Guides / Recording streams, music and video sound
Can you record Netflix or Apple TV+ audio on a Mac?
Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.
Mostly no. Apple TV+ and other DRM-protected video use Apple's FairPlay Streaming, which is designed so decoded audio and video never reach a capture API. In the author's testing on macOS 26.4.1, Apple TV+ playback captures as silence under ScreenCaptureKit, and screen recordings of protected video come out black. Netflix's terms prohibit circumventing its content protections, and AirCheck does not attempt to. YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud and Twitch capture normally.
What happens when you try to record Netflix or Apple TV+ on a Mac?
The recording runs, the timer counts, and the file is full of silence. On the video side the same protection gives a black rectangle where the picture was. This is not a bug in the recorder. It is what the protection is for.
What we measured: on macOS 26.4.1 with the Apple TV app playing an Apple TV+ title, an AirCheck system-audio take through ScreenCaptureKit contained silence for the protected content. Some Apple Music content behaves the same way, covered in how to record Apple Music. We have not published a measurement for Netflix in Safari or Chrome, so we do not claim a result there; expect the same class of protection, and read Netflix's terms in the last section before trying.
Everything else captures normally in the author's testing: YouTube, Spotify's app and web player, SoundCloud, Twitch, Zoom, Teams and Meet. The dividing line is whether the service delivers video through a DRM system, not whether it is a paid service. A trailer for the same show on YouTube records fine; the episode in the Apple TV app does not.
Why does the recording come out silent or black?
Because the decoding happens inside a protected path that capture APIs cannot see. Apple describes FairPlay Streaming as a way to "encrypt content, securely exchange keys, and protect playback on Apple platforms" for media delivered over HTTP Live Streaming. Protect playback means the frames and samples are decrypted and rendered where a screen or audio capture cannot read them. ScreenCaptureKit, the framework AirCheck uses, receives silence or black for that content.
This is different from a permission problem. If your recording of a normal site is silent, the cause is the Screen & System Audio Recording permission or a device mismatch; see why is my Mac not recording sound. If only the protected video is silent while a YouTube tab records fine, it is DRM.
Some routing tools sit at the output-device level rather than the app level. Whether protected audio reaches them is not something this article tests, and both Netflix and Apple's terms prohibit circumventing content protections, so we do not describe workarounds. A tool that promises "Netflix without the black screen" is promising exactly what the terms forbid.
What can you record from a streaming video service?
A fair amount, if the goal is not the protected stream itself:
- Trailers and clips the service publishes on YouTube. They are ordinary YouTube playback and capture normally. See recording YouTube audio.
- Your own commentary. Record your microphone while you watch; the take contains your voice only, which is what a review podcast needs. The show's audio stays out by design.
- Soundtracks. Most scores are released separately. The iTunes Store sells them as DRM-free 256 kbps AAC (Apple's own description), and Apple Music streams them with the Apple Music caveats.
- Dialogue as text. Both services offer subtitles and closed captions; for a quote, read it from the captions rather than transcribing a capture.
- Purchased iTunes movies. Still DRM-protected. Apple's terms say DRM-protected content "can be used on up to five (5) computers"; use means play, not copy.
For offline viewing, the Apple TV app's own download feature is the route Apple provides; it keeps the protection and works without a capture.
Is it legal to record Netflix or Apple TV+?
Not legal advice, and the honest answer is that the contracts rule it out before copyright law even comes in. Netflix's Terms of Use, section 1.8, say you agree not to "archive, reproduce, distribute, modify, display, perform, publish, license, create derivative works from, offer for sale, or use" content, and not to "circumvent, remove, alter, deactivate, degrade, block, obscure or thwart any of the content protections". Apple's Media Services terms say "You may not tamper with or circumvent any security technology included with the Services or Content."
Copyright law in many countries also has its own rule against circumventing technical protection measures, separate from the private-copy allowances that apply to unprotected broadcasts. So the position is stricter than for a radio stream or a YouTube video. A capture that yields silence has not circumvented anything, and this page does not show how to change that outcome.
What a ScreenCaptureKit audio capture gets from each source on macOS 26.4.1
| Source | Protection | Capture result | Service terms on copying | Route the service provides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple TV+ (Apple TV app) | FairPlay Streaming | Silence (measured by the author) | No circumventing security technology (Apple Media Services terms) | Download in the Apple TV app for offline viewing |
| Netflix (Safari or Chrome) | DRM via the browser's protected media path | Not measured for this article; expect protected | No archiving, reproducing, or circumventing protections (Terms 1.8) | Offline downloads in Netflix's own apps where offered |
| iTunes Store movie purchase | DRM-protected | Not measured; protected content | Use on up to 5 computers; no circumventing | Download and play in the Apple TV app |
| YouTube trailer of the same show | None on standard playback | Captures normally | Personal, non-commercial viewing; no downloading except where permitted | YouTube's own offline feature |
| Spotify, SoundCloud, Twitch, Zoom | None on standard playback | Captures normally | Varies per service | Per service |
Only the Apple TV+ row is a measurement. Rows marked not measured are stated as expectations, not results.
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck ($39 one-off, macOS 14 or newer) is not a tool for Netflix or Apple TV+, and it does not claim to be. It records system audio through Apple's ScreenCaptureKit exactly as macOS exposes it, which means protected video captures as silence. Where it does help around a streaming service: recording the trailer from YouTube, recording your own microphone commentary as a separate take, or recording the soundtrack you play from a non-protected source. It comes with a 14-day refund if you bought it for this and it does not fit.
When you do not need it: If the only thing you want is the audio of a Netflix or Apple TV+ episode, no capture tool that respects the platform's protection will give it to you, and this site will not point you to one. Use the service's own offline download for viewing, or buy the soundtrack.
AirCheck records what your Mac plays, or any input, to one file. $39 once.
macOS 14 or newer. One-off payment. Fourteen-day refund, no questions asked.
Questions people ask
Why is my Mac screen recording of Netflix black?
Because the video is decoded inside a protected media path that the screen recorder cannot read; the recorder receives black frames and, for the audio, silence. The same happens with Apple TV+ in the Apple TV app. It is by design, and the services' terms forbid circumventing it.
Can AirCheck record Apple TV+ audio?
No. In the author's testing on macOS 26.4.1, Apple TV+ playback captured as silence through ScreenCaptureKit. AirCheck does not include any workaround. Standard streaming such as YouTube, Spotify and Twitch captures normally with the same app.
Can I record the audio of a movie I bought on iTunes?
Purchased iTunes movies are DRM-protected; Apple's terms allow use on up to five computers and forbid circumventing the protection. Play it in the Apple TV app. For the music, buy the soundtrack, which the iTunes Store sells as DRM-free 256 kbps AAC.
What streaming services can you record on a Mac?
In the author's testing: YouTube, Spotify (app and web), SoundCloud, Twitch, Zoom, Teams and Google Meet all capture normally as system audio. DRM-protected video (Apple TV+, and by expectation Netflix and purchased iTunes video) does not. Each service's terms still apply to what you do with the file.
Sources
- Apple: FairPlay Streaming
- Netflix: Terms of Use, section 1.8
- Apple: Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions
- Apple: ScreenCaptureKit documentation
- Apple Support: Intro to the iTunes Store (DRM-free 256 kbps AAC)
Related guides
- How to record Apple Music on a Mac
- Why is my Mac screen recording black or silent on Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+?
- How to record YouTube audio on a Mac
- How to record Spotify on a Mac
- How to record internet radio on a Mac
- How to record game audio on a Mac
- Recording streams, music and video sound: all guides
- Every guide, by topic