Guides / Recording internal and system audio
How to record computer audio and microphone at the same time on a Mac
Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.
You can record computer audio and your microphone at the same time in three ways: let the meeting app record both sides, use a mixing recorder such as Audio Hijack ($69), or build an Aggregate Device from BlackHole plus your mic. The built-in Screenshot toolbar records the microphone only. AirCheck ($39) records one source per take, so it covers this as two clean takes, system audio then mic, with no driver, no drift and no video container.
Can a Mac record computer audio and your voice at once?
Yes, but not with anything Apple ships. The Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) has one audio option; Apple's guide says "Below Microphone, select the microphone you want to use" and "To turn off the microphone, select None." There is no system audio entry, so the built-in recorder gives you voice plus video, never voice plus Spotify.
The pieces exist in the OS. ScreenCaptureKit has captured system audio since macOS 13, and Apple added a captureMicrophone property in macOS 15 so one stream can carry both. Core Audio has always been able to combine devices through an Aggregate Device. What you need is an app that puts these together, or a two-device setup you build yourself.
A plain statement of AirCheck's limit: it records one source per take, system audio or one input, never both in one file. If you want both live in one recording, choose one of the routes below.
What is the easiest way to record both sides of a call?
Use the meeting tool. Zoom, Teams and Google Meet each mix the remote audio and your microphone into one recording, with no Mac-side setup and no permission dialogs beyond the ones the app already has. This is the right answer for interviews, lessons and meetings, and it is the only route where the other participants see that recording is on. Consent rules for call recording differ by country; this page is not legal advice.
- Start the meeting and check the app's recording setting (local or cloud).
- Press the app's Record button and tell participants.
- Stop and wait for the app to finish processing the file.
The gap this leaves: a FaceTime call, a Discord voice channel, or a webinar where you are not allowed to record. For those, read how to record both sides of a call and recording Zoom audio.
How do you set up an aggregate device with BlackHole to capture both?
This is the free route. It works on any macOS since 10.10 and needs no ScreenCaptureKit. Tested on macOS 26.4.1:
- Install BlackHole 2ch from the GitHub release page.
- Open Audio MIDI Setup, click +, choose Create Multi-Output Device, tick your speakers or headphones and BlackHole 2ch. Set this as the Mac's output (right-click > Use This Device For Sound Output). Skip this and your speakers go silent.
- Click + again, choose Create Aggregate Device, tick BlackHole 2ch and your microphone. Tick Drift Correction on the microphone.
- In QuickTime Player (File > New Audio Recording) or Audacity, choose the Aggregate Device as the input and record.
Failure modes: the recording is silent because the Multi-Output Device was not made the system output; the mic and system audio drift apart on long takes because Drift Correction was left off; the sample rates differ between BlackHole and the mic, so set both to 48 kHz first. Full steps are in how to create an aggregate device.
Which route should you choose?
Match the route to how live the mix has to be.
- Voiceover over existing audio (a narrated demo, a reaction to a track): record the system audio as one take, play it back and record your voice as a second take, then align them in GarageBand or Logic. Two clean files, each 24-bit, no bleed. This is the workflow AirCheck supports.
- Live conversation on a platform with a recorder: the platform's recorder.
- Live conversation elsewhere, or system audio plus mic with levels you control: Audio Hijack ($69). It mixes both into one file and lets you adjust each source while recording. It demands setup: a session built from blocks, with a learning curve.
- Zero budget: the BlackHole aggregate device above, accepting the setup and drift risks.
OBS Studio also mixes a mic with macOS audio capture for free, but it writes MKV or MP4, so plan on extracting the audio afterwards.
Ways to record system audio and a microphone together on a Mac (Sept 2026)
| Route | Both in one file | Works for a live conversation | Setup effort | Driver needed | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting app recorder (Zoom, Teams, Meet) | yes | yes | none | no | included |
| Audio Hijack | yes | yes | low | no | $69 |
| BlackHole + Aggregate Device + QuickTime | yes | yes | high | yes | free |
| OBS Studio | yes (video container) | yes | medium | no | free |
| AirCheck, two takes | no (two files) | no | low | no | $39 |
Screenshot toolbar and Voice Memos are omitted: they record the microphone only.
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck is the right buy for the two-take version of this problem: record the system audio at 24-bit 48 kHz with one button, then record your microphone or interface as a second take, both landing in ~/Music/AirCheck as WAV or MP3, with no driver, no aggregate device and no drift between clocks. Each take is clean, with no bleed between voice and playback, which editors prefer for voiceovers. Its channel-pair picker records a specific pair of an interface, such as inputs 3 and 4 of a Scarlett 8i6, there is no length limit, and a stalled input restarts into the same file. $39 once, macOS 14 or newer, Apple silicon and Intel, 14-day refund.
When you do not need it: AirCheck records one source per take; both sources live in one file is a different category of tool (the meeting app's recorder, a mixing recorder, or an aggregate device).
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
Does Mac screen recording record audio from the mic?
Yes. The Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime's screen recording capture the microphone you choose under Options, mixed into the video file. They do not capture what the Mac is playing, so a demo with music in it comes out with your voice and no music.
How to screen record on Mac with microphone audio and internal audio?
Use OBS Studio: add a macOS audio capture source for system sound and an audio input source for the mic, then record. The built-in screen recorder cannot include system sound, and OBS writes MKV or MP4 rather than an audio file.
Can you record screen and voice on Mac at the same time?
Yes, with the built-in Screenshot toolbar. Press Shift-Command-5, open Options, select your microphone, then Record. The result is a MOV video with your voice; the Mac's own sound is not included.
Why does my aggregate device recording drift out of sync?
Two clocks are running: BlackHole's and the microphone's. Turn on Drift Correction for the microphone in Audio MIDI Setup and set both devices to the same sample rate before recording.
Sources
- Apple Support: Take screenshots or screen recordings on Mac
- Apple: ScreenCaptureKit captureMicrophone (macOS 15.0+)
- Existential Audio: BlackHole on GitHub
- Rogue Amoeba: Audio Hijack purchase page
Related guides
- How to record audio from one app only on a Mac
- How to create an aggregate device on a Mac
- How to record both sides of a call on a Mac
- How to record yourself on a Mac
- Can a Mac record internal audio natively?
- How to record audio from a browser tab on a Mac
- Recording internal and system audio: all guides
- Every guide, by topic