How to Record Audio on a Mac

Here's how to record audio on a Mac: open Voice Memos, click the red Record button, and click Done when you're finished. It's already on every MacBook and iMac, it records through the built-in microphone, and on recent macOS versions it writes a transcript as you talk.

Need a file saved to a folder you choose? Use QuickTime Player (File > New Audio Recording). Recording a podcast? Use GarageBand. All three are free Apple apps.

Priya runs a small bookkeeping firm in Austin. Her Thursday client calls happen at her desk on speakerphone, and she used to scribble notes on a pad while the client talked through receipts.

One Thursday in October she opened Voice Memos on her MacBook Air, asked the client if she could record, and clicked Record. Afterwards she searched the transcript for "mileage" and had the answer in seconds. (Priya is an illustration, not a real customer.)

Below: each app step by step, with menu paths checked on Apple's support pages on November 8, 2026, then microphone tips and a way to turn any recording into notes.

Which app to use to record audio on a Mac

Pick the job, then jump to that app's section. If none of the built-in apps fits, our pick of the best voice recorder for Mac covers third-party apps.

None of these record the other side of a phone call on their own. For video calls, see our guide to recording a Zoom meeting.

How to record audio on a Mac with Voice Memos

Apple's Voice Memos guide lists these steps:

1. Open Voice Memos (press Command-Space and type "Voice Memos").
2. Click the red Record button at the bottom left.
3. Click Pause to stop for a moment, then Resume to carry on.
4. Click Done to save the recording.

The first time, macOS asks for permission to use the microphone. Click Allow, or the recording will be silent.

Your recording is named after your location if Location-based Naming is on in Voice Memos settings. Otherwise it's called "New Recording". Double-click the name to rename it, for example "2026-11-12 Client call, Henderson". Apple says you can record with the built-in mic, a supported headset or an external microphone.

Find, share and sync your recordings

Every recording stays in the Voice Memos list on the left. To get a file out, select it and click the Share button, or drag it straight into a Finder window, an email or a message (Apple's sharing steps).

If you use Voice Memos on your iPhone with the same Apple Account and iCloud turned on for Voice Memos, recordings show up on both devices. Our guide on how to record audio on iPhone covers the phone side.

See the transcript while you record

Click the Transcription button during a recording to watch the words appear, with the current word highlighted. For a saved recording, select it and click the same button. To copy the text, select it, Control-click and choose Copy.

Apple notes that transcription isn't available in every country or region, and its transcription guide starts at macOS Sequoia 15. On an older Mac, you'll get audio only.

Want more than raw text from a client call or lecture? Try ParrotNotes free: it turns a recording into a summary and action items.

How to record audio on a Mac with QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is better when you want control over the file. Apple's QuickTime guide gives these steps:

1. Open QuickTime Player and choose File > New Audio Recording.
2. Click the Options pop-up menu (the small arrow next to the Record button).
3. Under Microphone, choose your mic if you have more than one.
4. Under Quality, choose High or Maximum.
5. Click the Record button. To pause, Option-click it; click it again to resume.
6. Click Stop when you're done.
7. Choose File > Save, name the recording and pick a folder.

High or Maximum quality? A worked example

Apple says High records 44,100 Hz AAC audio, a compressed format that keeps files small. Maximum records 44,100 Hz uncompressed 24-bit AIFF-C, and Apple warns it "can use large amounts of storage space".

Here's how large, using the numbers on Apple's page. Uncompressed 24-bit audio stores 3 bytes for each of 44,100 samples a second. That's about 132 KB per second for one channel, or roughly 476 MB for a one-hour mono recording and about 950 MB in stereo. A 90-minute lecture in stereo would use well over 1 GB.

For speech, High is the right choice. Pick Maximum only if you'll edit the audio heavily, such as music or a voice-over.

How to record audio on a Mac with GarageBand

GarageBand suits a podcast, a voice-over or anything you'll edit afterwards.

1. Open GarageBand, choose New Project, then Empty Project.
2. Pick the Audio track type with the microphone icon and click Create (Apple Education's GarageBand guide).
3. Click the track header, then Smart Controls, and set the input source and record level (Apple's setup steps).
4. Click the Record button in the control bar, or press R (Apple's recording steps).
5. Click Stop, or press the Space bar. Your take appears as a new region on the track.

To get a file, choose Share > Export Song to Disk and pick AAC, MP3, AIFF or WAVE (Apple's export steps). Apple notes that GarageBand trims any silence at the start and end. Wear headphones while recording, so the mic doesn't pick up the speakers.

Marcus records a weekly 20-minute podcast for his landscaping business in Denver. He started in Voice Memos, but every fluffed sentence meant starting again.

In GarageBand he records each segment as its own take, deletes the bad ones and exports one MP3. A 40-minute session now becomes a clean 20-minute episode. (Marcus is an illustration, not a real customer.)

Use an external microphone on your MacBook or iMac

The built-in mic is fine for your own voice at a desk. For a room or an interview, an external mic beats any setting.

To choose it, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Sound > Input, select your microphone and drag the Input volume slider (Apple's sound input guide). Voice Memos has no microphone menu of its own, so this is where you choose its mic. On some Macs, the built-in mic also has a Use ambient noise reduction option.

Before you record anything that matters, run through this checklist:

1. Plug in the mic first, then open the recording app, so it shows up in the list.
2. Check the input level. Speak normally and watch the meter in Sound settings; it should move, not hit the top. Our free microphone test does the same in a browser.
3. Move the mic, not the gain. A mic 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 inches) from the speaker beats turning the volume up from across a room.
4. Plug in the charger for long sessions. A two-hour lecture on a MacBook at 10% battery is a gamble.
5. Silence the Mac. Turn on Do Not Disturb so alert sounds don't land in the recording.
6. Record 10 seconds and play it back. It catches a muted mic or a noisy fan before the meeting starts.
7. Say the date and topic at the start. It makes the file easy to find later, and it shows up in the transcript.

Recording sound playing on your Mac

Sound playing inside the Mac, like a webinar, is really a screen recording job. The short version:

Apple's screen recording article says that in macOS 27 Golden Gate or later you can press Shift-Command-5, click Options and choose Include System Audio. You get a .mov file; the free screen recording to MP3 converter pulls out just the sound. On older macOS versions, Voice Memos and QuickTime record the microphone only, so system audio needs a third-party audio driver.

Turn a Mac recording into text and notes

After a meeting or lecture, you want what was said and what to do, not the file.

• Voice Memos transcript: free and built in, on supported Macs and regions (see above). Copy and paste it where you need it.
• A file you already have: our free Mac transcription tool turns an audio file into text in Safari or Chrome. Need an MP3 first? The voice memo to MP3 converter handles that.
• Notes, not just text: ParrotNotes records on your Mac, iPhone or Android phone and turns each recording into a transcript, a summary and action items.

ParrotNotes for Mac needs macOS 12.3 Monterey or later and runs on Apple silicon and Intel. Recording works offline; transcription runs once you're online.

The free plan gives you 100 minutes of recording a month, up to 30 minutes per recording, a summary on every recording, AI insights on 5 recordings a month and 3 file imports a month.

Pro is $19.99 a month, or $14.99 a month billed yearly, for 3,000 minutes a month and recordings up to 3 hours. Prices are from the ParrotNotes pricing page, as of November 2026.

See Apple Voice Memos transcription vs ParrotNotes for the differences, or voice to text on Mac for typing by voice.

Back to Priya. After her next client call, ParrotNotes gave her a summary with the three missing receipts and the filing date, and she pasted it into her client folder before the next call. Download ParrotNotes free and try it on your next recording.

Recording other people: ask first

Recording a conversation with other people can bring consent laws into play. In the US, some states let one person in the conversation consent, while others require everyone's consent. Our list of one-party consent states shows which is which, and rules differ outside the US.

The easy habit: say you're recording before you click Record, and keep the Mac where people can see it. Many schools also have rules about recording lectures. This is general information, not legal advice.

Conclusion

How to record audio on a Mac comes down to picking the right built-in app:

• Voice Memos: two clicks, a transcript on recent macOS, and sync with your iPhone.
• QuickTime Player: your choice of mic, quality and folder; High is plenty for speech.
• GarageBand: takes, editing, MP3 or WAVE export.
• An external mic: set it in System Settings > Sound > Input, and test before you start.
• Sound playing on the Mac: Shift-Command-5 with Include System Audio on macOS 27 or later.

Record this week's call or lecture in Voice Memos. On an Android phone, see how to record audio on Android. If you want the summary and action items without replaying the file, get ParrotNotes free.