How to Export GarageBand to MP3 or WAV (Mac and iPhone)

Your song is in GarageBand and it sounds good. Now you want to send it to a friend, put it on your phone or upload it to your distributor. For that you need an MP3 or WAV, not a GarageBand project. Here's how to export on Mac and on iPhone, which format to pick and what to do when you only want one track.

Short answer

• Mac: choose Share > Export Song to Disk, pick MP3 or WAVE, choose the quality and click Export.
• iPhone or iPad: in My Songs, touch and hold your song, tap Share, choose Song, pick the audio quality and share or save the file.
• For Spotify or a distributor: export a WAV (lossless). For sharing or listening: an MP3 is fine.

How to export in GarageBand on Mac

1. Check your mix. Play the whole song once. What you hear is what ends up in the export. Mute any tracks that shouldn't be in it.
2. Choose Share > Export Song to Disk.
3. Name your file in the Save As field, for example "Artist, Title (mix 1)", so you know which version it is later.
4. Choose where to save it with the Where menu. iCloud Drive works too.
5. Pick a format: AAC, MP3, AIFF or WAVE. More on which one below.
6. Choose a setting from the Quality menu. When in doubt, pick the highest.
7. Only want part of the song? Tick the option to export just the cycle area (or the selected regions when Cycle is off). Leave it unticked to export the whole song.
8. Click Export.

According to Apple's user guide, the export is always a stereo file, and GarageBand trims the silence at the start and end of your project. That's handy for a demo, but keep it in mind when you export single tracks (more on that below).

Just want the song in your own library? The Share menu can also send it straight to the Music app.

How to export in GarageBand on iPhone or iPad

1. Go to My Songs and touch and hold your song.
2. Tap Share.
3. Choose Song. That's an audio file. Project is the editable GarageBand file, which only opens in GarageBand or Logic Pro on a Mac.
4. Pick the audio quality. Go for the highest if you'll keep working with the file.
5. Add the artist, composer and title if you like, plus an image.
6. Tap Share and choose where it goes: Save to Files, AirDrop, Messages, Mail or another app.

Want the file on your computer? Save it to the Files app (for example in iCloud Drive) or AirDrop it to your Mac. Apple also describes connecting your iPhone with a cable, opening Files for it in Finder and dragging the song out of the GarageBand folder.

Making a ringtone

Share also has a Ringtone option. Apple says a ringtone can be 30 seconds at most. If your song is longer, GarageBand can shorten it for you, or you can trim it yourself.

Which format should you choose?

• WAVE (WAV): lossless, nothing gets thrown away. Use it for your distributor, for a mix engineer or when you'll use the song in another program later.
• AIFF: also lossless, just like WAV. It works fine, but WAV is the one most programs and upload forms ask for.
• MP3: a small file that plays everywhere. Great for sharing a demo or putting it on your phone.
• AAC: also small and lossy, and the file usually gets the .m4a extension. Fine on Apple devices, but not every app or website accepts it.

Remember: converting an MP3 or AAC to WAV afterwards doesn't bring the quality back. Whatever compression threw away stays gone. If you need a WAV, export again from GarageBand. Read more in WAV to MP3: which quality to choose and what you lose.

Wrong file format? Convert it for free

Got an .m4a out of GarageBand on your iPhone and an app or website wants an MP3? Or you have a WAV and want a smaller file to share? Use the free audio converter. Drop your file in, pick MP3 or WAV and click Convert. It runs in your browser, so your audio isn't uploaded. Need to convert a whole folder at once, or want FLAC and 24-bit WAV? That's what Audio Converter Pro is for. Also see how to convert M4A to MP3.

Exporting one track or separate tracks

GarageBand has no button to export every track as its own file in one go, and Apple's guide doesn't describe a separate single-track export. What does work:

1. Mute every track you don't want. Users on Apple's forum report this works more reliably than solo.
2. Export with Export Song to Disk and name the file after the track, for example "lead vocal".
3. Repeat for each track.

Heads up: because GarageBand trims silence at the start, a track that only comes in later (say a hook from bar 9) can also start later in your file. If you line the tracks up in another program, check that they still play in sync. If not, move them to the right bar or tell your mix engineer which bar each track starts on.

Delivering stems a lot? Your GarageBand project also opens in Logic Pro, where one option exports every track as a separate file. Read how to export a beat in Logic Pro.

Before you upload: check your export

• Listen to the whole file, not in GarageBand but in a normal player. Is the ending there? No clicks?
• Check how loud your song is. Drop your WAV into the free master checker. You'll see your LUFS and true peak and what Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music do with your volume. Also read how many LUFS you need for Spotify.
• Uploading through DistroKid? Read which audio format DistroKid needs.

Common mistakes

• Sharing Project instead of Song. On iPhone that gives the other person a GarageBand file they can't simply play.
• Forgetting the cycle checkbox. If it's ticked, you only export what's inside the cycle area.
• Forgetting a muted track. Anything on mute won't be in your export.
• Sending your distributor an MP3. Export a WAV instead so you start from the best quality.

More GarageBand guides

Not there yet? Read how to record vocals in GarageBand on Mac, how to record rap on iPhone with GarageBand or how to make a beat in GarageBand on Mac. You'll find more free helpers in the free music tools.

FAQ

How do I export GarageBand to MP3 on Mac?

Choose Share > Export Song to Disk, pick MP3 as the format, choose the quality and click Export.

Can GarageBand on iPhone make an MP3?

Share > Song gives you an audio file in the quality you choose. If you specifically need an MP3 and your file is an .m4a, convert it with the free audio converter.

Why doesn't my export start at bar 1?

Apple says GarageBand trims silence at the start and end. If your first sound comes in later, your file starts at that sound.

How do I export just the vocals?

Mute every other track and export with Export Song to Disk. Your file will only contain what you can still hear.

Where is my export on my iPhone?

Wherever you saved it. If you chose Save to Files, it's in the Files app, in the folder you picked.

Sources: Apple's GarageBand user guide for Mac (export songs to disk) and for iPhone (share songs), and an Apple Community thread on exporting a single track.