How to Export a Song From GarageBand

To export from GarageBand on a Mac, open the Share menu, choose Export Song to Disk, pick a format (AAC, MP3, AIFF, or WAVE), set the quality, and click Export. On an iPhone or iPad, tap the down-arrow or wrench icon, choose Share, then Song, and select your quality. That’s the whole job in one line — the rest of this guide walks you through each step, explains which format to choose and why, and fixes the two problems that catch almost everyone: a bounce that comes out silent, or one that cuts off before the song ends.

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Before you export from GarageBand: set your song length and levels

The single biggest cause of a broken bounce is the cycle region — the yellow bar under the ruler that marks a loop. If it’s switched on, GarageBand only exports the portion inside it, so your five-minute song can arrive as an eight-bar fragment. Look at the ruler at the top of the workspace. If you see a yellow strip, click the cycle button (the circular-arrow icon in the control bar) to turn it off, or drag its edges to cover the entire song. With cycle off, GarageBand exports from the start of the project to the end of the last region automatically.

Next, check your master level. Play the loudest part of the track and watch the master meters in the top-right of the control bar. If they hit the red and stay there, you’re clipping, and that distortion bakes permanently into the exported file. Pull the master volume slider down until the loudest peaks land just short of the top. A little headroom here saves you from re-exporting later. If you plan to send the file for mastering or upload it to a streaming platform, aim for peaks around a few decibels below maximum rather than slamming the ceiling.

How to export a song from GarageBand on Mac

Here’s the full walkthrough on macOS, in order:

1. Open the Share menu. It’s in the menu bar at the top of the screen, between “Track” and “Window.”
2. Choose “Export Song to Disk.” This is the option you want for a finished audio file you can upload, email, or import elsewhere. A dialog box opens.
3. Name the file and pick a save location. By default GarageBand suggests your project name; the Desktop or a dedicated “Bounces” folder both work well.
4. Choose your format. You’ll see AAC, MP3, AIFF, and WAVE. More on which to pick in the next section.
5. Set the quality. For MP3 and AAC you get a bitrate menu; higher bitrate means better sound and a larger file. For AIFF and WAVE you’ll see options for bit depth and sample rate.
6. Click Export. GarageBand renders the song in real time or faster and drops the finished file in your chosen folder.

That’s it. The Share menu also offers “Song to Music” (sends it straight into the Music app), AirDrop, Mail, and Media Browser, but “Export Song to Disk” gives you the most control over format and quality, which is why it’s the one to learn first.

Which format should you choose — MP3, AAC, AIFF, or WAVE?

The right format depends entirely on what the file is for. Here’s the plain-English breakdown:

• WAVE (.wav) or AIFF (.aiff) — uncompressed, full-quality audio. Choose one of these whenever the file is going somewhere it’ll be processed further: a mastering engineer, a collaborator, a distributor like DistroKid or a beat marketplace, or your own archive. Set the bit depth to 24-bit and the sample rate to match your project (44.1 kHz is standard for music). WAV and AIFF sound identical; WAV is the more universal choice across Windows and other software.
• MP3 — compressed and small, universally playable. Perfect for emailing a rough mix, sending to a bandmate, or posting a quick demo. Use a bitrate of 256 kbps or 320 kbps for the best-sounding MP3.
• AAC — Apple’s compressed format, slightly better quality than MP3 at the same size. Good for anything staying in the Apple ecosystem or uploading to platforms that accept it. Again, pick the “High Quality” bitrate.

A simple rule: if a human is going to listen to it right now, MP3 or AAC is fine. If a machine or another person is going to work on it later, export WAV or AIFF. When in doubt, export a WAV — you can always make an MP3 from a WAV later, but you can never recover quality that compression threw away.

How to export from GarageBand on iPhone and iPad

The iOS version handles this differently, but it’s just as quick:

1. From the song list, or with your project open, tap the down-arrow / Navigation menu — on newer versions it’s the icon near the top-left, or press and hold a song in “My Songs” to reveal Share.
2. Tap Share, then choose Song (as opposed to Ringtone or Project).
3. Pick your audio quality — you’ll see options ranging from a smaller compressed file up to the highest-quality setting. The top option gives you the best fidelity.
4. GarageBand prepares the file, then hands it to the standard iOS share sheet, where you can save it to Files, AirDrop it to your Mac, message it, or send it to another app.

One quirk worth knowing: the iOS app doesn’t give you the same explicit WAV-versus-MP3 choice as the Mac. Choose the highest-quality export, then convert to a specific format on a computer if a service demands one. If you started a track on your iPhone and want to finish it properly, AirDrop the project (not just the song) to your Mac and open it in GarageBand or Logic Pro there.

Common export problems and how to fix them

Almost every export headache comes down to one of these four things:

• The file is silent or nearly empty. A track is soloed, muted, or your master volume is all the way down. Check the “S” (solo) and “M” (mute) buttons on every track header, and make sure no single track is soloed by accident. Confirm the master slider isn’t at zero.
• The song cuts off early or is too short. This is the cycle region again — turn it off, or extend it to cover the whole arrangement. Also check that no region got accidentally shortened.
• There’s silence at the end. GarageBand exports to the end of your last region. If a reverb or delay tail rings out past the final note, add an empty region or drag a track’s end point a few bars further so the tail isn’t chopped off.
• It sounds distorted. You’re clipping the master. Lower the master volume and re-export. If individual tracks are the culprit, pull their faders down and rebalance before bouncing.

If your levels feel inconsistent from section to section, that’s a mixing issue rather than an export one — our guide on the fundamentals of EQ and compression covers how to even things out, and how to mix vocals tackles the most common problem area. For loudness targets before you upload to streaming, see LUFS explained.

Getting a louder, more polished master before you export

GarageBand’s stock tools will get you a clean, honest bounce, and for demos and rough mixes that’s all you need. The built-in “Mastering” presets in the master track’s plug-in slots can add a final touch of EQ, compression, and limiting. Reach for these before you export if the mix sounds a little quiet or unpolished — they’re free, already installed, and good enough for most bedroom-studio work.

If you’re regularly delivering finished masters and want tighter control over loudness and tone, a dedicated limiter or mastering plug-in is the natural upgrade over GarageBand’s stock chain. Plugin Boutique carries the well-regarded options, and a proper brick-wall limiter makes a real difference on the final export. That said, don’t over-process — a clean, un-clipped WAV at sensible levels beats a squashed, distorted MP3 every time. To sanity-check your tempo or key while you’re finishing a track, the free Violet Recording tools (BPM finder, tuner, and more) run right in your browser.

New to all this and not sure GarageBand is the right home for your music long-term? Our roundup of the best free DAWs for beginners compares it with the other no-cost options, and the wider home studio setup hub covers everything around getting a room and a signal chain ready to record.

Frequently asked questions

Can I export just one track or instrument from GarageBand?

GarageBand’s “Export Song to Disk” bounces the whole mix, not individual stems. To export a single part, mute or solo the tracks you don’t want, export, then repeat for each part — a slow but workable way to get stems. Logic Pro adds a proper stem-export feature if you outgrow GarageBand and need separate files for a mixing engineer.

Why is my exported GarageBand file so quiet compared to songs on Spotify?

Commercial releases are mastered to a target loudness, and GarageBand’s raw bounce usually sits well below that. Add the stock Mastering preset to your master track, or run the exported WAV through a dedicated limiter, and check the result against a loudness target rather than just cranking the volume until it clips.

What’s the difference between “Export Song to Disk” and “Song to Music”?

“Export Song to Disk” saves an audio file to a folder you choose, with full control over format and quality — use this for uploads and sharing. “Song to Music” adds the track straight into your Music app library instead, which is handy for listening on your devices but gives you less say over the file itself.