How to transfer audio recordings from iphone to computer

With a Lightning to USB cable, you can transfer photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC. But what about other files that you can't transfer that way, such as voice memos? Is iTunes the only method?

The answer is: nope, you can use several alternative methods. So, let's look at all the different ways to transfer voice memos from an iPhone to a Windows PC without using iTunes.

1. Use iCloud Drive

If you cannot download iTunes for Windows, try out iCloud Drive. It's one of the services under Apple's iCloud. It works similar to Google Drive and Dropbox.

First, you need to set up iCloud Drive on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud and follow the on-screen instructions to set up iCloud if you haven't. Once you're done, check that iCloud Drive is toggled on in the same menu.

Then, head to the Voice Memosapp on your iPhone. Select your recording and tap the three-dots icon. Now, choose Save to Files, select iCloud Drive, and then tap on Save.

On your desktop PC, head to iCloud on your web browser or launch iCloud for Windows. Use the same Apple ID to log into your account. You'll find your voice recording in the iCloud Drive folder you chose on your iPhone earlier.

2. Use the Google Drive App

Google Drive is one of the best iCloud Drive alternatives for iPhone. So, if you already have a Google account and actively use Google products, Google Drive is a simple way to transfer voice recordings from your iPhone to your Windows computer.

First, download the free Google Drive app and sign in using your Google Account. Then, select your voice recording in the Voice Memos app and tap on the three-dots icon for more options.

Now, tap Share, choose Google Drive from the list of apps, and tap on Upload.

Once the upload is complete, access Google Drive on your desktop web browser to download the recording to your PC.

Download: Google Drive (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Use Your Email

If you're not using any cloud storage services, you can transfer a recording from your iPhone to your PC by using your email.

Again in Voice Memos, tap the three-dots icon on your recording and tap Share to access the sharesheet. Choose your preferred email app on your iPhone to upload the voice recording as a file attachment.

Next, simply tap the Exit icon. Your email should automatically save as a draft. Then, log into your email on your PC and download the voice memo attachment from your saved draft.

The only disadvantage of this method is that you can't upload voice memos that exceed the attachment file size determined by your email service provider. For instance, Gmail limits you to 25MB in attachments per email.

4. Use Messaging Apps

Another way is to send your voice memo to a trusted friend or family member via messaging apps. Let's use WhatsApp as an example.

Like the other methods above, go to Voice Memos to share your recording. Bring up the iOS sharesheet by tapping on the three-dots icon followed by Share, and select WhatsApp from the list. Then, choose your contact, tap Next, and hit the Send button.

Transfer voice memos from iPhone to PC

Now let’s export this note from iPhone directly to your PC with CopyTrans Contacts. The program will save the audio recordings in a separate folder.

Give CopyTrans Contacts a go!

⛵ Transfer your contacts between cloud accounts;
⛵ Export messages, calendars, notes to PC;
⛵ Move your contacts between iPhone and Outlook;
⛵ Export WhatsApp chats in a printable format;
⛵ … and more!
Managing your iPhone is easy!

❤ We currently have a great deal: You can get 75% off CopyTrans 7 Pack. CopyTrans 7 Pack is a bundle of seven apps that help you manage your Apple device from the PC 😉 Learn more

How to download voice memos from iPhone

For iOS 14 and earlier

It’s actually easy to download voice memos from iPhone when you have the right tools. To transfer voice memos from iPhone to computer without iTunes, you need to install CopyTrans from the following page first:

Get a free trial version of CopyTrans

1. Run CopyTrans. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch that has the voice memos you wish to back up.
2. Click the Classic mode button.
   
3. Click Manual backup at the top left.
   
4. Select the voice memos you need to back up by ticking the box next to each recording. To select all tracks at once, check the box on top of the list.
   
5. Finally, click the Folder button to transfer voice memos to computer.
   
6. Choose the PC folder where you wish to transfer the voice recordings and click Start backup. In this case, we selected the PC desktop as the destination.
   
7. The audio recordings are now transferred to a folder called Voice memos in the directory of your choice. The recordings are backed up as m4a individual audio files.
   

Restore deleted voice memos to your iPhone

CopyTrans Shelbee will help you bring your precious voice memos back if they have been deleted or lost. If you want to learn how to recover deleted voicee memos to your iPhone, use CopyTrans Shelbee and this guide: How to recover deleted voice memos. Try CopyTrans Shelbee for free

How to save voice memos

From iPhone to iTunes | For iOS 14 and earlier

The bad news is that Apple still doesn’t allow to transfer tracks from iPhone or iPod to iTunes. The good news is that CopyTrans can. To get voice memos to iTunes, download and install CopyTrans:

Get to test CopyTrans for free

1. Make sure that iTunes is not running and plug the iPhone in. Open CopyTrans.
2. Click the Classic mode button.
   
3. Click Voice memos on the Playlists pane on the left. Select the voice memos you wish to transfer by checking the box next to each recording. To select all voice memos at once, just check the box on top of the list.
   
4. Switch to the Manual backup mode at the top of the main program window.
   
5. And just next to it, click on on the iTunes button to sync voice memos with iTunes.
   
6. Wait until the process is finished and enjoy your voice memos in your iTunes.
   

Why people choose CopyTrans:

⭐ It transfers your music library to iTunes and keeps its structure intact;
⭐ Can transfer selected tracks and playlists;
⭐ Can manage songs, videos, TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts;
⭐ Saves track meta data, artworks, and playlists;
⭐ Lets you change the library structure before populating iTunes.
Copy voice memos to iTunes

❤ We currently have a great deal: You can get 75% off CopyTrans 7 Pack. It’s cheaper than buying just two apps 😉

Voice memos on iPhone

FAQ

It’s most probably just hidden. Follow the instructions from this article to bring it back: How to find hidden or deleted apps on iPhone.

If a voice memo is too large to be enclosed to an email (e.g., more than 5 MB), save it to PC following the instructions above, upload it to a file-sharing service like WeTransfer and send a link instead.

iPhone voice memos are stored on the device, but if you have cloud sync enabled, they get saved to your iCloud, too. To check this, go to Settings > Your name > iCloud > Voice Memos toggle.

Actually, you can! This guide is not ours, but please show some love to our fellow tech specs.

Humanity is yet to find an answer to this question. Your storage space is the only limit.