How to Record Your Screen With Audio on Mac

The most common frustration with Mac screen recording is audio.

You press Command + Shift + 5, record a five-minute walkthrough, play it back, and realize there is no sound from the app you were demonstrating. Your voice is there. The system audio is not.

This is not a bug. macOS intentionally does not let the built-in recorder capture internal audio. Apple sandboxes audio routing for privacy, so screen recordings only pick up your microphone by default.

If you need both your voice and the sound coming from your Mac — a Zoom call, a video playing in the browser, an app with audio feedback — you need either a workaround or a different tool.

This guide covers every option, from free to paid, and what each one actually involves.

Why the built-in recorder does not capture system audio

When you record with Command + Shift + 5 or QuickTime, macOS offers a microphone selector in the Options menu. You can pick your built-in mic, an external mic, or no audio at all.

What you will not find is an option for "system audio" or "internal audio."

Apple made this choice deliberately. Allowing apps to silently record everything coming out of the speakers would be a privacy risk. So macOS blocks it at the OS level.

This means every solution for system audio involves either routing audio through a virtual device or using an app that has its own capture method.

Option 1: BlackHole (free, open source)

BlackHole is a virtual audio loopback driver that creates a loopback device on your Mac. It takes the audio your Mac is playing and routes it to a virtual input that a screen recorder can capture.

Setup:

1. Download BlackHole 2ch from the official GitHub repository. The 2ch version is enough for stereo recording.
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup (search in Spotlight or find it in Applications → Utilities).
3. Click the plus button in the bottom left and create a Multi-Output Device.
4. Check both "Built-in Output" and "BlackHole 2ch" in the device list. This lets you hear audio through your speakers while BlackHole captures it.
5. Go to System Settings → Sound → Output and select the Multi-Output Device.
6. Open the Screenshot toolbar (Command + Shift + 5), click Options, and set the Microphone to BlackHole 2ch.
7. Record.

After recording: Switch your Sound Output back to your normal speakers or headphones. If you forget, some apps may behave strangely because audio is still routing through the virtual device.

Tradeoffs:

• Free and open source.
• Works with any screen recorder, including the built-in one.
• Requires a virtual audio driver installation.
• The Multi-Output Device setup is fiddly. If macOS updates, you may need to reconfigure.
• You cannot adjust system volume while using the Multi-Output Device. The volume slider stops working because the virtual device does not support volume control.
• It is easy to forget to switch audio routing back after recording.

For occasional use, BlackHole is fine. For daily recording, the setup and teardown friction is real.

Option 2: OBS Studio (free, advanced)

OBS is a free, open-source tool built for streaming and recording. On macOS Ventura and later, OBS can capture system audio using the ScreenCaptureKit API without needing BlackHole or any virtual audio driver.

You add an "macOS Screen Capture" source, enable audio capture, and record.

Tradeoffs:

• Free.
• No virtual audio driver needed on macOS 13+.
• Powerful audio mixing: separate tracks for mic and system audio.
• The interface is complex. Scenes, sources, encoders, and output settings are designed for streamers, not people who want to quickly record a tutorial.
• No built-in editor. You get a raw file and need to edit it elsewhere.
• No auto-zoom, no cursor emphasis, no backgrounds.

If you are already comfortable with OBS, this works. If you just want to record your screen with audio and get a finished video, OBS is more tool than you need.

Option 3: Apps that capture system audio natively

Several third-party Mac apps can record system audio without any driver setup. They use macOS APIs to capture audio directly.

Screen Studio

Screen Studio captures system audio and microphone together. Auto-zoom, smooth animations, and polished output. It is a paid app — check their site for current pricing. Good output quality, but the cost is a consideration for people who record occasionally.

ScreenFlow

ScreenFlow captures system audio, mic, and camera simultaneously. It includes a full video editor with trimming, annotations, and callouts. It is a paid one-time purchase — check their site for current pricing. The editor is capable but the interface has not been modernized in a while.

Loom

Loom records screen plus webcam and uploads directly to Loom's cloud. Audio capture works well, but recordings are stored on Loom's servers and compressed. Free tier limits recording length, and paid plans are priced per user per month. Good for quick async messages, less suited for high-quality video production.

ScreenKite

ScreenKite captures system audio natively on macOS. No BlackHole. No virtual audio drivers. No configuration.

You start recording and both your microphone and system audio are captured automatically. The built-in editor lets you trim, add zoom, adjust audio levels, and export.

Because ScreenKite is a native macOS app built on ScreenCaptureKit and Metal, audio capture is handled at the system level without workarounds. Export is hardware-accelerated on Apple Silicon.

ScreenKite is free. No watermark, no recording limit, no account needed.

Quick comparison

Tips for recording with audio

Test before you record. Do a five-second test and play it back. Confirm that both your voice and system audio are coming through at reasonable levels.

Use headphones while recording. If you are using a microphone and recording system audio, speakers can create a feedback loop. Headphones prevent your mic from picking up the system audio a second time.

Separate your audio sources when possible. Some apps let you record mic and system audio on separate tracks. This gives you more control in editing — you can lower background music without lowering your voice.

Watch your input levels. If your microphone is too hot, your voice will clip. If system audio is too loud, it will overpower your narration. A quick levels check before recording saves time in post.

Mute notifications. Turn on Do Not Disturb before recording. A notification sound in the middle of a tutorial is distracting, and it will be captured in the system audio track.

Conclusion

Recording your Mac screen with audio should not require a virtual audio driver and a trip to Audio MIDI Setup.

The built-in tool works for microphone-only recordings. For system audio, you either set up BlackHole, learn OBS, or use an app that handles it natively.

If you want system audio capture without configuration, a built-in editor, and fast export — all for free — ScreenKite is worth a look.