How to Record Audio on Mac

Jennifer Allen has been writing about technology since 2010. Her work has appeared in Mashable, TechRadar, and many more publications.

• Wichita Technical Institute

Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA-certified technologist with more than 10 years of experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.

• Record audio on your Mac using Voice Memos, QuickTime, or GarageBand.
• Voice Memos is the most basic, while Garageband is the most complex since it's a music recording app.
• You need a microphone to record audio. If you're using certain models, such as a Mac mini or Mac Pro, you'll need an external mic.

This article covers how to record your audio on your Mac using Voice Memos, QuickTime, and GarageBand.

How to Record on Mac Using Voice Memos

For a simple voice recorder Mac app, you can't go wrong with Voice Memos. It's very simple and basic but perfect if you simply want to leave a voice message for yourself. Here's how to use it.

1. Open Voice Memos via the Launchpad, Finder, or Spotlight.

Click the red circle to start recording your voice.

Click Done when you've finished recording your voice memo.

Double click on the name of the file to rename it to something memorable.

Recording Audio With QuickTime

If you want a slightly more advanced method to record sound on Mac, QuickTime is the best built-in solution available. It gives you more control over where you can save the audio file so it's useful for more permanent records or longer recordings. Here's how to use it.

1. Open QuickTime via the Launchpad, Finder or Spotlight.

Click File >New Audio Recording.

Click the red circle in the middle.

Click the gray square to stop recording.

Click File >Save to choose a name for the recording and where you want to save it.

How to Record Sound With GarageBand

One final option for recording audio on Mac is with GarageBand. It's typically pre-installed on all Macs or you can find it for free on the App Store. It offers far more advanced features as it's a music recording app. Here's how to use it to record audio.

1. Open GarageBand via the Launchpad, Finder or Spotlight.

Click Choose to open a new project.

Click Create.

Click Record.

If you want to change the source of your input such as if you have multiple microphones, you can click Input at the bottom of the screen and choose the relevant device.

Click Stop to stop recording.