How to Email a Voice Memo

You just recorded the perfect voice memo. Maybe it’s a heartfelt message for a friend, detailed instructions for a colleague, or meeting notes you don’t want to forget. Now you need to email it. Should be simple, right?

Well, kind of. Apple makes it mostly straightforward, but there are enough quirks and gotchas that you might find yourself staring at your phone wondering why your perfectly good recording won’t send. Let’s fix that.

The Fastest Way: Share Sheet to Mail

This is the method Apple wants you to use, and honestly, it works pretty well for most recordings.

1. Open the Voice Memos app on your iPhone
2. Find and tap the recording you want to send
3. Tap the three dots (•••) or long-press the recording
4. Tap Share
5. Select Mail from the share sheet
6. A new email opens with your voice memo already attached
7. Add recipients, subject line, and any message you want
8. Hit Send

That’s it. Your voice memo travels through the internet as an M4A file attachment, and your recipient can play it on pretty much any device or email client.

Why M4A?

Apple saves voice memos in M4A format (also called AAC), which is a compressed audio format that sounds good while keeping file sizes reasonable. Most email clients and devices can play M4A files without any fuss. Windows, Android, Mac, web browsers—they all handle it fine.

The one exception: some older corporate email systems or very outdated devices might choke on M4A files. If you’re sending to someone using a Blackberry from 2009 or a heavily locked-down corporate email, you might need to convert to MP3. But for 99% of situations, M4A works perfectly.

How to Attach a Voice Memo to an Email from Files

Sometimes the share sheet method doesn’t work. Maybe your email app isn’t appearing in the share options, or you want more control over the process. The Files app method gives you that flexibility.

First, you need to save your voice memo to Files:

1. Open Voice Memos
2. Tap the recording you want
3. Tap the three dots (•••)
4. Select Save to Files
5. Choose a location (I recommend creating a “Voice Memos” folder in iCloud Drive)
6. Tap Save

Now you can attach it from any email:

1. Open the Mail app (or whatever email app you use)
2. Start composing a new message
3. Tap and hold in the message body until the context menu appears
4. Tap the arrow to see more options
5. Select Add Attachment or Insert from Files
6. Navigate to where you saved the voice memo
7. Tap to attach it
8. Finish your email and send

This method is especially useful when you’re working in your email first and want to grab a voice memo, rather than starting from the Voice Memos app. It’s also handy if you’ve organized your recordings in Files and want to send an older one without hunting through the Voice Memos app.

The Dreaded “File Too Large” Problem

Here’s where things get annoying. Apple’s Mail app has a 20MB limit for attachments. Gmail limits you to 25MB. Most corporate email systems are somewhere between 10-25MB.

Voice memos can get big fast. A 5-minute recording typically runs about 5-8MB with the default quality settings. But a 30-minute recording? That can easily hit 30-50MB, especially if you recorded with Lossless quality enabled.

When your file’s too large, you’ve got several options:

Option 1: Use Mail Drop (Apple’s Solution)

If you’re using Apple’s Mail app and your file exceeds 20MB, Mail will automatically offer to use Mail Drop. This uploads your attachment to iCloud and sends the recipient a download link instead of the actual file.

The good news: It handles files up to 5GB. The bad news: The link expires after 30 days, so if your recipient doesn’t download it quickly, they lose access.

Mail Drop kicks in automatically when you try to send a large file. You’ll see a popup asking if you want to use it. Just tap Use Mail Drop and send as usual.

Option 2: Compress the Recording

If you absolutely need the file to arrive as an actual attachment (some people are weird about download links, and some corporate firewalls block them), you’ll need to shrink the file.

On iPhone (limited options):

The Voice Memos app doesn’t offer compression controls. Your best bet is to use a third-party app like:

• Audio Compress — Simple, focused on reducing file size
• MP3 Converter — Convert to MP3 with adjustable bitrate
• Ferrite — Full-featured audio editor with export options

Most of these let you reduce quality just enough to squeeze under email limits without making the audio sound terrible.

On Mac or PC (more control):

1. AirDrop or sync your voice memo to your computer
2. Use free tools like Audacity (free), HandBrake (free), or any audio editor
3. Export as MP3 with a lower bitrate (128kbps is usually fine for voice)
4. The file size drops dramatically—a 50MB M4A becomes a 10MB MP3

Option 3: Trim the Recording

Sometimes you only need to send part of the recording. Voice Memos has a built-in trim feature:

1. Open the recording in Voice Memos
2. Tap Edit (or the three dots, then Edit)
3. Tap the crop icon in the top right
4. Drag the yellow handles to select just the part you need
5. Tap Trim to keep only the selection (or Delete to remove the selection)
6. Tap Save

Be careful here—trimming is permanent unless you tap “Revert to Original” before saving. I’ve accidentally chopped off important parts of recordings because I wasn’t paying attention.

Option 4: Use a Cloud Service

For really large files, skip email attachments entirely:

1. Upload your voice memo to Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud Drive
2. Get a shareable link
3. Paste that link in your email

This works for any file size and doesn’t clog up anyone’s email storage. The downside: some recipients find it annoying to click through to another service, and again, corporate firewalls can be jerks about external links.

When the Recipient Can’t Play Your File

You send your voice memo, you’re feeling good, and then you get a reply: “I can’t open this file.”

This happens more than you’d expect. Here’s why and how to fix it:

“Format Not Supported”

This usually means the recipient’s device or email client doesn’t recognize M4A files. Solutions:

• Convert to MP3: Nearly universal compatibility. Use a converter app on your phone or computer.
• Convert to WAV: Even more universal, but much larger files. Only use this as a last resort.
• Send a download link: Upload to Google Drive or similar, which will let them play it in the browser without downloading.

“File Appears Corrupted”

If your voice memo recorded fine and plays on your device, corruption usually happens during transfer. This is rare with email, but can happen with:

• Very slow or unstable internet connections
• Email servers that mangle attachments (usually older corporate systems)
• Interrupted uploads with Mail Drop

Fix: Try sending again, or use a different method (cloud link instead of attachment).

“Where’s the Attachment?”

Some email clients hide attachments in weird places. Outlook buries them at the bottom. Gmail sometimes shows them as inline players. Your recipient might just not see it.

Tell them to:

• Scroll to the very bottom of the email
• Look for a paperclip icon
• Check if there’s a small “Download attachments” link
• Try opening the email in a different email app or web browser

The Real Problem With Emailing Voice Memos

Let’s be honest: emailing voice memos works, but it’s kind of a pain. You’re creating files, managing storage, dealing with size limits, worrying about formats.

And here’s the thing—most voice memos are quick thoughts, feedback, or ideas. They don’t need the permanence and formality of an email attachment. They need to be heard, understood, and probably forgotten about once they’ve served their purpose.

The whole “export a file, attach to email, hope it works” flow feels like we’re using 2005 technology in the 2020s.

Tips for Better Voice Memo Emails

A few things I’ve learned from sending way too many voice memos:

Name your recordings: Before you share, tap the default name (usually a date/time or location) and give it a descriptive title. “Project feedback - Johnson account” is much more helpful than “Recording 47.”

Keep them short: The best voice memos are 1-3 minutes. If you’re going longer, consider whether this should actually be a call or a written document.

Mention the length: Start your email with something like “3-minute voice memo attached with my thoughts on the proposal.” Recipients appreciate knowing what they’re getting into.

Record in a quiet place: Background noise makes voice memos hard to understand and (weirdly) makes files larger because there’s more audio data to encode.

Check before sending: Tap play and listen to the first few seconds. Make sure it actually recorded what you think it did. Nothing worse than sending a file that’s just silence or five seconds of you saying “Is this thing on?”

Why Voice Memos Beat Typing (Sometimes)

Okay, quick tangent—when should you even use a voice memo instead of just typing?

Voice wins when:

• You’re explaining something complex and nuance matters
• Typing would take forever (voice is 3-4x faster than typing for most people)
• You’re multitasking (walking, cooking, driving—don’t text and drive, but voice memos are hands-free)
• Tone matters—sarcasm, enthusiasm, concern all come through in voice
• You’re giving feedback and want to sound human, not cold

Typing wins when:

• The recipient will need to reference details later (harder to search audio)
• You’re sending to multiple people who might forward it
• The content is simple enough that voice adds nothing
• Your environment is noisy
• The recipient is in a place where they can’t listen (meetings, public transit)

Pick the right tool for the job. Sometimes a voice memo is perfect. Sometimes a two-sentence email gets it done faster.

Wrapping Up

Emailing a voice memo is pretty simple once you know the tricks. For most recordings, just use the share button in Voice Memos and select Mail. For larger files, use Mail Drop or compress the recording. If your recipient can’t play the file, convert to MP3.

The bigger question is whether email is even the right tool for sharing voice notes in 2024. It works, but there are faster, simpler ways to get your voice into someone’s ears without the file management hassle.

Whatever method you choose, at least now you know how to make it work. Go record something.