How to Record Mac Screen with System Audio

Apple’s reasoning for not capturing system audio by default is essentially privacy-flavored: the OS doesn’t want apps eavesdropping on what’s coming out of your speakers. The unintended consequence: every screen recording tutorial you watched in the last decade told you to “install BlackHole and fight with Audio MIDI Setup.” There’s a better way.

The three options, ranked

1. Use a recorder that captures system audio natively — easiest, just works.
2. Install a virtual audio driver (BlackHole, Loopback) — works, but invasive.
3. Mirror your speaker through QuickTime — clever but limited.

We’ll cover all three.

Option 1: Native system-audio capture (easiest)

A handful of Mac apps capture system audio without any extra driver, by tapping into Apple’s screen-recording API which gained system-audio support in macOS 13 Ventura. These include:

• Zenguy — toggle “System Audio” in the new-recording panel. That’s it.
• CleanShot X — same toggle, slightly different UI.
• Screen Studio — built in.
• OBS Studio — supported via “macOS Screen Capture” source.

If you already have one of these, this is your answer. Skip the rest of this article.

The first time you toggle system audio in any of these, macOS will prompt you for Screen Recording permission. Grant it, restart the app, and you’re done. The grant survives reboots.

Option 2: Virtual audio driver (if you must)

If your recording tool doesn’t support native system audio, you’ll need a virtual audio device. BlackHole is the modern open-source choice (replaces the old Soundflower). Install it via Homebrew:

brew install blackhole-2ch

Then create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup:

1. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Cmd+Space, search for it).
2. Click the + icon, choose “Create Multi-Output Device.”
3. Check both your real speakers/headphones AND BlackHole 2ch.
4. Set this Multi-Output as your system output (System Settings → Sound).

Now you can:

• Hear audio normally (it’s playing through your real speakers).
• Record the same audio (because it’s also playing through BlackHole, which your recorder reads as a microphone).

In QuickTime, set the New Screen Recording’s microphone to “BlackHole 2ch” and you’ll capture system audio.

The downsides:

• It’s invasive — your default audio output is now a Multi-Output Device. Some apps don’t handle that well (Spotify can stutter; Bluetooth headphones occasionally drop sync).
• Forgetting to switch back means you’ll stay routed through BlackHole forever.
• Setup is finicky enough that we’d only recommend it if Option 1 isn’t available.

Option 3: QuickTime Player + AirPlay loop

If you can’t install anything, this is the workaround:

1. Set up your Mac as an AirPlay receiver (System Settings → General → AirDrop & Handoff → AirPlay Receiver).
2. AirPlay your audio from another Apple device into your Mac.
3. Record QuickTime with the Mac’s input mic = AirPlay.

This works for “I want to record a meeting on my iPhone” cases. It does not work for capturing audio from a Chrome tab on the same Mac.

We list it for completeness; in practice, you want Option 1.

Microphone vs system audio: capture both?

Yes, you almost always want both. A demo with system audio but no commentary feels haunted; a commentary with no system audio feels like the app is broken.

In Zenguy, the new-recording panel has separate toggles for Microphone and System Audio. Both can be on. The recorder mixes them automatically.

In QuickTime + BlackHole, you’d need a more advanced setup (a multi-channel “aggregate device”) to get both on the same recording. Another reason Option 1 wins.

A common gotcha: mics that look like system audio

You’ll occasionally see a recording where the system audio sounds tinny and the room echoes. That’s a sign the system audio was actually captured by your microphone, not the OS.

Fix: turn off the microphone in the recorder UI, or move the mic away from the speakers. If you’re in a quiet room with headphones on, it’s not an issue.

FAQ