Mac Screen Recording Has No Audio? Here's the Fix

You record a screen capture of a video tutorial or a quick demo, play it back, and it’s silent. The video is fine. The mouse cursor is fine. But every sound that came out of your speakers — the music, the alert, the YouTube clip you wanted to capture — is missing from the file.

This is by design, and it’s annoying. macOS does not include a native way to record system audio along with screen video. Apple’s built-in Screen Recording captures your microphone, not your speakers. But there are workarounds, and they’re easier than they look.

Understand what’s happening

The macOS Screen Recording feature (Cmd+Shift+5 → Record) and QuickTime’s “New Screen Recording” both let you record video. They both let you include audio — but only from a microphone input. If you want to record what your speakers are playing, you need to route system audio into a virtual mic that the recording can capture.

Apple’s reasoning is privacy. They don’t want apps casually recording your system audio without you knowing. The result: third-party tools or virtual audio drivers are required.

Method 1: BlackHole (free)

BlackHole is an open-source virtual audio driver. It creates a fake audio device that everything plays into; you can then have your screen recorder capture from that device.

Install:

1. Go to existential.audio/blackhole
2. Download the BlackHole 2ch installer (the 2-channel version is plenty for most uses)
3. Run the installer
4. After it installs, open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications → Utilities)

Set up a Multi-Output Device:

1. In Audio MIDI Setup, click the + button at the bottom-left
2. Choose Create Multi-Output Device
3. Check both Built-in Output and BlackHole 2ch
4. Right-click the new Multi-Output Device, choose Use This Device for Sound Output

Now everything that plays through your speakers also plays through BlackHole. You can hear it AND another app can capture it.

Configure your screen recording:

• In Cmd+Shift+5, click Options → set Microphone to BlackHole 2ch
• In QuickTime, when starting a New Screen Recording, click the chevron next to record → set the audio source to BlackHole 2ch

Record. Audio is captured. Done.

Method 2: Loopback ($129)

If you don’t want to deal with Audio MIDI Setup, Loopback by Rogue Amoeba does the same thing with a friendlier interface. You create a virtual audio device that mixes your system audio + your mic, and your recorder captures from that.

It’s $129 — overkill if BlackHole works for you. But if you do this regularly and want a clean GUI, it’s worth it.

Method 3: macOS 14.4+ ScreenCaptureKit

Apple added the ability for apps to capture system audio via ScreenCaptureKit starting in macOS 14.4, but the built-in Screen Recording feature still doesn’t expose it as an option. Third-party apps can use it:

• CleanShot X — supports system audio capture in recent versions
• Screen Studio — yes, with system audio
• OBS — yes, with the latest macOS-specific updates
• ScreenFlow — yes
• Loom — yes, since 2024

If you use any of these, switch to one that supports system audio capture and you don’t need BlackHole.

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Screen Recording permission

Screen recording requires explicit permission in macOS. If your screen recording is failing entirely (not just missing audio), check:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording. Make sure your recording app has its toggle on.

You’ll need to quit and reopen the app after granting permission for it to take effect. Some apps require a full system restart.

For audio specifically, the app also needs Microphone permission (Privacy & Security → Microphone).

Common issues with BlackHole

Volume controls don’t work when Multi-Output is selected: known limitation. The output device is a literal merger and doesn’t have a master volume slider. Adjust source volumes individually (Apple Music has its own slider, etc.).

Audio sounds slightly delayed during recording: BlackHole adds a tiny buffer. Usually unnoticeable, but if syncing to video, you may see a small lip-sync offset. Most editing software can correct this.

Audio plays through built-in speakers AND headphones simultaneously: that’s the Multi-Output device behavior. If you want only headphones audible during recording, create a Multi-Output that includes BlackHole + your headphones (not built-in).

Records mic audio mixed in unexpectedly: only the recording app’s “audio source” matters. If you set it to BlackHole 2ch, only system audio is recorded — your mic isn’t included unless you also select it.

To record both system audio and your mic: create an Aggregate Device (also in Audio MIDI Setup) that combines BlackHole + your mic. Set that as the recording source. Now both come through.

Method 4: dedicated capture hardware

If you record screen-plus-audio professionally, hardware capture is more reliable. Elgato Stream Deck and Cam Link lines have screen and audio capture solutions. Overkill for most people, but if you’re doing this daily, worth considering.

Reset audio if BlackHole isn’t appearing

After installing BlackHole, if it doesn’t show up in Audio MIDI Setup or sound preferences:

1. Restart the Mac
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup again
3. If still missing, reinstall BlackHole

If it shows but doesn’t capture audio:

1. Quit the recording app
2. Open Terminal: sudo killall coreaudiod
3. Type your password
4. Open Audio MIDI Setup, recreate the Multi-Output Device
5. Try recording again

The audio daemon sometimes needs a kick to recognize new audio devices.

Reset stale audio configsCorrupted prefs cause weird sound issues. Sweep can wipe them. Try Sweep free →

Cleanup if BlackHole stops working

If BlackHole worked and then stopped, the audio routing prefs may be stuck. Files in ~/Library/Preferences/:

• com.apple.audio.AudioMIDISetup.plist
• com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist

Quit audio apps, drag those to Trash, restart. macOS rebuilds them. You’ll need to recreate your Multi-Output Device.

Sweep clears stale audio prefs and caches that build up over time. When BlackHole or other virtual audio drivers stop working, this is often the cause — and it’s faster than gardening plist files yourself.

Built-in fallback: just use a phone

If you only need to record screen audio occasionally and don’t want to mess with virtual drivers, point a phone at your laptop and record audio with it. Sync in post.

Janky, but works for one-off needs.

Specific patterns

Audio recorded, but it’s just my mic, not the system audio: you didn’t switch to BlackHole as the recording source. Check the recording app’s audio source setting.

System audio recorded but my voice is missing: you used BlackHole only, not an Aggregate Device that includes your mic. Combine them.

Audio is recorded but it’s quiet: Multi-Output Devices don’t have a master volume. Boost source volumes individually, or use Loopback’s mixer features.

Audio is recorded but it’s distorted: sample rate mismatch. Set BlackHole and your output device to the same sample rate (48 kHz is standard) in Audio MIDI Setup.

Recording works once, then fails: BlackHole sometimes gets into a stuck state after a quit. Restart the app or the Mac.

Apple’s Screen Recording shows “Microphone” but not BlackHole: BlackHole isn’t installed, or installation failed. Reinstall.

Quick setup

1. Install BlackHole 2ch from existential.audio/blackhole
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup, create a Multi-Output Device with built-in + BlackHole
3. Right-click the Multi-Output Device → Use This Device for Sound Output
4. In your recording app, set audio source to BlackHole 2ch
5. Record. Your audio is now captured.

For most people, BlackHole + Multi-Output Device solves it. If you find yourself fighting Audio MIDI Setup regularly, splurge on Loopback.