How to find something said in a voice memo, podcast or meeting recording on a Mac
01Which option fits you
- It's a Voice Memos recording: search Voice Memos itself. Free.
- You recorded it in Notes: open the note and use Find in Transcript. Free.
- It's an audio or video file and you remember the exact words: transcribe it (MacWhisper, or DEVONthink Pro if you already use it), then search the text.
- You have dozens or hundreds of recordings and only remember roughly what was discussed: HyperArc searches them all at once by topic.
- It was a Zoom, Meet or Teams call: check whether the meeting tool already saved a transcript before doing anything else.
02Options at a glance
| Feature | Voice Memos | Notes | MacWhisper | DEVONthink 4 | HyperArc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Searches inside video/audio | Recordings in Voice Memos. It transcribes them, search matches words in the title or transcript, and selecting a word moves the playhead there | Audio recorded inside a note. You can view the transcript and use Find in Transcript | Transcribes audio and video files you give it (MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4 and others). You then search the transcript text | Pro and Server editions can transcribe speech in audio and video files to text, which then becomes searchable. Search works on the words, not on what is shown on screen | Yes. Video and audio files are split into time segments (2 minutes by default) and you search them by describing what you want |
| Images | No | No | No | Text and handwriting in images become searchable through OCR | Yes, by describing what is in the picture |
| PDFs | No | No | No | Yes, full text, with OCR for scans. Much deeper document handling than HyperArc: tags, groups, smart rules, annotations | Yes, page by page. Also plain text files (.txt, .md, .csv, .json, .html) |
| Works offline | Not specified by Apple | Not specified by Apple | Yes, transcription runs locally | Yes for the core app. Optional AI features and some transcription engines use cloud services | Partly. Indexing and new search queries call Gemini, so they need a connection. Repeat queries are cached locally |
| Where processing happens | Built-in transcription in the Voice Memos app | Built-in transcription in the Notes app | On your Mac, using OpenAI's Whisper models | On your Mac, unless you choose a cloud AI or transcription provider. Local models through Ollama or LM Studio are supported | Each chunk (video clip, PDF page, image) goes to Google's Gemini embedding API with your own key. The index and search live in a local SQLite database on your Mac |
| Price | Free, built into macOS | Free, built into macOS | Free version with limits. Pro is a one-time purchase | $99 Standard, $199 Pro, $499 Server. License for two Macs with a year of updates. Transcription needs Pro or Server | $29 one-time launch price (regular $129), up to 3 Macs. Gemini usage is billed by Google (free tier works to try) |
| Platform | macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon. Transcription isn't available in every country or region | Macs with M1 or later, with the device set to a supported language | Mac | macOS 13 or later. DEVONthink To Go for iPhone and iPad is included with Pro and Server | macOS 14 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel |
| Best at | Things you recorded with Voice Memos | Lectures and meetings you record straight into a note | Accurate, exportable transcripts of podcasts, interviews and meetings | Collecting, organizing and researching large sets of documents, email, web clips and notes | Finding a moment, page or photo across folders of mixed media when you only remember what it looked or sounded like |
03Free: search Voice Memos transcripts
Needs macOS 15 or later on a Mac with Apple silicon. Transcription isn't available in every country or region.
- Open Voice Memos.
- Type a word or phrase in the search field. The list narrows to recordings with that text in the title or the transcription.
- Open a recording and click the Transcription button.
- Select the word in the transcript. The playhead moves to that point so you can hear it in context.
Older recordings made on macOS 14 or earlier get transcribed automatically when you open them, as long as they contain speech.
04Free: search a recording in Notes
Needs a Mac with M1 or later and a supported language.
- Open the note and double-click the audio recording.
- Click the Transcription button.
- Click the More button, then Find in Transcript, and type.
Limits of both free options: they only cover recordings made in those apps, and they match words, so you need to remember roughly what was said.
05For audio files: transcribe, then search
For a podcast episode, an interview or a meeting export sitting in a folder, a transcript is the most precise way to find an exact quote.
- MacWhisper transcribes audio and video files on your Mac using OpenAI's Whisper models. There is a free version, and Pro (one-time purchase) adds things like batch transcription and larger models.
- DEVONthink 4 Pro can transcribe media with Apple's speech engines or OpenAI and keep the text searchable next to your documents. Worth it if you already use DEVONthink. More in HyperArc vs DEVONthink.
The catch with transcripts is volume. One file is easy. Two hundred files means managing two hundred transcripts.
06For whole folders: HyperArc
HyperArc takes a different approach. It doesn't transcribe. It splits each audio file into segments, 2 minutes by default (30, 60 or 90 seconds if you prefer), and has Google's Gemini embedding API compute an embedding for each segment with your own key. Your search is embedded the same way and matched against a local SQLite index on your Mac. HyperArc's own servers never receive your files.
- Install HyperArc (macOS 14 or later) and paste in a Gemini API key. Setup is on the download page.
- Put the recordings you care about in a folder, or point HyperArc at the folders where they already live (MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC and OGG all work).
- Let it index.
- Search the way you remember it: “where we talked about pricing”, “the part about hiring a designer”.
- Click a result to jump to that segment and listen.
Honest trade-offs: you land on a segment, not a highlighted sentence. Indexing and new searches need an internet connection. And for an exact quote, a transcript is still the better tool. Where HyperArc helps is the “I know we discussed this sometime last spring” search across a big pile of recordings, plus any video, photos and PDFs in the same folders. For video specifically, see how to search inside your videos on a Mac.
FAQQuestions people ask
Can I search the words inside Voice Memos on a Mac?
Yes, on macOS 15 or later with an Apple silicon Mac. Voice Memos transcribes recordings, and typing in its search field shows recordings with that text in the title or the transcription. Selecting a word in the transcript moves the playhead to that point. Transcription isn't available in every country or region.
How do I search a podcast or meeting recording that isn't in Voice Memos?
Either transcribe it and search the text, or use a tool that searches audio directly. MacWhisper transcribes audio and video files locally and has a free version. DEVONthink 4 Pro can transcribe media and keep the transcript searchable. HyperArc indexes whole folders of audio in short segments and finds the stretch where a topic came up, without making a transcript.
Does Spotlight search inside audio files?
No. Spotlight finds audio files by name and metadata. It doesn't transcribe or listen to them.
Is HyperArc a transcription app?
No. HyperArc splits audio into time segments (2 minutes by default, down to 30 seconds), has Google's Gemini embedding API compute an embedding for each segment using your own key, and matches your search against those in a local database. You land on the right segment and listen. If you need the exact quote in writing, use a transcription tool.
Which audio formats does HyperArc search?
MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC and OGG, plus video files (MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM), images, PDFs and plain text files in the same folders.
MORERelated pages
- HyperArc vs Spotlight. What the built-in Mac search can and can't find in your media.
- HyperArc vs DEVONthink. A document manager with transcription versus a media search app.
- Mac apps that search inside videos, compared. Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Jumper, Photos and HyperArc.
- How to search inside your videos on a Mac. Free options first, then the paid ones.
- HyperArc home page. Natural-language search for your videos, audio, photos and PDFs on Mac.
Remember the topic, not the words? Search by topic.
Add your recordings folder to HyperArc and search for “where we talked about pricing”. One-time price, up to 3 Macs, 30-day money-back guarantee.
One-time purchase. Up to 3 Macs. 30-day money-back guarantee. macOS 14 or later.