How to download a Voice Memo on Mac

Open Voice Memos on your Mac and select the recording you want to save. Play a few seconds to confirm you have the right take. This guide starts with a memo already visible on the Mac; getting a recording from another device is a separate transfer step.

Open your destination folder in Finder, then drag the recording from Voice Memos into that window. Apple documents this as a way to save a recording to a folder of your choice. You do not need to locate the app’s hidden storage folder.

For an interview project, create a folder with the episode name first. Keep raw recordings together and put later edits in a separate folder so the original is easy to identify.

Open the exported file from Finder and listen to the beginning and end. Compare the recording with the take you selected in Voice Memos. Keep the original until you have confirmed that the saved file contains the audio you need.

If your editor rejects the file, check the editor’s supported import formats. Changing a filename extension does not convert the audio. Work from a copy when testing a conversion.

Use a filename that identifies the session, speaker and take. Send the saved file to your collaborator or import it into your editing project. Ask the recipient to confirm that it opens before removing any source recordings.

Apple’s official Voice Memos instructions

Instructions checked September 10, 2026. Menu labels can differ by software version. Workflow suggestions are editorial guidance.