- Open the Review Dashboard to listen and read the transcript
No software installation. No Windows. No virtual machine. Just a browser.
How It Works on iPhone and iPad
- Receive the TRM file (via email, AirDrop, Files app, or cloud storage)
- Open Safari or Chrome on your iPhone/iPad
- Go to matterscribe.com and log in
- Upload the TRM file from the Files app
- Wait a few minutes for processing
- Listen and read the transcript in the Review Dashboard
This means you can review court audio while sitting in another hearing, during a lunch break, or on the commute home. For the first time, TRM files are accessible on the device you actually carry with you.
Why This Matters for Legal Practice
The shift to Apple devices in legal practice has been accelerating for years. According to the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Survey, Mac usage among attorneys has been steadily increasing, and iPhone usage is near-universal.
Yet the legal profession's court recording infrastructure was built for Windows. FTR Player, the standard tool for accessing the most common court recording format, doesn't run on the devices most attorneys carry. This creates a gap between how attorneys work today and how court recordings are delivered.
This gap has real consequences:
Attorneys can't review court audio on the go. The attorney who wants to check a specific exchange from this morning's hearing while waiting for afternoon calendar call can't do it on their iPhone — unless they have a tool that handles TRM files on iOS.
Remote and hybrid work is hampered. Attorneys working from home on Mac laptops can't access court recordings without the Windows workaround. This slows down case preparation and creates unnecessary IT friction.
Paralegal workflow is disrupted. A paralegal assigned to review a court recording and prepare a summary can't do their job efficiently if they're on a Mac and the file is in TRM format.
Timely case preparation suffers. When accessing the audio requires a special computer setup, the recording gets deprioritized. It sits in a folder until someone has time to deal with the Windows situation. Meanwhile, the case moves forward without the attorney having reviewed the record.
MatterScribe eliminates this friction entirely. Any device, any browser, any TRM file.
More Than Playback: The Transcript Changes Everything
If all MatterScribe did was play TRM files on Mac and iPhone, that alone would be valuable. But the transcript is what transforms the experience from "I can listen to the audio" to "I can actually work with this recording."
Search beats scrubbing. Instead of listening through a 90-minute hearing to find the moment the judge addressed your motion, search for "motion" or the case reference and jump directly to that moment.
Click-to-listen verification. See something in the transcript you want to verify? Click the line. The audio plays from that exact point. No separate audio player, no manual timecode matching.
Speaker labels. The transcript shows who said what. For a hearing with a judge, two attorneys, and a witness, the AI labels each speaker — making it possible to quickly scan for just the judge's statements or just the witness's testimony.
Export for case files. Export the transcript as PDF or DOCX and add it to your case file. Export the audio as MP3 for playback in any standard audio player. The TRM file's content is now accessible in universal formats.
Persistent access. The transcript stays in your MatterScribe account for the duration of your plan's retention period. Come back to it days or weeks later when you need to reference specific testimony.
Supported Devices and Browsers
MatterScribe is tested and supported on:
Mac: Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Arc, Brave, Edge — any modern browser on macOS
iPhone: Safari, Chrome — iOS 15 and later
iPad: Safari, Chrome — iPadOS 15 and later
Windows: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave — any modern browser
Android: Chrome, Firefox — any modern browser
Chromebook: Chrome
Linux: Chrome, Firefox
If your device has a modern web browser and an internet connection, MatterScribe works on it. No software installation required on any platform.
Pricing
MatterScribe's pricing is the same regardless of what device you use. There's no Mac surcharge, no mobile premium, no per-file fee.
Professional plan: $25/month — 500 minutes, 7-day file retention
Professional Plus: $50/month — 1,250 minutes, 30-day file retention, email support
Free trial: 14 days, 120 minutes — enough to upload a court recording and experience the full platform on your Mac or iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play TRM files on a Mac?
FTR Player, the standard tool for playing .TRM court audio files, is available only for Windows. There is no native Mac version. MatterScribe is a web-based alternative that lets you upload and play TRM files from any Mac browser — Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or others — with no software installation required. In addition to playback, MatterScribe generates a searchable transcript with speaker identification.
Can I open TRM files on an iPhone or iPad?
There is no FTR Player app for iPhone or iPad, and iOS does not natively recognize the TRM file format. MatterScribe works in Safari and Chrome on iPhone and iPad, allowing you to upload TRM files and access both audio playback and an AI-generated transcript from your mobile device.
Do I need to install any software to use MatterScribe on Mac?
No. MatterScribe runs entirely in your web browser. There is no application to download or install. Open Safari, Chrome, or any browser on your Mac, go to matterscribe.com, and upload your TRM file.
Can I use MatterScribe at the courthouse on my iPhone?
Yes. As long as you have an internet connection (cellular or Wi-Fi), you can upload a TRM file and access your transcripts from your iPhone. This means you can review court audio during breaks between hearings, while waiting for calendar call, or on the way back to the office.
Does MatterScribe work on Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4)?
Yes. MatterScribe is a web application that runs in the browser, so it works identically on Intel Macs and Apple Silicon Macs. There are no compatibility issues regardless of your Mac's processor.
What if I just need to listen to the TRM file, not transcribe it?
MatterScribe provides both playback and transcription. When you upload a TRM file, the audio is processed and you can listen to it through the Review Dashboard. The transcript is generated automatically as part of the same process. If you only need playback, you still get a transcript at no additional cost — and you may find it more useful than you expected.
Stop Waiting for a Windows Computer
If you've been emailing TRM files to colleagues with Windows PCs, running virtual machines, or just putting off listening to court recordings because you're on a Mac — there's a better way.
Upload your TRM file to MatterScribe from whatever device you're holding right now. Get playback and a searchable transcript in minutes.
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