Guides / Recording internal and system audio

How to record audio from one app only on a Mac

Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.

You can record audio from a single app on a Mac because macOS filters capture per application: ScreenCaptureKit content filters (macOS 13) and Core Audio process taps (macOS 14.2). Per-app recorders such as Piezo ($29) and Audio Hijack ($69) use these. AirCheck ($39) captures everything the Mac plays, which is the same file whenever only one app is making sound, with one button, no driver, no length limit, WAV or MP3 out, and $30 less than Audio Hijack.

Can you record audio from a single app on a Mac?

Yes, and it has been an operating-system feature since macOS 13. Two Apple APIs do it:

• ScreenCaptureKit content filters. SCContentFilter can be built with a list of applications to include or exclude; Apple describes one initializer as "Creates a filter that captures a display, including only windows of the specified apps." Audio follows the filter.
• Core Audio process taps. Since macOS 14.2, AudioHardwareCreateProcessTap creates a tap whose input, in Apple's words, "is a mix of all of the specified processes' output audio."

Apple ships no app that exposes either. Rogue Amoeba's Piezo and Audio Hijack do: "Set any application as your source in Audio Hijack, then hit the record button to save its audio!" Both list macOS 14.4 as their minimum. What none of them can do is go finer than an app: a browser is one app, so all of its tabs come together (see browser tab recording).

When is recording the whole system enough?

Most of the time. If the app you care about is the only thing playing, whole-system capture and per-app capture produce the same file. The difference is who does the isolating: the OS, or you. Tested routine on macOS 26.4.1:

1. Turn on a Focus mode (Control Center > Focus) so notification sounds are suppressed.
2. Pause every other player: music apps, video tabs, games.
3. Choose System Audio in the recorder and press record.

That covers recording a Spotify playlist, a SoundCloud mix, a webinar or a YouTube lecture. AirCheck records this way at 24-bit 48 kHz and exports WAV or MP3 for $39, with no driver. The trade-off is discipline: one stray chime lands in the file. AirCheck's own playback is excluded from the capture, so reviewing an earlier take does not bleed in, but other apps are not filtered.

When do you need Audio Hijack or Piezo instead?

Per-app capture earns its price when two apps must play at the same time and only one belongs in the recording.

• Music while on a call. Recording Spotify while Zoom runs, or recording Zoom while a playlist runs. Whole-system capture mixes both.
• DJ software plus a browser. Serato or rekordbox on one deck, a reference video in Safari. Only the DJ app should be in the take.
• Mixing the microphone in. Audio Hijack can take the app and a mic into one session and one file. A single ScreenCaptureKit system stream does not include a mic before macOS 15, and AirCheck records one source per take.

Piezo ($29) records one app at a time with almost no settings. Audio Hijack ($69) chains sources, effects and outputs on a block canvas; that canvas demands setup and has a learning curve, since it is built for routing, not for pressing record. If you need the second list, that is per-app territory, and AirCheck does not filter per app. The Audio Hijack alternative page draws the line in more detail.

Does per-app recording work with every app?

No. Three cases fail or behave unexpectedly, whichever recorder you use.

1. DRM-protected playback. Apple TV+ and some Apple Music content can be silent under ScreenCaptureKit. Standard streaming (YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, Twitch, Zoom, Teams, Meet) captures normally.
2. Helper processes. Some apps play sound from a separate process. A process-based tap on the parent may miss it; app-based filters catch it as long as the helper belongs to the same application bundle.
3. System sounds. Alert sounds are played by the system, not by the app you selected, so they are excluded from a per-app take and included in a whole-system take.

One more practical limit: per-app recorders need the app to be running before the session starts, so the tap can attach. Whole-system capture does not care which apps launch or quit mid-take. For the mic plus system case, see the dedicated guide.

Set any application as your source in Audio Hijack, then hit the record button to save its audio!

Rogue Amoeba, Audio Hijack product page

Single-app versus whole-system recording on a Mac (Sept 2026)

OBS writes video containers; the others write audio files.

Where AirCheck fits

AirCheck is the right buy when the app you want is the only one playing and you want a clean audio file fast: choose System Audio, press one button with nothing to configure, export WAV 16-bit, WAV 24-bit or MP3 320 kbps. It costs $39 once against $69 for Audio Hijack, needs macOS 14 or newer, runs on Apple silicon and Intel, installs no driver and leaves Audio MIDI Setup alone. There is no length limit, and its watchdog restarts a stalled capture into the same file, which matters for long unattended takes of a single app. 14-day refund.

When you do not need it: AirCheck does not filter per app and records one source per take; isolating one app while another plays, or mixing the microphone in live, is a different category of tool.

Questions people ask

Can I record Zoom audio only on a Mac?

Yes. Zoom's own cloud or local recording captures the meeting alone. Otherwise a per-app recorder such as Piezo isolates Zoom, or a whole-system recorder works if nothing else is playing. Get consent from participants; recording laws differ by country.

How to record only internal audio on Mac without the microphone?

Choose a System Audio source in a ScreenCaptureKit-based recorder. System capture never includes a microphone unless the app explicitly adds one, so no mic setting needs changing. Your voice, keyboard noise and room sound stay out of the file.

Can I record Spotify only on a Mac?

Yes, with a per-app recorder (Piezo, Audio Hijack) or by making Spotify the only app playing and using whole-system capture. Spotify's desktop app captures normally through ScreenCaptureKit; Spotify's terms of use still apply to what you do with the file.

Does per-app capture need BlackHole?

No. BlackHole is a virtual device that carries the whole system mix; it cannot separate apps. Per-app isolation comes from ScreenCaptureKit filters or Core Audio process taps, which need no driver.

Sources

• Apple: SCContentFilter init(display:including:exceptingWindows:)
• Apple: CATapDescription
• Apple: AudioHardwareCreateProcessTap (macOS 14.2+)
• Rogue Amoeba: Audio Hijack
• Rogue Amoeba: Piezo purchase page
• Rogue Amoeba: Audio Hijack purchase page

Related guides

• How to record audio from a browser tab on a Mac
• How to record computer audio and microphone at the same time on a Mac
• Audio Hijack vs Piezo vs AirCheck: which one-off Mac recorder should you buy?
• How to record Spotify on a Mac
• Can a Mac record internal audio natively?
• What is ScreenCaptureKit audio capture on a Mac?
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