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 down and more.
Replace part of a recording
To overwrite existing audio, use Replace.
In the Voice Memos app
on your Mac, select the recording.Click the Edit button 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) in the waveform overview left or right.
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 the Replace button (or use the Touch Bar), then record the new audio.
Click the Pause button
to stop recording. Click Replace or Resume to continue recording.Click Done to save the recording.
Trim a recording
To delete some excess audio, use Trim.
In the Voice Memos app
on your Mac, select the recording.Click the Edit button to open the recording in the Edit window, then click the Trim button
.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 the Play button
(or use the Touch Bar), 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 Save to save the change, then click Done.
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.
In the Voice Memos app
on your Mac, select the recording.Click the Playback Settings button
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 the Close button
, then click the Play button (or use the Touch Bar) 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.
In the Voice Memos app
on your Mac, select the recording.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 “New Recording” or the name of your location (if “Location-based Naming” is selected in preferences and you allowed Voice Memos to detect the location of your Mac). However, you can rename it.
In the Voice Memos app
on your Mac, select the recording.Click the name in the list, enter a new name, then press Return.