![](https://help.apple.com/assets/5FDCF587B5CA140B5620CEE5/5FDCF588B5CA140B5620CEEC/en_US/ae8d596d44d76eddfb1ea9eb4772e949.png)
Send audio messages in Messages on Mac
You can quickly record an audio message, and send it to friends instead of typing your message. Your friends can play the recording right in the Messages window.
If you want to make an audio call instead of sending a message, see Make a FaceTime audio call.
![A conversation in the Messages window, showing the Record Audio button next to the text field at the bottom of the window. An audio message appears with its recorded length in the conversation.](https://help.apple.com/assets/5FDCF587B5CA140B5620CEE5/5FDCF588B5CA140B5620CEEC/en_US/8461cc436ea097122ff1689fd6866b9d.png)
In the Messages app
on your Mac, select a conversation, then click the Record Audio button
to record a message.
To search for contacts and content in conversations, click in the Search field in the top-left corner and enter what you’re looking for. Or, choose from the suggested contacts, links, photos, and more.
If you’re restricted to sending and receiving messages with only certain people, an hourglass icon
appears next to those people you can’t send messages to.To finish the recording, click the Stop button
.
To review the message before you send it, click the Play button
.
When you’re ready to send it, click the Send button
.
After you send the audio message, it disappears from your Messages window after 2 minutes. The recipient can still play your audio message. To preserve the audio message in your Messages window, click Keep.