Edit a recording on Mac
After you create a recording, you can make changes to it. Learn how to replace part of a recording, trim it and more.
Replace part of a recording
To overwrite existing audio, use Replace.
Go to the Voice Memos app
on your Mac.Select the recording, then click Edit in the upper-right corner to open the recording in the Edit window.
If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, click or tap with two fingers on the recording in the list, then choose Edit Recording.
Drag the blue vertical line (playhead) left or right in the waveform overview.
If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, you can also swipe left or right with two fingers in the waveform detail to position the playhead.
Click Replace, then record the new audio.
Click
to stop recording. To continue recording, click Replace again.Click Done, then choose one of the following:
Save as New Recording
Save Recording
Note: Save Recording overwrites the original recording with changes. Choose Save as New Recording if you want to keep both.
Trim a recording
To delete some excess audio, use Trim.
Go to the Voice Memos app
on your Mac.Select the recording, click Edit in the upper-right corner to open the recording in the Edit window, then click
.If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, click or tap with two fingers on the recording, then choose Trim Recording.
Drag the yellow trim handles to set the range to trim.
To check your edit, click
, then adjust the trim handles if necessary.
Do one of the following:
Click Trim to remove the recording outside the trim handles.
Click Delete to remove the recording between the trim handles.
Click Apply.
Click Done, then choose one of the following:
Save as New Recording
Save Recording
Note: Save Recording overwrites the original recording with changes. Choose Save as New Recording if you want to keep both.
Adjust the playback settings
You can adjust the playback settings so your recording sounds different when you listen to it.
Note: These settings don’t alter the original recording. You won’t hear the changes if you share the recording, listen to it on another device or quit Voice Memos.
Go to the Voice Memos app
on your Mac.Select the recording, click
in the upper-right corner, then do any of the following:Change the speed: To slow down or speed up your recording, drag the Playback Speed slider left or right.
Skip over silence: To automatically skip over any gaps in your recording, turn on Skip Silence.
Enhance: To reduce background noise and reverberation, turn on Enhance Recording.
Restore original settings: To restore the playback settings to their defaults, click Reset in the upper-left corner.
Click
, then click to listen.
Duplicate a recording
If you have a recording that you want to copy (either to leave as is or to edit), you can duplicate it.
Go to the Voice Memos app
on your Mac.Select the recording, then choose File > Duplicate.
If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, click or tap with two fingers on the recording, then choose Duplicate.
The recording is copied and appears in the library.
Rename a recording
Your recording is saved with the name of your location (if Location-Based Naming is selected in Settings and you allowed Voice Memos to access to the location of your Mac). Otherwise, your recording is saved with the name “New Recording”. You can also choose a new name for a recording.
Go to the Voice Memos app
on your Mac.Select the recording, then click the name of the recording in the list.
Enter a new name, then press Return.