Guides / Fixing Mac audio recording problems
Why is my Mac not recording sound?
Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.
A Mac that records no sound almost always has one of six problems: the recorder is on the wrong input, a permission (Microphone or Screen & System Audio Recording) is missing, the interface gain or channel is muted, the sample rate in Audio MIDI Setup does not match the app, a Bluetooth headset has dropped to its low-quality mic profile, or the app cannot capture system audio at all. Check them in that order.
Am I recording the right source: microphone or system audio?
Start here, because half of all silent recordings come from a source mismatch. A Mac has two different kinds of capture:
- Microphone input: the built-in mic, a USB mic, or an audio interface. Any recorder can use it. It hears the room, not the Mac.
- System audio: what the Mac plays. Since macOS 13 an app can capture it through ScreenCaptureKit. The built-in Cmd-Shift-5 recorder and QuickTime Player cannot; they only offer microphones.
The classic case is "why does my screen recording have no sound": the mic was muted or you wore headphones, so nothing reached the microphone, and system audio was never captured at all. That is a capability limit, not a fault, explained in why does my Mac screen recording have no sound.
Check the source, then watch the level meter before recording. If the meter does not move, nothing you do afterwards will help.
Is a permission blocking the recording?
macOS keeps two separate grants for recording, and an app can hold one without the other.
- Open Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- For a microphone take, click Microphone and confirm the app is listed with its toggle on.
- For a system audio take, click Screen & System Audio Recording (Screen Recording before macOS 26 Tahoe) and confirm the same.
- After any change, quit the app with Cmd-Q and relaunch. Grants made while the app runs do not apply until relaunch.
If the app is not listed, it has never asked. Press Record with the right source selected, or reset with tccutil reset Microphone or tccutil reset ScreenCapture and relaunch. The full procedure, including the silent-denial case for hardened-runtime apps, is in Mac microphone permission not working and permission not showing.
Documented failure mode: a toggle turned on through the Add (+) button gives no relaunch reminder, so the app keeps its denied state until you quit it yourself.
Is the interface, sample rate, or channel the problem?
With permissions in place, the next layer is the device.
- Gain and mute. An interface with its gain at zero, or a channel muted in the vendor's control app, passes digital silence. Raise the gain until the interface's own meter lights.
- Sample rate. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications > Utilities), select the device, and use the Format pop-up to "set the sample rate and bit depth" as Apple's guide puts it. Some interfaces produce silence or crackle when an app opens them at a rate the hardware is not running at. Set 48 kHz on the device and in the app.
- Channel pair. An 8-input interface presents inputs in pairs. A mic on input 3 records nothing if the app is on inputs 1 and 2. See recording only captures one channel.
- Device not present. If the interface is missing from Audio MIDI Setup, reconnect it directly to the Mac and run
sudo killall coreaudiod. Details in USB audio interface not showing up.
A fast test that isolates the device from the app: record five seconds in Voice Memos with the same input. If Voice Memos hears it, the device is fine.
Is Bluetooth or the app itself the reason?
Two remaining causes are easy to miss.
Bluetooth headsets. AirPods and similar play stereo over A2DP, but the moment any app opens their microphone they switch to the Hands-Free Profile, which is mono at 8 or 16 kHz. The take is not silent, but it sounds like a phone call. Use the built-in mic or a wired mic for capture and keep the headset for listening. More in Bluetooth headphones make recordings sound bad.
App limits. Audacity cannot capture system audio on macOS without a virtual driver. QuickTime records microphones only. OBS captures desktop audio on macOS 13 and later but writes video files. If the app cannot reach the source, no setting will make it record.
Sleep. A long take that goes silent from a certain minute onward is usually the Mac sleeping. Display sleep is harmless; system sleep stops capture. See recording stops when the display sleeps.
Click the Format pop-up menu, then set the sample rate and bit depth.
Apple, Audio MIDI Setup User Guide, Set up audio devices
Symptom to fix: silent Mac recordings
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Where to check | Fix | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen recording has no sound | Cmd-Shift-5 records mic only | Screenshot toolbar > Options | Use a system audio recorder (ScreenCaptureKit) | 1 min |
| Meter dead, app never prompted | Permission never requested | Privacy & Security | Press Record with the source selected, or tccutil reset | 2 min |
| Meter dead, toggle is on | Granted while running | Privacy & Security | Quit with Cmd-Q and relaunch | 1 min |
| Meter dead, interface connected | Gain at zero or wrong channel pair | Interface knobs, app input picker | Raise gain, choose the right pair | 2 min |
| Crackle or silence on an interface | Sample rate mismatch | Audio MIDI Setup > Format | Set 48 kHz on device and in app | 2 min |
| Muffled, mono, phone-like | Bluetooth HFP profile | Sound > Input | Use built-in or wired mic | 1 min |
| Silent after a certain minute | System sleep | Battery or Energy settings | Prevent sleep when display is off, or caffeinate | 2 min |
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck removes the source confusion by offering exactly two kinds of source, System Audio and any Core Audio input, and it asks for the matching permission the first time you press Record. Its level meter runs before recording starts, so a dead input is visible before you lose a take. If an input stalls for 5 seconds mid-take, a watchdog restarts capture into the same file and shows "Audio input stalled, reconnecting". AirCheck costs $39 once and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or newer.
When you do not need it: If Voice Memos records your microphone fine and that is all you need, you do not need another recorder. If the silence comes from a hardened-runtime app without the audio-input entitlement, only that app's developer can fix it.
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
Why is there no sound when I screen record on Mac?
The built-in screen recorder (Cmd-Shift-5) records the microphone, not the Mac's own audio. If the mic was off or you wore headphones, the file is silent. Use a recorder that captures system audio through ScreenCaptureKit, available on macOS 13 and later.
Why can't Mac record internal audio?
It can, since macOS 13, but only in apps that use ScreenCaptureKit system audio capture and hold the Screen & System Audio Recording permission. QuickTime, Voice Memos and Audacity do not use it, which is why they appear unable to.
How do I fix no sound on MacBook recordings from an interface?
Check gain, the selected channel pair, and the sample rate in Audio MIDI Setup, in that order. Then record five seconds in Voice Memos with the same interface. If Voice Memos hears it, the fault is inside the other app's input selection.
Sources
- Apple: Set up audio devices in Audio MIDI Setup on Mac
- Apple: Control access to your microphone on Mac
- Apple: Control access to screen and system audio recording on Mac
- Microsoft Learn: Bluetooth Classic Audio (A2DP and HFP profile behaviour)
Related guides
- Why is the microphone permission not working for my app on Mac?
- Why is my app missing from Screen & System Audio Recording on my Mac?
- Why is my USB audio interface not showing up on my Mac?
- Why do my Bluetooth headphones make Mac recordings sound bad?
- Why does my Mac recording stop when the display sleeps?
- Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound?
- Fixing Mac audio recording problems: all guides
- Every guide, by topic