# Find, play and export your dictations > NoteOwl saves every dictation in Dictations. Record voice notes with New Dictation, then filter, rename, compare raw and polished text, play and export them. Source: https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/voice-notes · Last updated 2026-09-27 · Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0 NoteOwl saves every dictation in **Dictations**, in the sidebar: the words you dictate into other apps with **fn**, and the voice notes you record inside NoteOwl with **New Dictation**. Open one to read your raw words beside the polished version, play it back, rename it or export it. Dictations is part of NoteOwl Free, with no limit. ## How do I record a voice note? Open **Dictations**, click **New Dictation** at the top right of the window, talk, then click **Stop**. NoteOwl transcribes the recording on your Mac, tidies it and saves the audio with the text. 1. Click **Dictations** in the sidebar. 2. Click **New Dictation** at the top right of the window. The button changes to **Stop**, and the list shows **Recording…**. If NoteOwl doesn't have microphone access yet, macOS asks for it first. 3. Say what you want to note. 4. Click **Stop**. The list shows **Transcribing…**, **Cleaning up…** and **Saving…**, and then the new voice note opens, with a title NoteOwl gave it from what you said. A voice note is tidied with **Polish**, or kept exactly as you said it if **Settings → Auto-Context** is set to **Keep exact**. Your [Vocabulary](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/templates/custom-vocabulary) rules apply too. ![The NoteOwl Dictations screen, with New Dictation at the top right, a list of four dictations under Filter dictations, and one open in Split view beside its Professional Email version](https://www.noteowl.ai/product/07-dictations.webp) ## Which dictations keep their audio? Voice notes you record with **New Dictation** keep their audio, and show a **Play** button. Dictations you make with **fn** in other apps are saved as text only: your raw words and the polished version, without audio. To hear a voice note, open it and click **Play**. The button changes to **Pause** while it plays. ## Find a dictation The list shows each dictation's title, its first line, the app you dictated into and its length. * **Filter the list.** Type in **Filter dictations**, at the top of the list. It finds your words in a title, in your raw words or in the polished version. Click the clear button, or press Esc, to show everything again. * **Move through the list.** Use the ↑ and ↓ keys. * **Search everything at once.** To find a dictation alongside your meetings and imported recordings, use [Search everything](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/chat/search-everything), part of NoteOwl Pro. ## How do I see what I said and the polished version? Open the dictation and click **Split**, **Raw** or **Output** above it. **Raw** is exactly what NoteOwl heard, **Output** is the version in the chosen style, named above it, and **Split** shows the two side by side. ![A dictation open in NoteOwl's Dictations screen in Split view: the raw words on the left and a Tidy Notes version on the right, with the Split, Raw and Output switch, a Tidy Notes menu and Play above them](https://www.noteowl.ai/product/p2-dictations-split.webp) Each pane has a copy button. Above **Output** there are two more: * **Ask for changes**, the wand: type an instruction, such as "make it more concise and formal", and click **Revise**. NoteOwl rewrites the output on your Mac. * **Focus**, the button with two arrows: edit the output yourself, with bold, italics, headings and bullets, and save it. Your raw words never change, whatever you do to the output. ## Change the style of a dictation Click the menu beside **Split**, **Raw** and **Output**. It's named after the current style, such as **Tidy Notes**. * Under **Cleanup**, choose **Polish**, **Verbatim**, **Professional Email**, **Casual Message**, **Tidy Notes** or **Code**. The menu reads **Reformatting…** while NoteOwl writes a new output, which replaces the old one. * Under **Transform as**, one section for each template group, choose a template, such as **Meeting Report** or **To-Do List**, to rewrite the whole dictation in its shape. Templates are part of NoteOwl Pro: see [choose or write a summary template](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/templates/templates). **Verbatim** keeps your words exactly as spoken, so the **Output** pane stays empty and says so. What each cleanup style does is explained in [set the dictation tone for each app](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/tone-for-each-app). ## Rename a dictation Click the pencil beside the dictation's title, or double-click the title, then type a new name and press Return. Press Esc to cancel. You can also right-click a dictation in the list and choose **Rename**, or select it and press Return. ## Export or copy a dictation Click the share button at the top right of an open dictation. Choose **Copy Markdown**, **Save as Markdown**, **Save PDF**, **Share…**, **Mail** or **Messages**. The export holds the output under a heading naming its style, then your raw words. See [export a note, or all of your data](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/data/export). To copy just the text, right-click the dictation in the list and choose **Copy**. That copies the output, or your raw words if there's no output. ## Delete dictations Right-click a dictation and choose **Delete**, or select it and press Delete. NoteOwl asks **Delete this dictation?** before it does anything. Deleting removes the dictation from your library permanently: its transcript, its output and its place in search. A voice note's audio file moves to the Trash, but putting it back from there doesn't restore the dictation. To delete several, click **Select** at the top of the list, tick the dictations and click **Delete** with the number you ticked. If **Filter dictations** is hiding some of them, NoteOwl names the hidden ones and offers to delete only the visible ones. ## Common questions ### Is the Dictations screen part of NoteOwl Free? Yes. Recording voice notes with New Dictation, filtering, renaming, playing, changing the Cleanup style and exporting dictations are all part of NoteOwl Free, with no limit. Transforming a dictation with a template and Search everything are part of NoteOwl Pro. ### Does NoteOwl keep the audio of every dictation? No. NoteOwl keeps the audio of voice notes you record inside NoteOwl with New Dictation, and shows Play for them. A dictation made by tapping fn in another app is saved as text only, your raw words beside the polished version. ### Do my dictations go into NoteOwl's memory? Voice notes you record inside NoteOwl always do. Dictations into other apps join NoteOwl's memory only if you turn on Dictations into other apps feed memory in Settings → Memory, which is off to start with. ## Related - [Dictate into any app with the fn key](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/dictate-into-any-app): Tap fn to start dictating in any Mac app and tap it again to stop. NoteOwl types your words at the cursor and keeps exactly what you said. - [Polish, shorten or clarify a dictation](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/polish-shorten-clarify): After you dictate, NoteOwl offers Polish, Shorten, Clarify, Make formal and Make friendly. Each rewrites your words in the app, and Undo puts them back. - [Set the dictation tone for each app](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/tone-for-each-app): NoteOwl picks a dictation tone for each app, such as professional in Mail and casual in Slack. Change it in Settings → Auto-Context. Raw words are always kept. - [Export a note, or all of your data](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/data/export): Export a NoteOwl meeting, dictation or transcript as Markdown, PDF, text or subtitles, or save everything to one zip file with Export all data. Learn more: [Voice notes, on the NoteOwl Features page](https://www.noteowl.ai/features/voice-notes)