Guides / Fixing Mac audio recording problems
Why is the microphone permission not working for my app on Mac?
Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.
Microphone permission on a Mac fails in three ways: the app is not in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone because it never asked, the toggle is off because you denied it once, or the app uses the hardened runtime without the com.apple.security.device.audio-input entitlement and macOS denies it silently with no prompt. The first two are fixed by tccutil reset Microphone plus a relaunch. The third needs a new build from the developer.
Why is my app not listed under Microphone in Privacy & Security?
Apple's guide for this pane says you "Turn access to the microphone on or off for each app in the list." The list only contains apps that have already asked, and an app asks the moment it opens an audio input through Core Audio or AVFoundation. Until then it is invisible here, even while running.
Make the app ask:
- Open the app and select a microphone or interface as the input source.
- Start a recording, or open its level meter. Opening the input triggers the sheet.
- Click OK. The entry appears in the Microphone list with its toggle on.
If no sheet appears and the app still records silence, either the decision was already stored (see the reset below) or the app cannot ask at all (see the hardened runtime section). System audio capture is a different permission with its own pane, covered in Screen & System Audio Recording permission not showing.
How do I reset the microphone permission on a Mac?
Toggling the switch off and on in System Settings is enough for most apps. When it is not, reset the stored decision so the app asks again.
- Quit the app with Cmd-Q.
- In Terminal run one of:
tccutil reset Microphone com.example.app(one app, by bundle identifier)tccutil reset Microphone(every app) - Relaunch the app and open the input. The permission sheet returns.
The manual page describes the effect: the reset causes "apps to prompt again the next time they access the service." Nothing is uninstalled and no other permission is touched. Tested on macOS 26.4.1: the entry disappears from the list immediately and reappears on the next request.
Documented failure mode: an app whose executable is run directly from a shell (./AppName.app/Contents/MacOS/AppName, or from a script) inherits the launcher's privacy identity, so macOS asks for Terminal's microphone access instead. Start recorders from the Finder or Dock, or with open -a AppName, so the grant lands on the right bundle identifier.
Why does the app never show a permission prompt at all?
This case wastes the most time. A notarised macOS app uses the hardened runtime, and under it microphone access is off unless the developer adds an entitlement. Apple defines com.apple.security.device.audio-input as "A Boolean value that indicates whether the app may record audio using the built-in microphone and access audio input using Core Audio."
Without it, the request is refused before the system asks you. No sheet, no entry in the Microphone list, and the input delivers silence. No toggling or tccutil can fix it, because the decision never reached the privacy database.
How to tell:
codesign -d --entitlements - /Applications/AppName.applists the entitlements. Look forcom.apple.security.device.audio-input.codesign -dv /Applications/AppName.appprintsflags=0x10000(runtime)when the hardened runtime is on.
Hardened runtime on, entitlement absent: the app cannot record from a microphone. That is a build problem for the developer. Report it and use another recorder meanwhile.
Permission is granted but the recording is still empty. What else is it?
Once the toggle is on, an empty recording is a routing problem, not a privacy one.
- Wrong input. Most recorders keep their own device choice rather than the System Settings > Sound default. Pick the mic or interface inside the app.
- Interface gain at zero, or a channel muted in the vendor's control software.
- Wrong channel pair on a multi-input interface. A mic on input 3 records nothing if the app listens to inputs 1 and 2; see recording only captures one channel or mono.
- Bluetooth headset switched profile. Opening a headset mic drops it to the Hands-Free Profile; the level is fine but the quality falls, see Bluetooth headphones make Mac recordings sound bad.
- Another app holding the device exclusively. Quit DJ and DAW apps first.
A check that bypasses every app: record five seconds in Voice Memos with the same input. If Voice Memos hears it, the microphone is fine and the fault is inside the recorder's device selection.
A Boolean value that indicates whether the app may record audio using the built-in microphone and access audio input using Core Audio.
Apple, Bundle Resources, com.apple.security.device.audio-input entitlement
Microphone permission failures and what fixes each
| Symptom | Likely cause | Prompt appears | Fix | Needs Terminal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App not in the Microphone list | App has not opened an input yet | yes, on first use | Select an input in the app and press Record | no |
| Listed, toggle off | Denied once | no | Turn the toggle on, relaunch the app | no |
| Listed, toggle on, still silent | Wrong input, gain, or channel pair | no | Fix device selection inside the app | no |
| Never listed, never prompts | Hardened runtime without audio-input entitlement | no | Developer must add the entitlement | yes, to diagnose |
| Prompt asked for Terminal, not the app | Executable run directly from a shell | yes, wrong app | Launch from Finder, Dock, or open -a | no |
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck ships notarised with the hardened runtime and the audio-input entitlement in place, so the microphone sheet appears the first time you press Record with an input selected. It records any Core Audio input: the built-in mic, a USB mic, an audio interface, or a DJ controller's USB return, with a channel-pair picker for multi-input devices. AirCheck costs $39 once and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or newer. One source per take, so mic and system audio go into separate files.
When you do not need it: For a plain voice note, Voice Memos already has the permission and costs nothing. If the app you need refuses to prompt because of a missing entitlement, switching recorders does not help that app; only its developer can.
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
How do I record audio on Mac with microphone?
Open any recorder, choose the built-in microphone or your interface as the input, and press Record. macOS shows the Microphone permission sheet once. Voice Memos, QuickTime Player (File > New Audio Recording) and AirCheck all follow this path.
Does tccutil reset Microphone delete the app's settings?
No. It only removes the stored allow-or-deny decision for that service. The app's own preferences, files and other permissions stay untouched. The app asks again on its next microphone access.
Why does Terminal ask for microphone access?
Because the recorder's executable was run directly from a shell. Processes started that way inherit the launcher's privacy identity, so macOS attributes the request to Terminal. Launch the app from the Finder or Dock, or with open -a, and the sheet names the app.
Sources
- Apple: Control access to your microphone on Mac
- Apple: com.apple.security.device.audio-input entitlement
- tccutil(1) manual page
Related guides
- Why is my app missing from Screen & System Audio Recording on my Mac?
- How do I see which app is using my Mac microphone?
- Why does my Mac recording only capture one channel?
- Why is my Mac not recording sound?
- Why is my USB audio interface not showing up on my Mac?
- Why do my Bluetooth headphones make Mac recordings sound bad?
- Fixing Mac audio recording problems: all guides
- Every guide, by topic