Guides

Screen recording with audio on a Mac

Updated 2026-09-03.

Screen recording with audio on a Mac has one built-in limit: the Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) and QuickTime Player record the screen plus one microphone, never the sound the Mac itself plays. Getting internal audio into a recording needs a ScreenCaptureKit app such as OBS Studio, or a virtual driver such as BlackHole. Getting the sound as an audio file rather than a .mov needs a system audio recorder. DRM video from Netflix or Apple TV+ records black on every route. These guides cover each case, measured on macOS 26.4.1.

Guides in this topic

1. Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound?Mac screen recordings are silent because the Screenshot tool records only a microphone, set to None by default. How to get voice or computer sound in.
2. How to screen record with internal audio on a MacShift-Command-5 records only the mic. To screen record with internal audio on a Mac use OBS Studio (free, macOS 13+) or BlackHole with QuickTime. Steps.
3. How to screen record on a Mac with computer sound and your microphone at the same timeTo screen record on a Mac with computer sound and your mic together, use OBS Studio (free) or an Aggregate Device with QuickTime. Which mixes, which syncs.
4. Does QuickTime Player record system audio on a Mac?No. QuickTime Player records a microphone only, in all three recording modes. How to capture computer audio with BlackHole, and the driver-free option.
5. How to record audio only on a Mac, without making a screen recordingNo need to screen record for sound on a Mac. Mic only: QuickTime or Voice Memos, free. Computer audio: a system audio recorder. Sizes per hour compared.
6. How to extract the audio from a Mac screen recordingFour ways to pull audio out of a .mov on a Mac: QuickTime Export As Audio Only, Finder Encode, afconvert, ffmpeg. Measured: 171 MB video, 1.28 MB audio.
7. What can the built-in Mac screen recorder (Shift-Command-5) record, and what can it not?The Mac Screenshot toolbar records the screen, a window or a region plus one microphone to an H.264 .mov on the Desktop. Not system audio, not DRM video.
8. Why is my Mac screen recording black or silent on Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+?Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+ use FairPlay and HDCP protection, so Mac screen recordings show black video and often no sound. What records, what will not.
9. Where do Mac screen recordings save, and how do you stop a recording?Mac screen recordings save to the Desktop as "Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov". Stop with the menu bar button; change the folder; find lost files.

Why is my Mac screen recording silent, and what does the built-in recorder actually capture?

Nearly every question in this cluster starts with a silent .mov. The cause is the same each time: the Screenshot toolbar's only audio input is a microphone, and it is set to None by default. Four real recordings checked for these guides carried either no audio track or a microphone-only AAC track at about 100 kbps, with room noise measuring -48 to -60 dB while music played on the Mac. The diagnosis and the three fixes are in why does my Mac screen recording have no sound.

The same limit applies to QuickTime Player in all three of its recording modes, which does QuickTime record system audio on Mac walks through, including the BlackHole workaround. For a complete list of what Shift-Command-5 can and cannot do, its options, and the H.264 .mov it writes at 1 to 4 GB per hour, read what can the built-in Mac screen recorder record. And if the file is simply missing, where do Mac screen recordings save and how to stop one covers the Desktop default, the shared Save to setting, and the stop shortcuts.

How do I screen record with internal audio, with or without my microphone?

Two guides, split by whether your voice is involved. How to screen record with internal audio on Mac gives the free OBS Studio route, which captures desktop audio on macOS 13 and later with no driver, and the older BlackHole plus QuickTime route with its Multi-Output Device step that people skip. How to screen record on Mac with sound and microphone adds the second input: OBS mixes both live, an Aggregate Device feeds both to the Screenshot toolbar, or you record two files and align them on a clap.

The DRM exception is its own page. Why is my Mac screen recording black or silent on Netflix explains FairPlay and HDCP, which sources record and which never will, and why no recorder, including AirCheck, changes that. Protected video is black on every route; protected audio may be silent under ScreenCaptureKit; unprotected streams, calls and music apps capture normally. Test a 30 second clip of any new source before relying on it.

How do I get an audio file instead of a video?

Many people screen record only because they want the sound. How to record audio only without video on Mac separates the two cases: your own microphone (QuickTime's New Audio Recording or Voice Memos, free) and the computer's sound (a system audio recorder such as AirCheck at $39, Audio Hijack at $69, Piezo at $29, or BlackHole with QuickTime for free). A 97.5 second screen recording was 171 MB; its audio was 1.28 MB.

If the .mov already exists, how to extract audio from a Mac screen recording measures four methods: QuickTime's Export As Audio Only, the Finder's Encode Selected Video Files, afconvert, and an ffmpeg stream copy that keeps the original AAC bits in 0.15 seconds. The lesson from the measurements is that the track inside a screen recording is about 100 kbps AAC with no quality setting, so anything you plan to edit or publish as audio should be recorded directly as PCM. The wider format questions live in the formats cluster, starting with how big is an audio recording per minute.

Which tool for which screen-and-audio job on a Mac (macOS 26.4.1, prices 3 Sept 2026)

Audio Hijack and Piezo prices from Rogue Amoeba's buy pages; OBS requirement from its knowledge base.

Other topics

• Recording internal and system audio
• Recording calls and meetings
• Recording streams, music and video sound
• Virtual audio drivers and Audio MIDI Setup
• Recording with QuickTime, OBS, Audacity and GarageBand
• Recording DJ sets, vinyl and instruments
• Recording lectures, podcasts and interviews
• Audio formats, quality and file size
• Fixing Mac audio recording problems
• Choosing a Mac audio recorder