How do I find my voice recorder files?
Check Your Phone’s Voice Recorder App
Most smartphones come with a built-in voice recorder app that you can use to record audio memos, notes, interviews, speeches, and more. This app saves your recordings as audio files on your phone’s storage. To find these files, open the voice recorder app itself.
On an iPhone, tap the Voice Memos app icon to launch it. On Android phones, look for an app called Voice Recorder, Sound Recorder, Voice Memo or something similar. The app icon often shows a microphone symbol.
Once in the app, look for a files, folder or library icon. On iPhones, tap the three-dot menu in the top right and select “Recordings.” On Androids, tap the hamburger menu in the top left and look for “Recordings” or “Files.” Here you can see a list of all your recordings sorted by date, name, duration or other properties.
Tapping a recording will open the file details. The file name usually includes the date created. You can play recordings directly within the app. This is the easiest way to find and access the audio files from your phone’s voice recorder.
Search Your Phone’s Files
One of the easiest ways to find your voice recorder files is to open your phone’s file manager app and manually browse through the folders where audio files are typically stored.
On Android phones, voice recordings made with the built-in recorder app are usually saved in the Music or Audio folders, but can sometimes be found under Media or Downloads if you have changed the default location. You can launch the My Files or Files app on your Android device and explore these folders to see if your recordings are visible there.1
On iPhones, voice memos and recordings are often stored in the Voice Memos app’s own storage, but you may also find them under Music or Files if you used a third-party app. Launch the Files app on your iOS device and look in the Audio folder for recorded files.2
Using your phone’s native file manager gives you direct access to browse these storage locations, which can help uncover voice recordings that may be buried or misfiled somewhere you didn’t expect.
Connect Phone to Computer
One of the easiest ways to locate your voice recorder files is to connect your phone directly to your computer using a USB cable. This will allow your computer to access the phone’s storage like an external hard drive.
To connect your Android phone to your computer, first install the proper drivers if needed and enable USB debugging on your device (1). Then use a USB cable to connect your phone to your computer. Your phone may prompt you to select a USB connection type – choose “File Transfer” or “MTP.”
Once connected, your phone’s internal storage should show up on your computer as an external drive. Navigate to folders like DCIM, Music, and Media to find audio and video recordings made with your phone’s built-in voice recorder app. The files may be under a folder named “Recordings” or “Audio.” If you still can’t locate the files, try using your computer’s search function while your phone is connected.
With your phone’s storage accessible on your computer, you can copy, move, delete, or modify voice recorder files as needed (2). Just remember to safely disconnect your phone afterwards.
Check Cloud Storage
Many people automatically upload files from their phone to connected cloud storage services like iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, etc. According to Statista, iCloud and OneDrive are two of the most popular personal cloud storage services.
To check if your voice recordings were automatically uploaded, first open the cloud storage app on your phone that’s linked to the device. For example, the iCloud Drive app for iPhone or the Google Drive app for Android. Then view your files and folders to see if any recent voice recordings appear.
You can also search your cloud storage by date range or file type. For example, in Google Drive you can search “type: audio” or “modified: this week.” This will help surface any voice recordings that may have been uploaded from your phone automatically without you realizing.
According to Cloud Computing Statistics, a large majority of people use cloud storage for backing up files from mobile devices. So there’s a good chance your missing voice recordings are waiting for you in the cloud if automatic uploads were enabled.
Use a File Search App
One option is to download a file search app for your Android phone that can help you find your lost voice recorder files. There are several powerful file manager and search apps available on the Google Play Store that may be able to locate your recordings.
Apps like DocSearch+ and Cx File Explorer allow you to search all of the files on your device, including media and documents stored both internally and on SD cards. After installing the app, you’ll need to grant it permissions to access and search all of your phone’s files and folders.
Then you can search by filename, date modified, size, type, and other filters to try to locate your lost voice recordings. The search apps index all of your files to enable quick and robust searching. With some luck, this may turn up the voice recorder files you’re looking for if they still exist somewhere on your device or storage.
Check Recently Deleted
Your phone likely has a “recently deleted” folder where files are kept temporarily before being permanently deleted [1]. When you delete a file on your phone, it may go to this folder instead of being immediately erased.
Search the recently deleted folder on your device for any voice recordings that may have been accidentally deleted. They are often kept for 30 days or more before being permanently removed [2]. This gives you a window to recover lost recordings.
On an iPhone, go to Photos > Albums > Recently Deleted to view deleted photos and videos. For other deleted files, check the Recently Deleted folder in iCloud Drive. On Android, find your trash folder in the Files or Gallery app. Recovering a deleted file from here may restore lost voice recordings.
Restore from Backup
If the voice recordings were lost or deleted from your phone, one option is to restore your phone from a previous backup. This will revert your phone back to the state it was in when the backup was created, potentially restoring any lost voice memos or recordings.
There are a few different backup options to consider:
- Local backups to your computer using iTunes or Finder (for iPhones) (Pew Research Center, 2012)
- Cloud-based backups like iCloud or Google Drive (Backblaze, 2022)
- Backups to an external hard drive or storage device
Try to restore your phone to the most recent backup point before the recordings were lost. For example, if you know you had the recordings 2 days ago, restore to a backup from 3 days ago. This should bring back the lost voice recordings.
Restoring from backup will revert your phone to a previous state, so you may lose any new data or customizations. But it can be a worthwhile troubleshooting step to retrieve lost voice recordings.
Use a File Recovery App
If your voice recordings were deleted from your phone’s storage, a file recovery app may be able to find and restore them. File recovery apps work by scanning your phone’s internal storage and external SD card to detect residual traces of deleted data. They can then rebuild deleted files using advanced data reconstruction algorithms.
According to Forbes, top-rated apps like Disk Drill claim a 95% success rate for recovering lost files. File recovery apps like Disk Drill, EaseUS, and Stellar Photo Recovery specialize in finding deleted media like photos, videos, and audio recordings. Many offer a free trial so you can scan for your lost recordings before purchasing.
Once your deleted recordings are found, file recovery apps allow you to preview them to confirm they are the right files. You can then save the recovered recordings back onto your phone’s internal storage or SD card. Just be sure to save them to a new location instead of overwriting the space where they were originally deleted.
Contact Your Service Provider
Your cell phone service provider may have remote backups of data from your device. You can contact your provider’s customer support and ask if they have archived backups that include your deleted audio recordings. Many providers automatically back up certain types of data for a certain period of time.
Explain to the customer service agent when you think you deleted the recordings, and ask them to check their archives from around that date. Depending on their policies, they may be able to restore audio recordings that were accidentally deleted within a certain timeframe. For example, some providers retain location data and other information for months or years.
Restoring data will likely require confirming your account identity and may involve a fee. But contacting your cell provider’s customer support is worth a try, as they may have archived backups that you can access to recover deleted recordings.
Seek Professional Data Recovery
For critical lost recordings that you absolutely need to recover, using a professional data recovery service may be your best option, despite the higher cost. Reputable data recovery companies like DriveSavers and Gillware Data Recovery employ data recovery experts who dismantle devices and attempt advanced in-lab file recovery using specialized equipment.
This option has the highest chance of recovering lost files and recordings compared to DIY software solutions, but costs several hundred to several thousand dollars on average. According to Prosoft Engineering, basic hard drive file recovery costs between $100-$700 depending on the severity. More complex phone and server recovery can cost $1,000 or more. Still, for irreplaceable voice recordings, the high cost may be worthwhile.
When evaluating professional data recovery services, be sure to understand their success rate, security protocols, privacy policies, and total costs. Reputable companies often provide free evaluations or quotes. While expensive, for critical files, professional data recovery services utilize specialized techniques that offer the highest chances of getting lost recordings back.