How to Record Screen on Mac with Audio (Mic and System Sound)

You recorded your screen, played it back, and heard nothing. Or you heard your own voice but not the video, game or call you were capturing. Whether you can record screen on Mac with audio from apps depends on your macOS version, and this guide explains exactly what’s built in and what to use when it isn’t.

What macOS can and can’t record

The Mac’s built-in recorder is the Screenshot toolbar, which opens with ⌘ Command + ⇧ Shift + 5. QuickTime Player’s New Screen Recording opens the same toolbar. Here’s what it captures:

Audio source	macOS Tahoe 26 and earlier	macOS 27 and later
Microphone (your voice)	Yes	Yes
System audio (apps, videos, calls)	No	Yes, with Include System Audio
Copy-protected streaming video	No	No

So microphone audio has always been built in. Internal audio, meaning the sound your Mac plays, was not something the Screenshot toolbar could record until macOS 27. If you’re on Tahoe or earlier, skip to the workarounds for older versions.

To check your version, choose Apple menu › About This Mac.

How to record screen on Mac with audio from your microphone

This works on every version of macOS that has the Screenshot toolbar.

1. Press ⌘⇧5.
2. Click Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window (macOS Tahoe 26 and later) or Record Selected Portion.
3. Click Options.
4. Under Microphone, choose your mic, such as your Mac’s built-in microphone, AirPods or a USB mic.
5. Click Record.
6. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press ⌃ Control + ⌘ + Esc.

The mic you choose stays selected for future recordings. For the rest of the recording basics, including trimming and where files go, see our full guide on how to screen record on a Mac.

Tip: Wear headphones if you’re narrating while audio plays. Otherwise your microphone picks up sound from your speakers and you get an echo.

How to record system audio on macOS 27

macOS 27 added a built-in option to record the sound your Mac plays along with the screen.

1. Press ⌘⇧5.
2. Choose a recording mode.
3. Click Options.
4. Choose Include System Audio.
5. If you also want your voice, choose a microphone under Microphone.
6. Click Record.

Apple documents this in How to record the screen on your Mac. Do a 10-second test recording first to check levels, especially if you’re combining your voice with loud app audio.

Record system audio on macOS Tahoe or earlier

On macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia, Sonoma and Ventura, the built-in recorder has no system audio option. You have three realistic choices.

Option 1: Use a recorder that captures system audio

The simplest fix is a screen recorder that records app audio itself. Many current Mac recorders do this using Apple’s own screen capture framework, so no extra driver is needed. Examples include OBS Studio (free), CleanShot X, Screen Studio, Loom, Camtasia and ScreenFlow. We compare them in our roundup of the best screen recorders for Mac.

The first time you record, macOS asks for permission. If you miss the prompt, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording and turn the app on. On Ventura and Sonoma, the setting is called Screen Recording.

Option 2: Record with OBS Studio (free)

OBS Studio is free, open source and can capture both desktop audio and a single app’s audio on macOS 13 Ventura and later. It looks complicated, but a basic recording takes a few minutes to set up.

1. Download OBS Studio from the official site and open it. Pick the Apple Silicon or Intel version to match your Mac.
2. Allow the screen recording and microphone permissions when macOS asks.
3. In the Sources panel, click + and choose macOS Screen Capture. Pick Display Capture to record a whole screen, then click OK.
4. Click + again and choose macOS Audio Capture. Set it to capture desktop audio, or a single application if you only want one app’s sound.
5. To add your voice, click + and choose Audio Input Capture, then pick your microphone.
6. Check the Audio Mixer panel. Each source should show moving level meters when it plays sound.
7. Click Start Recording. Click Stop Recording when you finish.

OBS saves recordings to your Movies folder unless you change the Recording Path in Settings › Output. You can also choose the recording format there.

Tip: If OBS records a black screen or no audio, the permission probably didn’t stick. Turn OBS off and back on in Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit and reopen it.

Option 3: Route audio with BlackHole

BlackHole is a free, open-source virtual audio driver. It creates a fake audio device that apps can play into and recorders can listen to. This lets the built-in Screenshot toolbar or QuickTime record app audio by treating BlackHole as a microphone.

The catch: if you send your Mac’s sound only to BlackHole, you can’t hear it. A Multi-Output Device fixes that by sending audio to your speakers and BlackHole at the same time.

Step 1: Install BlackHole

1. Download the BlackHole 2ch version from the official site, or install it with Homebrew using brew install blackhole-2ch.
2. Run the installer and restart your Mac if asked.

Step 2: Create a Multi-Output Device

1. Open Audio MIDI Setup from Applications › Utilities.
2. Click the Add (+) button at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Create Multi-Output Device.
3. In the list on the right, select Use for your speakers or headphones and for BlackHole 2ch.
4. Set Primary Device to your speakers or headphones.
5. Turn on Drift Correction for BlackHole 2ch.
6. To rename the device, click its name in the sidebar and type a new one, for example “Speakers + BlackHole”.

Apple explains Multi-Output Devices in the Audio MIDI Setup User Guide.

Step 3: Record

1. Go to System Settings › Sound › Output and select your Multi-Output Device.
2. Press ⌘⇧5, click Options, and choose BlackHole 2ch under Microphone.
3. Click Record.
4. When you finish, switch Sound › Output back to your normal speakers.

Two limitations to know about. First, the volume keys and the volume slider don’t work while a Multi-Output Device is selected, so set your volume before switching. Second, the Screenshot toolbar records one input, so you get app audio or your mic, not both. To combine them, create an Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI Setup that includes your mic and BlackHole, but test it, because some recorders only capture the first two channels of an aggregate device. If you need both regularly, OBS is easier.

Paid alternative: Loopback

If you’d rather not set up drivers by hand, Rogue Amoeba’s Loopback is a paid app that creates virtual audio devices through a visual interface. You can combine specific apps and your microphone into one device, then pick it as the input in any recorder.

Tips for clean audio

• Test first. Record 10 seconds, play it back, then record for real.
• Use headphones when narrating over app audio to avoid echo.
• Silence notifications. Turn on a Focus such as Do Not Disturb so alert sounds don’t end up in the recording.
• Watch your levels. If app audio drowns out your voice, lower the app’s volume rather than the system volume.
• Ask before recording calls. Recording other people without consent may be illegal where you or they live, so let everyone know.
• Expect protected video to fail. Streaming services and the Apple TV app block capture, so those recordings may be black, silent or both.

Troubleshooting audio in screen recordings

The recording is silent

Check Options › Microphone isn’t set to None. If you used BlackHole, confirm your Sound output is the Multi-Output Device, not your speakers alone.

I can’t hear anything while recording

Your output is set to BlackHole alone. Switch to your Multi-Output Device, which also includes your speakers.

My voice is recorded but app audio isn’t

That’s expected on macOS Tahoe and earlier with the built-in recorder. Use Include System Audio on macOS 27, or one of the options above.

The app isn’t listed in Screen & System Audio Recording

Open the app and start a recording once so it requests access, or click Add (+) below the list and select it from your Applications folder.

Once your audio works, the Mac screenshot shortcuts guide covers the rest of what ⌘⇧5 can do.