How to Transfer Voice Notes from iPhone

The Voice notes app on an iPhone can come in handy when you want to record an interview or leave yourself a reminder, but it can take up tons of storage space, too. If you have several voice notes saved on your iPhone and would like to free up some space or save them to a different location for safer storage or to use later, you can transfer them to your preferred location or storage.

This guide explains how to transfer your voice notes from your iPhone so you can back them up or export them to another device or location.

Also read: How to Back Up Your Whatsapp Chats in iOS

Ways of Transferring Voice Notes from iPhone

Before you get started, there are a few things you’ll need before you can move your voice notes from the Voice Memos app to another location.

Among the items you’ll need to perform the transfer are your iPhone, a computer with iTunes installed, and a USB cable for connecting your iPhone to your computer or laptop.

With these requirements in hand, there are different ways you can transfer your saved voice notes to other locations from your iPhone.

For purposes of this guide, though, we’re going to show you how to use iCloud, iTunes, or AirDrop to perform the transfer and a few other options.

Transfer Voice Notes from iPhone Using iCloud

If your iPhone runs iOS 11 or higher, go to the Files app, which is where your voice notes will be saved on the iCloud drive, and then access them from a different device. To do this:

1. Open the Voice Memos app on your iPhone, and tap the three dots (ellipses).

2. Tap to open the “Save to Files” setting.

3. Select a folder where you want your voice notes saved.

On your computer, open iCloud and sign in, and then select iCloud Drive. You’ll see your voice notes listed in the folder you saved them in.

Use AirDrop to Transfer Voice Notes from iPhone

You can also view your voice notes on your computer through AirDrop. To move them from your iPhone:

1. In the Voice Memos app, tap the ellipses (three dots).

2. Tap Share.

3. Tap AirDrop and select your computer. If you have shared something with that computer recently, it may be highlighted in the row above AirDrop, and you can simply tap that instead as a shortcut.

Transferring Voice Notes from iPhone via iTunes

iTunes is a more traditional way of moving your voice notes from your iPhone to your computer. You can still use it if you prefer it over other methods, though it isn’t as practical. Here’s how to use this method:

Note: do note that iTunes is no longer available in macOS Catalina.

With the USB cable, connect your iPhone and computer, and then open iTunes. Allow it to detect your iPhone, and then click on the iPhone logo above the iTunes screen.

1. Click Music -> Sync Voice Memos.

2. Click Sync and your voice memos will be listed in the iTunes Music Library together with your songs.

Note: if you delete a synced memo from your iPhone, the next time you sync with iTunes, it’ll be copied back to your device. However, if you deleted it from iTunes, it still remains on your iPhone.

Transfer Voice Notes from iPhone via Email

This is the easiest method to move your voice notes, except you can’t send all of them at a go. If you have many notes to move, you have to send one at a time. To do this:

1. In the Voice Memos app, tap the ellipses (three dots).

2. Tap Share.

3. You’ll see various options to pick from, and since you’re sending via email, select the Mail option. If you use a different email app, such as Gmail, you can select that instead.

A new email will be populated with your voice note file, so enter your email address or the email where you want it to go, and hit the Send button.

Using Dropbox to Transfer Voice Notes from iPhone

Dropbox is a cloud storage app, but it also makes for an easy alternative if you prefer not to use the other options above. To do this:

1. Open Voice Memos, tap the ellipses and tap “Save to Dropbox.”

Tap Choose a folder, which is where you’ll save the voice note to, and then tap Save.

Note: Your voice notes will be moved to different folders depending on the computer you’re using. If it’s a Windows PC, check the C:\Users\(your username)\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Voice Memos folder.

For Mac users, go to Macintosh HD -> Users > (your username) -> Music -> iTunes -> iTunes Media -> Voice Memos.

Wrap-Up

Syncing your voice memos to your computer isn’t too hard, right? You have several options to choose from depending on which one is easier for you, but make sure you check the right folders when you want to retrieve your voice notes later on. Saving them elsewhere also frees up some space on your iPhone that you can use to store other important items.