--- title: Export Voice Memos on Mac with original dates and titles | VoiceDocket description: Batch-export Mac Voice Memos with original dates in filenames and Finder, plus a JSON export report. Full Export purchase required. url: https://voice.textdocket.app/guide/export-voice-memos-original-dates/ --- [← All guides](https://voice.textdocket.app/guide/) # Export Voice Memos on Mac with original dates and titles in the filenames Reviewed November 13, 2026 by the VoiceDocket team. Not legal advice. If you have many recordings in Voice Memos, useful filenames make an archive easier to browse. VoiceDocket can read the recording dates and titles in your Mac's Voice Memos library and include them in exported filenames, so you can identify a recording without opening every file. VoiceDocket also sets the exported audio file's creation and modification times to its original recording time. The filename, Finder dates and export report give you different ways to organize and check the archive. Batch export requires the paid Full Export unlock; it is not available in the free preview. ## Start with recordings available on your Mac Open Voice Memos and check that the recordings you want are available on this Mac. If they are only on another device, make them available on the Mac first. VoiceDocket is a Mac app; it does not connect directly to an iPhone to retrieve recordings. Start with recordings whose dates and titles you recognize. If you want a smaller test batch, filter the list by recording title using the sidebar search. Export All exports the currently displayed recordings whose audio is available locally; it does not use individual selection checkboxes. ## Give access to the Voice Memos folder In VoiceDocket, click Choose Voice Memos Folder… and choose the library's Recordings folder. The app initially points to `~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.VoiceMemos.shared/Recordings`. macOS requires this selection before the app can read that library. VoiceDocket reads the library's recording information rather than assuming that today's export date is the recording date. Check the titles and recording dates shown in the app. If a recording you expected is missing, first confirm that it is available in Voice Memos on the Mac. Do not delete your originals to troubleshoot an incomplete export. ## Export the displayed recordings as audio Filter the list by title first if you want to export only part of the library. Export All exports the currently displayed recordings whose audio is available locally. Open the toolbar's Export All menu and choose Audio Only…. Select a destination folder and click Export Here. This copies the audio without transcribing it, and does not require downloading speech models. The other option, Draft Transcripts & Audio…, also prepares transcripts and requires the local speech models. If the models are not available, the app asks you to download them first or export audio only. Use a separate destination folder for a first test so you can inspect the output easily. Filenames contain the recording date, time and title, for example `2026-03-14 0930 Call with landlord.m4a`. Recordings without a title use the date and time. When filenames would collide, the app adds a number such as ` 2` or ` 3`. Open a few exported recordings and listen to them. Compare the export with the recordings included in the batch before using it as an archive. The source recordings are read and copied; the originals are not changed. The destination folder also contains `Voice Memos Export.json`. For each recording included in the batch, the report lists its original title, recording time, duration, source filename, output filename and its result: `exported`, `failed`, `missing` or `cancelled`, with a reason where applicable. The report describes the recordings included in this export batch, not a complete inventory of the library. Recordings already marked unavailable locally are excluded before the batch starts; confirm that all expected recordings are downloaded before exporting. If a file becomes unavailable during the copy, inspect the reported failure. If a report of the same name already exists, the new report receives a numbered filename. Keep the report alongside the audio. The current report format is JSON, not CSV. ## Check Finder dates and the export report For each successfully exported audio file, VoiceDocket sets both creation and modification times to the original recording time. You can inspect those dates in Finder and use date sorting to browse the exported files. If setting a file's dates fails, the app removes that exported copy and reports the failure rather than leaving a copy with incorrect dates. Review `Voice Memos Export.json` for batch results and compare the batch with the recordings you expected to export. Check the library separately for recordings excluded because their audio was not available locally, and keep the source library until you have checked the result. These dates are copied from the recording information in the Voice Memos library. They are useful for organizing the archive; they do not independently prove when an event happened or that a recording is authentic. ## Do I need a transcript too? Exporting audio and preparing a transcript solve different jobs. An audio archive helps you organize recordings; a transcript helps you find and review what was said. If you need a readable document, see [how to prepare a transcript you can check against its recording](https://voice.textdocket.app/guide/review-timestamped-transcript/). VoiceDocket's transcription supports English recordings on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later. Automatic speaker grouping needs macOS 15 and must be reviewed. About 511 MB of speech models download before first use; transcription then runs locally without uploading your recordings. Download and preview are free. Batch audio export and PDF export require Full Export, a one-time $29.99 purchase. The Mac App Store version unlocks it through an in-app purchase; the direct-download version uses a license key. Check the current price in your Mac App Store storefront or on the [product page](https://voice.textdocket.app/). [Get VoiceDocket](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/voicedocket/id6829824301) or [contact support](https://voice.textdocket.app/support/) if your available recordings are not appearing as expected.