Where Are Voice Memos Stored on Mac

What are voice memos on Mac?

Voice Memos is a built-in Apple app for recording audio content. Whether you’re recording your daily thoughts, an interview, a lecture, or a snippet of your favorite song, you can do so in a few clicks on your trusty MacBook and name your voice memo accordingly for reference. You can also edit and organize your recordings, such as trimming and replacing them. Depending on your Mac model, your device transcribes your recordings, saving you time.

A note from our experts: 

 

Like other Mac owners, you’ve probably resorted to re-recording your voice memos when you couldn’t find them on your Mac, leaving your device full of unnecessary duplicates. But don’t worry, you don’t have to find and delete redundant voice memos or other files manually. Just let MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder do it for you—it identifies all duplicate files and lets you get rid of them with a single click. No long searches, just efficiency and an orderly device, right at your fingertips. Plus, MacKeeper’s cybersecurity software is safe and trusted by Mac owners worldwide, so you can rest assured that your privacy won’t be compromised.

 

Ready to remove duplicate files without hassle? Here’s how to do it with MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder:

1. Download and install MacKeeper on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or desktop computer.
2. Navigate to the left sidebar, click on the Duplicates Finder option, and hit the Start Scan button.
3. When the scan is finished (it only takes a few moments, depending on how full your Mac’s disk is), check the box next to Duplicates, confirm the files you want to delete, and click Remove Selected.

Where to find voice memos on Mac?

You can find your voice memos on your MacBook using two methods. You can locate them in Apple Music. If you own an older Mac model that supports iTunes, you can find your voice memos there. If you still can’t find your voice memos, you might be able to locate them using Mac’s Terminal app.

From our experience, many users know how to record audio on a Mac, but few know where to find those audio recordings. It’s easy to assume that voice memos would be kept in the Music folder, like your Apple Music downloads, but that’s not the case. Furthermore, unlike other Apple apps, iCloud Drive doesn’t have a Voice Memos folder, even if you enabled syncing. Instead, you’ll find your voice memos in your user's Library folder, though the exact location differs depending on whether you use an older macOS version with iTunes installed or a more recent macOS version that uses Apple Music.

We'll show you how to locate voice memos on a Mac in both scenarios, and how to find them using Mac’s Terminal app.

1. Locate voice memos in Apple Music

Because we have a newer version of macOS, our voice memo audio files are stored in Apple Music. Voice memos are saved as .m4a files on a Mac to maintain high audio quality in a hidden Library folder that we access via Finder. Devices with Apple Music are those running operating systems such as Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, and most recently, Sequoia.

Here’s how to find voice memo recordings via the Music app:

1. Click on the Finder icon in the Dock, select Go in the menu bar, and choose Go to Folder.
2. Paste this file path into the text box: ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.VoiceMemos.shared/Recordings and press the Return key.
3. Now look for a folder with .m4a files, which are your voice memo recordings.

2. Find saved voice memos with iTunes

We don’t always have access to a MacBook with a newer version of macOS. When this happens, we find our voice memo recordings in iTunes, Apple’s older media player and media library, rather than Apple Music.

Do you own a MacBook with an older macOS version? Follow these steps to find your voice memos with iTunes:

1. Follow the first step in the Locate voice memos in Apple Music section until you arrive at the Go to Folder text box.
2. Paste this file path into the text box: ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Voice Memos/ and hit the Return key.

3. Locate voice memos via Terminal

Are you still having trouble finding your voice memos on your Mac? We have one more solution that might do the trick—Mac’s Terminal utility. We typically recommend that users avoid using the Terminal application due to its complexity. If you choose to give it a go, back up your files to prevent data loss and proceed with caution. Using a Terminal command in this regard immediately opens the file location where your voice memos are kept on your Mac, which may be com.apple.voicememos.

Use this approach to find your voice memo recordings using Terminal on a Mac:

1. Press the Command and space bar keys to bring up Spotlight search, enter Terminal in the text box, and select it.
2. Paste this command in Terminal: open ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.apple.voicememos and press the Return key.

Find your Voice Memo audio recordings on a Mac

Whether you want to reminisce about memorable moments by browsing old audio recordings or find important recordings for reference, you can use several methods to see your voice memos on a Mac. Use the Apple Music app if you have a more recent version of macOS. If not, you can find your voice memos in the old iTunes app on a Mac. If none of these work, try Mac’s Terminal app, as long as you’re comfortable (or confident) using it, though you should be fine if you follow our recommendations carefully.

Are duplicate recordings making a mess on your Mac? Simplify file management with MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder. It lets you manage storage by automatically detecting and deleting unwanted duplicate photos and other files to help optimize your Mac for an improved user experience. Explore our blog for helpful articles about MacBook Dictation and more.