How to Transcribe Audio Using Notes App on Mac

The Mac Notes app has evolved from a simple note-taking tool into a surprisingly capable transcription platform. Since macOS Sequoia, Notes can automatically transcribe audio files, offering better file format support and organization features compared to Voice Memos.

This comprehensive guide shows you everything about using the Notes app for audio transcription—from drag-and-drop simplicity to advanced organization and collaboration features.

Quick Summary: Notes app on Mac can transcribe MP3, WAV, and M4A files without conversion. It offers superior organization with folders, tags, and collaboration features, making it ideal for managing multiple transcriptions alongside project notes.

📝 What is the Notes App?

Notes is Apple's built-in note-taking application, pre-installed on every Mac, iPhone, and iPad. While designed primarily for text notes, it has become a versatile productivity tool with transcription capabilities.

Key Features:

• Rich Text Notes - Format with styles, lists, and headings
• Multimedia Support - Embed images, audio, video, and documents
• Checklists - Create and track to-do lists
• Tables - Organize information structurally
• iCloud Sync - Access notes across all Apple devices
• Collaboration - Share and co-edit notes with others
• Audio Transcription - Convert attached audio to searchable text (macOS Sequoia+)
• Folders and Tags - Organize notes by project or topic

Primary Use Cases:

• Personal note-taking and journaling
• Meeting notes with embedded audio
• Project documentation
• Research collection
• Audio transcription and archiving
• Team collaboration on shared notes

✅ System Requirements

To use Notes app transcription features:

• macOS Sequoia or later (released September 2024)
• System Language set to English (for supported countries)
• Internet Connection for transcription processing
• iCloud enabled (optional, but recommended for syncing)

Note: Transcription is not available on macOS Sonoma or earlier versions.

🎯 How to Transcribe Audio with Notes

Notes makes audio transcription incredibly simple with drag-and-drop functionality.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open the Notes App

   • Launch from Applications folder
   • Or use Spotlight (Cmd + Space, type Notes)

2. Create or Open a Note

   • Click New Note button (top left)
   • Or open existing note where you want audio

3. Add Your Audio File

   • Drag and drop audio file from Finder into note
   • Or use File > Attach File to browse
   • Audio appears as embedded player

4. Start Transcription

   • Double-click the audio file in note
   • Audio player opens with playback controls
   • Click Transcription icon (lines of text/document icon)

5. View the Transcript

   • Transcript appears below audio player
   • Automatically generated within seconds
   • Internet connection required for processing

6. Copy the Transcript

   • Click Copy Transcript button
   • Entire transcription copied to clipboard
   • Paste anywhere (Word, TextEdit, email, etc.)

Quick Transcription Workflow:

Fastest way to transcribe audio:

1. Open Notes
2. Create new note
3. Drag audio file into note
4. Double-click audio
5. Click transcription icon
6. Click Copy Transcript

Time Required: Less than 30 seconds (plus transcription processing time).

🎵 Supported File Formats

One of Notes' biggest advantages over Voice Memos is excellent file format compatibility.

✅ Fully Supported Formats:

M4A (MPEG-4 Audio)

• File extension: .m4a
• Audio codec: AAC
• Native Apple format
• Best compatibility

MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III)

• File extension: .mp3
• Most common audio format worldwide
• Podcasts, music, downloads
• Works directly (unlike Voice Memos!)

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format)

• File extension: .wav
• Uncompressed professional audio
• Large file sizes
• Works directly (unlike Voice Memos!)

Why Notes Accepts More Formats:

Unlike Voice Memos, Notes is designed as a general-purpose document container:

• Treats audio as embedded media
• Converts formats automatically when needed
• Processes transcription server-side
• Designed for flexibility and convenience

Potentially Supported Formats:

You may have success with:

• AAC (.aac) - Advanced Audio Coding
• AIFF (.aiff) - Audio Interchange File Format

Test these first. If Notes accepts and plays the file, it can likely transcribe it.

Unsupported or Problematic:

• FLAC (.flac) - May not import
• OGG (.ogg) - May not import
• WMA (.wma) - Windows format, unlikely

Pro Tip: If a format doesn't work, convert to MP3 or M4A using QuickTime Player, or use VideoToBe which accepts all formats.

📋 Working with Transcriptions in Notes

Once audio is transcribed, Notes offers several ways to use and manage the text.

Viewing Transcripts:

Access Transcript:

1. Double-click audio file in note
2. Audio player opens
3. Click Transcription icon
4. Scroll to read complete transcript

Display Format:

• Plain text format
• No speaker labels
• No timestamps
• Continuous flow
• Easy to read

Copying Transcripts:

One-Click Copy:

1. View transcript (as above)
2. Click Copy Transcript button
3. Entire text copied to clipboard

Manual Selection:

• Select specific portions of text
• Use standard selection (click and drag)
• Copy with Cmd + C

Keeping Audio and Transcript Together:

Notes' unique advantage is context preservation:

Same Note Contains:

• Original audio file
• Transcript text (when copied/pasted)
• Your annotations and context
• Related images or documents
• Action items or highlights

Example Note Structure:

Meeting: Q1 Planning Session
Date: January 15, 2025
Participants: Sarah, Mike, Jennifer

[Audio file embedded here]

Key Decisions:
- Launch date: March 1
- Budget: $50K
- Sarah owns design

[Transcript pasted below]

Editing and Formatting:

Cannot edit auto-generated transcript directly, but you can:

1. Copy transcript to clipboard
2. Paste into note above/below audio
3. Edit pasted text as needed
4. Format with styles (bold, italic, headers)
5. Organize with lists or tables

This gives you a permanent, editable version alongside original audio.

📁 Organizing Audio Transcriptions

Notes offers robust organization for managing multiple transcriptions.

Create a Transcription System:

Folder Structure:

1. Create folder: Transcriptions or Audio Notes
2. Create subfolders by category:
   • Meetings
   • Interviews
   • Lectures
   • Podcasts
   • Voice Memos

Naming Convention:

Use clear, searchable note titles:

• 2025-01-15 - Team Meeting - Product Launch
• Interview - John Smith - Marketing Strategy
• Lecture 05 - Psychology 101 - Memory

Search and Retrieval:

Powerful Search:

Notes indexes transcribed text:

1. Click search bar (top right)
2. Type any word or phrase
3. Results show matching notes
4. Works across all notes and transcripts

Example Use Cases:

• Search budget approved for financial decisions
• Search names to find specific interviews
• Search topics to locate relevant meetings

Using Tags and Smart Folders:

Tags for Organization:

Add searchable tags in notes:

#meeting #q1-2025 #product-team

Later, search #meeting to find all meeting transcriptions.

Smart Folders (macOS 13+):

Create auto-organizing smart folders:

• Notes containing audio files
• Notes with specific tags
• Notes modified recently

🎯 Advantages of Notes Over Voice Memos

While both apps transcribe, Notes has several key advantages.

1. Better File Format Support

Winner: Notes—no conversion needed for most files.

2. Context and Organization

Voice Memos:

• Just audio file library
• Minimal organization
• No additional context

Notes:

• Rich note-taking around audio
• Folder and tag organization
• Add context, annotations, action items
• Combine multiple elements

Winner: Notes—better for project management.

3. Collaboration Features

Voice Memos:

• No sharing or collaboration
• Files stay private

Notes:

• Share notes with others
• Real-time collaboration
• Team access to audio and transcripts
• Perfect for shared meeting notes

Winner: Notes—ideal for teams.

4. Multi-Purpose Tool

Voice Memos:

• Single purpose: audio recording/transcription
• Limited functionality

Notes:

• Combine transcripts with text, images, checklists
• Comprehensive project documentation
• Many uses beyond transcription

Winner: Notes—more versatile.

When Voice Memos Is Better:

Voice Memos has some advantages:

• Direct recording interface - Faster to start recording
• Dedicated audio tool - Purpose-built for voice
• Waveform editing - Visual audio editing
• Interactive playback - Click text to jump to audio

Best Practice: Record in Voice Memos, organize transcriptions in Notes.

⚠️ Limitations of Notes App Transcription

Despite its advantages, Notes has the same core transcription limitations as Voice Memos.

1. No Speaker Identification (Diarization)

What's Missing: Cannot distinguish between speakers.

Impact:

• Multi-person conversations as one speaker
• Interviews lack speaker attribution
• Meeting notes don't show participants
• Must manually add speaker labels

Example:

Actual:
Alice: "What's our timeline?"
Bob: "We launch in March"

Notes transcript:
"What's our timeline we launch in March"

2. No Subtitle File Formats (SRT/VTT)

What's Missing: Plain text only—no timestamps.

Cannot Create:

• SRT files for video subtitles
• VTT files for web video captions
• Time-coded transcripts for editing

Impact:

• Cannot add captions to videos
• Not suitable for YouTube/Vimeo
• Doesn't meet accessibility requirements
• Cannot use with video editing software

3. No In-App Transcript Editing

Limitation: Cannot edit auto-generated transcript directly.

Workaround:

1. Copy transcript to clipboard
2. Paste into note as editable text
3. Make corrections in pasted version
4. Original remains unchanged

4. English Language Only

Limitation: System must be English.

Cannot Transcribe:

• Other languages
• Multi-language content
• International audio

5. Accuracy Variations

Potential Issues:

• Heavy accents reduce accuracy
• Technical jargon often incorrect
• Background noise affects quality
• Overlapping speakers reduce quality
• No custom vocabulary

6. No Batch Processing

Limitation: Must transcribe files one at a time.

Impact:

• Cannot process multiple files simultaneously
• Time-consuming for large volumes
• No automation

7. No Export Formats

Limitation: Only plain text to clipboard.

Cannot Export:

• PDF with formatting
• Microsoft Word documents
• JSON or XML
• Professional transcription formats

💼 When You Need Professional Transcription

Notes is excellent for personal and small teams. Use professional tools when you need:

Speaker Identification

• Multi-person interviews
• Meeting transcriptions with names
• Podcasts with multiple hosts
• Focus groups and panels

Subtitle Files (SRT/VTT)

• Video captioning and accessibility
• YouTube, Vimeo uploads
• Video editing with timed subtitles
• Accessibility compliance

Guaranteed Accuracy

• Legal transcriptions
• Medical documentation
• Academic research
• Financial or compliance records

Multi-Language Support

• International content
• Multilingual meetings
• Foreign language materials
• Global business communications

Advanced Features

• Batch processing multiple files
• Export to multiple formats (PDF, Word, SRT)
• Custom vocabulary for industry terms
• AI-powered summaries and insights
• Team collaboration with transcript editing

🎯 VideoToBe: Professional Alternative

When Notes limitations prevent you from completing work, VideoToBe provides professional capabilities.

VideoToBe Express - Free Transcription:

• No account required
• 3 free transcriptions per day
• 95% accuracy with 90+ languages
• All audio and video formats
• Speaker diarization included
• Export to SRT/VTT subtitle formats
• Email delivery in 2-5 minutes

VideoToBe Studio - Professional Platform:

• Unlimited transcriptions
• Speaker identification with names
• Multiple export formats (SRT, VTT, PDF, TXT, Word)
• AI chat with transcripts
• Media library organization
• YouTube import
• Batch processing
• Team collaboration

📊 Comparison: Notes vs VideoToBe

💡 Best Practices

For Best Results:

Audio Quality:

• Use clean audio with minimal noise
• Ensure speakers clearly audible
• Avoid overlapping speech

File Preparation:

• Use MP3, WAV, or M4A formats
• Keep file sizes reasonable (under 1GB)
• Name files descriptively before importing

Note Organization:

• Create dedicated folders for transcriptions
• Use clear, searchable note titles
• Add context (date, participants, topic)
• Tag notes for easy retrieval

Workflow Optimization:

1. Record or obtain audio file
2. Create note with descriptive title
3. Add context at top (date, topic, etc.)
4. Drag audio into note
5. Double-click to transcribe
6. Copy transcript and paste for editing
7. Add action items, highlights, summaries
8. File in appropriate folder

Combining Notes with Other Tools:

Best of Both Worlds:

Use Notes for transcription and organization, export to other apps for advanced editing:

• Word for formatted documents
• Google Docs for collaboration
• Markdown editors for blog posts
• TextEdit for plain text

🎯 Conclusion

Notes app is an underrated transcription tool for Mac users, offering:

Why Choose Notes:

• ✅ Free and built-in
• ✅ Excellent file format support (MP3, WAV, M4A)
• ✅ Easy drag-and-drop workflow
• ✅ Keep audio and transcript together
• ✅ Rich organization with folders
• ✅ Collaboration with shared notes
• ✅ Multi-purpose note-taking integration

Best Use Cases:

• Personal meeting notes with audio
• Lecture or seminar transcriptions
• Interview notes for research
• Audio journal transcription
• Podcast note-taking
• Quick audio-to-text conversion

When to Use Alternatives:

• Need speaker identification → VideoToBe
• Need SRT/VTT subtitle files → VideoToBe
• Non-English content → VideoToBe
• Batch processing → VideoToBe
• Professional accuracy guarantees → VideoToBe

Your Next Steps:

For Personal/Small Team Transcription:

1. Open Notes on your Mac
2. Create organized folders for transcriptions
3. Start transcribing using this guide

For Professional Transcription:

1. Try VideoToBe Express free (3/day)
2. Get speaker identification and subtitle exports
3. Upgrade to VideoToBe Studio for unlimited

Related Guides:

• How to Transcribe Audio on Mac
• How to Transcribe Audio Using Voice Memos App
• How to Transcribe Audio Files for Free

Start transcribing smarter today with Notes app—or upgrade to VideoToBe when you need professional features!