MotionShineShort answer: open Voice Memos, click the red Record button, speak, then click Done to save. If you want to pick the microphone and the quality yourself, use QuickTime Player: choose File, then New Audio Recording, pick your microphone, click Start Recording, and choose File, then Save when you finish. Both apps are already on your Mac and both are free.
These steps come from Apple Support's Voice Memos and QuickTime Player user guides, checked on 24 October 2026. Apple's pages show no publish date. Anything that is general advice and not from an official page is labelled that way.
Which app should you use?
| You want | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A quick voice note or idea | Voice Memos | One click to start, pause and resume buttons, and Done saves it |
| To choose the microphone and the quality | QuickTime Player | Apple's page lists a microphone menu and two quality levels |
| A voice for a video you are editing | Either one, then add the file in your editor | You get a clean file you can retake without redoing the screen part |
| Voice and screen together in one go | A screen recorder with a microphone option | See the last section |
For the second row, Apple's QuickTime page names two quality levels. High records 44100 Hz AAC audio. Maximum records 44100 Hz uncompressed Linear PCM 24-bit AIFF-C, which Apple says uses much more storage. For talking, High is a sensible start. That last sentence is general advice, not Apple's.
How to record your voice with Voice Memos
- Open Voice Memos. Press Command-Space, type "Voice Memos" and press Return.
- Click the red Record button at the bottom left of the window.
- Speak. To take a break, click Pause. Click Resume to carry on in the same recording.
- Click Done to save.
Apple's page says Voice Memos can use the built-in microphone, a supported headset or an external microphone. For stereo, connect a stereo input source such as a stereo microphone.
Saved recordings are named "New Recording" unless Location-based Naming is on in the app's settings and the app can use your Mac's location. In that case the recording takes the name of the place.
Trim and rename in Voice Memos
Apple's editing page says you can resume, replace, trim, duplicate and rename a recording. Save Recording overwrites the original with your changes. Save as New Recording keeps both versions. If you are not sure, keep both until you have listened to the result.
Apple's pages I read did not say where Voice Memos keeps the files on disk, so I will not guess. Use the app's share option to get a copy out. If the app has your recordings on all your Apple devices, that is a separate setting on Apple's side.
How to record your voice with QuickTime Player
- Open QuickTime Player.
- Choose File, then New Audio Recording.
- Click the small arrow next to the record button to open the capture device menu. Under Microphone, pick your input if you have more than one. Under Quality, pick High or Maximum.
- Speak and watch the volume control at the bottom of the window until you can hear the sound you want to capture.
- Click Start Recording. To pause, Option-click the button. Click it again to resume.
- Click Stop Recording when you finish.
- Choose File, then Save, name the file and pick a folder.
The advantage over Voice Memos is step 3. You see which microphone you are using before you start, which avoids the most common mistake: recording a whole take with the laptop's built-in mic when you meant to use a headset.
If QuickTime asks for permission, allow it. If the recording is silent, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Microphone and make sure the app is switched on. Screen recording not working on Mac covers the same permission trap for the screen.
Get a cleaner voice
None of this comes from an official page. It is general advice that most people who record voices agree on.
- Speak close to the microphone. A headset or external microphone near your mouth usually sounds clearer than a laptop mic across the desk.
- Pick a quiet, soft room. Curtains, a sofa or a rug make less echo than an empty room with hard walls.
- Switch off noise you can control. Fans, notifications and an open window are easy to fix before you record.
- Record a few seconds of silence first. You get a clean sample of the room, which some noise tools can use.
- Do a 10 second test and listen with headphones. It is faster than discovering a problem after a long take.
The free mic test in your browser measures the background noise in your room and shows how much louder your voice is than the room. It does not upload anything. Afterwards, the free voice recorder can record, trim the silence at the start and end and save an MP3, M4A or WAV. If the take has hiss or a hum, the free background noise remover runs in your browser too. These are browser tools by the maker of MotionShine, and they work on any recording.
Record your voice for a screen recording
There are two ways, and the right one depends on how you work.
Voice live, while you record the screen. It sounds natural and takes one pass. The risk is that a mistake in your speech means redoing the screen part too. Apple's Screenshot toolbar has a microphone option under Options. My other post on screen recording on Mac with audio lists each choice, and does Mac screen recording record audio explains what Apple says about system sound.
Voice recorded separately, added afterwards. Record the screen first, watch it back, then record the voice in one of the apps above while you watch. Mistakes cost you a retake of one sentence. It takes longer, but the result is usually tidier. It also pairs well with a script. The tutorial video script template shows a format you can read from.
MotionShine is a free Mac screen recorder, by the maker of this site. Its editor has a voice over lane next to the text, picture and music lanes, and it can make captions on your Mac from your voice. The free version exports up to 720p at 30 fps with no watermark and no time limit. Pro unlocks 1080p, 1440p, 4K and 60 fps. If all you need is a voice file, you do not need it: Voice Memos or QuickTime Player is enough. MotionShine is for when the voice goes with a screen recording and you want zooms, a smooth cursor and captions on top.
Once you have the sound, how to edit a screen recording on Mac shows where each edit happens. To record sound from the computer and not your voice, read how to record audio from your computer on Mac.
FAQ
What is the best app to record my voice on a Mac?
For a quick note, Voice Memos. For choosing the microphone and quality, QuickTime Player. Both are made by Apple and free.
How do I record my voice on a Mac without any app to install?
Both apps above come with macOS. Open Voice Memos and click Record, or open QuickTime Player and choose File, then New Audio Recording.
Can I pause a voice recording on a Mac?
Yes. In Voice Memos click Pause, then Resume. In QuickTime Player, Option-click the record button to pause and click it again to resume, according to Apple's page.
How do I choose which microphone my Mac uses?
In QuickTime Player, use the capture device menu and pick a Microphone. Apple's Voice Memos page says the app can use the built-in microphone, a supported headset or an external microphone, but the page I read does not show a picker, so check the app's settings if it uses the wrong one.
Why is my voice recording silent?
Often it is permission or the wrong input. Check System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone, then check the input you chose.
Where does my voice recording go?
QuickTime Player saves where you choose in the Save step. Voice Memos lists your recordings inside the app, and the pages I read did not say where on disk, so use the app's share option to take a copy.
