Guides / Recording calls and meetings
How to record a Discord call on a Mac
Updated 2026-09-03.
Discord's Mac app has no record button, so every route is external. Craig, a free Discord bot, records a server voice channel with one track per speaker. OBS Studio captures desktop audio plus your mic into a video file. AirCheck ($39) captures everything the Mac plays as a WAV or MP3 with no bot, no server and no video container, and works in DM calls where Craig cannot join; your own microphone is not in the take.
Can you record Discord calls on a Mac?
Yes, but not from inside Discord. The desktop app offers voice, video and screen sharing and no recorder, so every method is external. Which one to pick depends on what you need in the file:
- One track per person, in a server voice channel: Craig bot.
- Video of the call or a shared screen, plus all audio: OBS Studio.
- Audio only, of everyone except yourself, from any call including DMs: a system audio recorder.
- Audio only, of everyone including yourself, mixed live: Audio Hijack ($69), which can combine the microphone and the Discord app in one file. It demands setup: a session built from blocks before the call.
The Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) is the wrong tool here: Apple's options list Save to, Timer and Microphone, no system audio, so it records your mic and only a speaker-bleed copy of the others.
How do you record a Discord call with Craig?
Craig describes itself as "a multi-track voice channel recording Discord bot." It records "a separate audio track for each speaking user, so you can independently level, cut, or otherwise edit each person's audio," for "up to 6 hours," and keeps recordings "for 7 days." Downloads come as FLAC or MPEG-4 AAC, or as an Audacity or Adobe Audition project. Procedure:
- Invite Craig to a server where you have permission to add bots (craig.chat > Add to Discord).
- Join the voice channel, then run Craig's join command in a text channel of that server.
- Craig appears in the channel; everyone sees it. Talk, then tell Craig to leave.
- Download from the link Craig sends you within 7 days.
Two limits matter. Craig is a bot, so it lives in servers; a direct-message call between two accounts has no channel to invite it into. And it records what each user transmits, so a muted user simply has an empty track. Nothing is installed on the Mac, and the Mac's own audio setup does not matter.
How do you record Discord audio on a Mac with OBS?
OBS Studio captures desktop audio on macOS 13 and newer through the same ScreenCaptureKit path that AirCheck uses, and adds your microphone as a second source. The output is a video container (mkv or mp4), even if you only wanted sound. Use it when you also want the screen share or the camera tiles. The setup, and the reason the desktop audio source is often silent on first try, are covered in how to capture desktop audio in OBS on a Mac and OBS desktop audio not working on a Mac. To end up with an audio file, extract the track afterwards; that is a second step every time, which is the main reason to prefer a dedicated audio recorder for voice-only sessions.
How do you record Discord audio without video on a Mac?
Capture the system audio. On macOS 14 or newer AirCheck does this through ScreenCaptureKit, with no BlackHole and nothing in Audio MIDI Setup:
- Choose System Audio, approve Screen & System Audio Recording once.
- Press Record, join the call, talk.
- Stop, then export WAV 16-bit, WAV 24-bit or MP3 320 kbps into
~/Music/AirCheck.
Capture is 24-bit at 48 kHz. A three-hour session is 0.43 GB as MP3 or 2.9 GB as 24-bit WAV, from the measured 2.4 and 16.5 MB per minute. There is no length limit; the author's longest real take is 2 h 5 min at 24-bit 48 kHz, 2.07 GB. The two honest limits: your own microphone is never in a system audio take, and the take contains everything the Mac plays. If a game is running, its sound is mixed in with the voices. Per-app capture options are compared in how to record audio from one app only on a Mac.
Why is my Discord recording missing voices or full of game audio?
- Your own voice is missing. Expected from any system audio capture, including OBS with the mic source off. Add a mic source in OBS, run a parallel microphone take, or use Craig, which records you as your own track.
- Game or music audio is in the take. System audio is one mixed stream. Quit the game, move its output elsewhere, or use Craig, which never hears your Mac at all.
- Craig tracks are empty for one person. That user was muted, deafened, or joined a different channel.
- Craig cannot join. Bots need a server; a DM call has none. Use the system audio route.
- The take is silent. The Screen & System Audio Recording permission was declined. If Discord's audio device drops mid-call, AirCheck restarts capture into the same file after 5 s without audio buffers.
- Nobody was told. Craig is visible in the channel; local capture is not. Say it in voice first. See is it legal to record a call on a Mac.
a separate audio track for each speaking user, so you can independently level, cut, or otherwise edit each person's audio
Craig, craig.chat
Recording a Discord call on a Mac: what each method captures (Sept 2026)
| Option | Your voice | Other people | One track per speaker | Works in DM calls | Output | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig bot | yes | yes | yes | no (server channels only) | FLAC or AAC, 6 h max | free tier |
| OBS Studio | yes (mic source) | yes (macOS 13+) | no | yes | mkv/mp4 video | free |
| Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) | yes | speaker bleed only | no | yes | .mov video | free |
| AirCheck, System Audio source | no | yes | no | yes | WAV or MP3 | $39 |
| Audio Hijack | yes | yes | no | yes | audio file | $69 |
Craig hears what users transmit to Discord; the other rows hear what your Mac plays or picks up.
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck is the right buy for the Discord user who wants a clean audio file of a call, including DM calls where no bot can join, without OBS's video container or a virtual driver. It captures the Mac's output through ScreenCaptureKit on macOS 14 or newer with one button and nothing to configure, records 24-bit AIFF, exports WAV or MP3 at 2.4 MB per minute, has no length limit, and restarts a stalled capture into the same file. Universal for Apple silicon and Intel, $39 once, 14-day refund. It is the right tool when you are the listener: interviews, community calls, a friend's story.
When you do not need it: AirCheck records one source per take, so your own voice is not in a system audio take. One editable track per person in a server voice channel (Craig) or a live mix of your mic with the call (Audio Hijack) are different categories of tool.
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
Can you record Discord calls on a Mac?
Yes, with an external tool: Discord itself has no record button. Craig records server voice channels per speaker, OBS captures desktop audio into video on macOS 13 and newer, and a system audio recorder captures everything the Mac plays except your own mic.
How do I record Discord audio on OBS on a Mac?
Add a macOS Screen Capture source with audio, or the desktop audio input available on macOS 13 and newer, plus your microphone as an audio input source, then record. OBS writes mkv or mp4; extract the audio afterwards if you only need sound.
Does Craig record your own voice?
Yes. Craig records each user who speaks in the channel as a separate track, and that includes you. It records what you transmit to Discord, so a muted microphone gives an empty track.
Why does my Discord recording include game sounds?
System audio capture is a single mixed stream of everything the Mac plays. Quit the game or route it away from the default output, or use Craig, which records the voice channel server-side and never hears your Mac.
Sources
- Craig: multi-track voice channel recording Discord bot
- Apple: Take a screenshot or screen recording on Mac
Related guides
- How to record both sides of a call on a Mac
- How to capture desktop audio in OBS on a Mac
- How to record audio from one app only on a Mac
- Is it legal to record a call on a Mac?
- How to record a FaceTime call on a Mac
- How to record a Google Meet on a Mac without being the host
- Recording calls and meetings: all guides
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