Table of Contents
Is There a Way to Turn Off Automatic Location Names in Voice Memos on macOS?
You can stop your Mac from naming voice memos with your location by changing a single setting within the Voice Memos application. This simple adjustment gives you back control over how your audio files are named.
The Voice Memos app on your Mac is a very handy tool. It lets you record audio notes, reminders, meetings, or even creative ideas with just a click. This app works seamlessly with your iPhone and iPad, making your recordings available across your Apple devices. One feature of this app is called Location-Based Naming. When this feature is on, the app uses your Mac’s location to automatically name your recordings. For example, if you make a recording at a coffee shop called “Main Street Cafe,” the file might be named “Main Street Cafe.”
Why You Might Want to Change the Naming System
This automatic naming can be very helpful for some people. If your job involves visiting many different places, it can keep your recordings organized without any effort. A real estate agent visiting different properties could have recordings automatically labeled by address. A journalist conducting interviews in various locations would instantly know where each conversation took place. Even for a hobby, like a student recording lectures in different campus buildings, this feature makes sorting through files much easier.
However, this feature is not for everyone. If you create most of your voice memos in one place, like your home or office, it can become a problem. Every new recording will get a similar name, such as “Home,” “Home 2,” “Home 3,” and so on. This list of nearly identical names does not help you find a specific recording. You would have to listen to each one to figure out what it is. This forces you to rename every file manually, which takes extra time and effort. Some people also prefer not to have their location information attached to their files for privacy reasons. By turning this feature off, you get a clean slate for every recording, allowing you to name it something meaningful right away.
How to Turn Off Location-Based Naming
If you want your voice memos to have a more general name, you can turn off the location feature. The steps are simple and can be done in less than a minute.
- First, you need to open the Voice Memos app on your Mac. You can find it in your “Applications” folder, or you can use Spotlight search (the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner of your screen) to find it quickly.
- Once the app is open, look at the menu bar at the very top of your screen. Click on “Voice Memos” to open a drop-down menu.
- From this menu, choose “Settings.” This will open a small window with options for the app.
- In the Settings window, you will see an option called “Location-based Naming.” Next to it is a small box with a checkmark inside. To turn the feature off, click on this box to remove the checkmark.
- You can now close the Settings window. The change is saved instantly. From now on, any new voice memo you record will not use your location for its name. Instead, it will be called “New Recording.”
How to Turn Location-Based Naming Back On
If you change your mind later and decide you want the automatic naming feature, turning it back on is just as easy. You might find that your recording habits have changed, and having the location as a name is now useful for you.
- Open the Voice Memos application on your Mac computer.
- Go to the “Voice Memos” menu at the top of the screen and select “Settings.”
- Find the “Location-based Naming” option in the window that appears.
- Click the empty box next to it. A checkmark will appear, showing that the feature is now active.
- Close the Settings window. The app will now use your location to name new recordings.
It is important to know that this setting is unique to each device. Changing it on your Mac does not change it on your iPhone or iPad. If you want to turn off location naming on your other devices, you will need to change the setting on each one separately. This gives you the flexibility to use different naming systems on different devices, depending on how you use them.