Where Are Mac Voice Memos Stored?
Voice Memos recordings folder on Mac across OS versions, and why Finder names differ from the app.
Last updated
Mac Voice Memos moved homes across releases. Older macOS kept .m4a files in ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.voicememos/Recordings; current releases (Sonoma onward) use ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.VoiceMemos.shared/Recordings, shared with iCloud synced memos.
Finder shows timestamp filenames (yyyymmdd hhmmss.m4a), not the display names from the app, so drag out of the app or Share to export properly. Right click Show in Finder can land on a temp provider copy instead of the real file. Toggle sync in System Settings under Apple Account, iCloud, Voice Memos.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.VoiceMemos.shared/Recordings/
Current location (Sonoma and later), .m4a files with timestamp names. Older macOS used ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.voicememos/Recordings. Check both across upgrades. Distinct from iPhone Voice Memos storage.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Voice Memos files have different names in Finder?
The app shows your custom titles; disk files use recording timestamps. Export via drag or Share to keep audio with a sane name rather than copying from the Recordings folder blind.
My old Voice Memos Recordings folder is empty. Where did they go?
The OS moved them to the Group Containers path above during upgrade. Check there (and iCloud sync state) before assuming recordings were deleted.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.