Export Notes Voice Recordings and Transcripts in iOS 18

iOS 18 introduces live audio recording and automated transcription directly within the Apple Notes app, but it does not support exporting an audio recording alongside its generated transcription in a single, unified file. While both components are stored together inside the note itself, Apple’s export and sharing options treat the media file and the text transcription as distinct elements. Consequently, users who want to save or share both must export the audio recording and the transcript text separately.

Can You Export Them Together?

No. There is no native command, archive format, or export bundle (such as a combined package or embedded media PDF) that outputs both the playable audio track and the generated transcript at once.

If you export the note as a PDF or send a copy of the note to another app, the audio attachment will not be playable, and the transcript will only appear if it has been manually added to the body of the note beforehand.

How to Export the Voice Recording

To extract the original audio file from Notes:

  1. Open the note containing the recording.
  2. Tap the audio attachment card to open the audio player interface.
  3. Tap the Share icon (the square with an upward arrow).
  4. Select Save to Files, AirDrop, or any messaging/cloud storage app. The file will be exported as an .m4a audio file.

How to Export the Generated Transcription

To extract the text transcription:

  1. Tap the audio attachment card to open the player.
  2. Tap the Transcript icon (represented by a speech bubble with quotation marks) in the lower-left corner.
  3. Tap the More icon (three dots) in the top-right corner of the transcript view.
  4. Choose Copy Transcript to paste the text into an external document, or choose Add Transcript to Note to paste the full text directly into the body of your current note.
  5. If added to the note body, you can then export the entire note text or generate a PDF containing the written transcript.

Best Workaround to Keep Both Files Together

To keep the audio and transcript organized together outside of Apple Notes:

  1. Insert the transcript into the note body or copy it into a plain text file.
  2. Export the .m4a audio file to a dedicated folder in the Files app.
  3. Save the transcript text (as a .txt, .docx, or .pdf) into the same folder alongside the audio file.