Record internal audio on Mac in one click

Why macOS can’t record internal audio by itself

Internal audio (system audio, computer audio, desktop audio) is everything your Mac plays: a video, a call, a product’s notification sound, music. Your microphone is different; it records the room.

macOS doesn’t give its built-in recorders access to that internal sound. Press Shift-Command-5 or use QuickTime Player and you can choose a microphone, but not “the Mac itself”. Apple added a way for apps to capture system audio in macOS 13 Ventura, through ScreenCaptureKit, but the built-in recording tools still don’t offer it. That’s why so many people end up with silent screen recordings.

The old workarounds: BlackHole and Soundflower

For years the standard answer to “how do I capture internal audio on Mac” was a virtual audio driver. Soundflower was the classic choice; today it’s usually BlackHole (free) or Loopback (paid). The recipe: install the driver, open Audio MIDI Setup, build a Multi-Output Device that sends sound to both your speakers and BlackHole, make it your Mac’s output, then select BlackHole as QuickTime’s microphone.

It works, but it’s fiddly. Your volume keys stop controlling the multi-output device, you have to switch your output back afterwards, and recording your voice at the same time needs yet another aggregate device. It’s easy to get a recording with no sound after all.

How to record system audio on Mac with Skrimo

1. Install Skrimo and open it. It lives in your menu bar.
2. The first time, click Allow next to Screen Recording and switch Skrimo on in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording. Screen and system audio capture use this one permission.
3. Click the menu bar icon, choose Screen, Window or Area, and switch on System audio. Turn on Microphone too if you want to narrate.
4. Press Start recording. Play whatever you need to capture; you’ll hear it normally through your speakers or headphones.
5. Press Stop. In the editor, adjust the system audio and microphone volume separately, then export an MP4.

Record Mac screen with internal audio and your voice

Most recordings need both: the sound of the app and your explanation. Skrimo saves system audio and your microphone as separate tracks, so nothing is baked in while you record. In the editor, turn a loud app down under your voice, or mute it entirely, before you export one mixed MP4.

If you record with speakers instead of headphones, your microphone also picks up the Mac’s sound from the room. Headphones give the cleanest result.

Screen record with sound on Mac: troubleshooting

If macOS’s capture service isn’t available on your Mac, Skrimo still records your screen and tells you clearly that this recording has no computer sound, instead of failing silently.

• No sound at all: check System audio was switched on before you pressed Start recording.
• Permission: Skrimo must be allowed under Screen Recording in System Settings. System audio is captured with the screen, so it needs this permission.
• macOS version: system audio capture needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
• The app is muted, or its sound goes only to an external audio interface with its own routing.
• Protected content, such as DRM-protected streaming video, may be captured silent or black by design.

Recording calls and webinars

Internal audio capture records the other side of a call, so make sure everyone knows they’re being recorded and that it’s allowed where you are. Turn on your microphone too, so your side of the conversation is in the recording.

Frequently asked questions

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