How to record your screen with audio on a Mac

The short answer

• Microphone only: press ⌘⇧5, click Options, pick your microphone, and record. Works on every Mac since macOS Mojave.
• System audio (the sound from apps, tabs, or calls): the built-in recorder cannot capture it, even on current macOS. Use a virtual audio device such as BlackHole, or an app like Shotnix that records system audio natively through ScreenCaptureKit.

Method 1: The built-in Screenshot toolbar (⌘⇧5)

1. Press ⌘⇧5. A toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion, then drag to set the region if needed.
3. Click Options and choose your microphone under Microphone. Set a save location and, if you want, a timer.
4. Click Record. To stop, click the stop icon in the menu bar or press ⌘⌃Esc.
5. The recording saves as a .mov file, on the Desktop by default.

Note. This records microphone audio only. Audio from apps, browser tabs, or video calls is not included, and that remains true on macOS 26 Tahoe.

Method 2: QuickTime Player

Open QuickTime Player and choose File → New Screen Recording. On modern macOS this opens the same ⌘⇧5 toolbar with the same options and the same microphone-only limitation. It is useful mainly if you want to trim the result in QuickTime right away.

Method 3: Route system audio through a virtual device

1. Install a free virtual audio driver such as BlackHole.
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup, click the plus button, and create a Multi-Output Device that includes both your speakers or headphones and BlackHole.
3. Set that Multi-Output Device as the system output in System Settings → Sound.
4. Press ⌘⇧5, click Options, and select BlackHole as the microphone.
5. Record. The recording now contains system audio.

Note. It works, but volume keys stop working while a Multi-Output Device is active, and recording microphone plus system audio together needs an Aggregate Device on top. Expect to spend fifteen minutes the first time.

Method 4: Shotnix (system audio and microphone, MP4)

1. Install Shotnix and grant Screen Recording permission when prompted.
2. Click the menu bar icon and choose Record Area, Record Window, or Record Fullscreen, or press the shortcuts you assigned in Preferences.
3. On the control bar, turn on System audio and, if you want narration, Microphone. Set cursor visibility, quality, and FPS.
4. Click Record. A HUD shows elapsed time and audio levels; the menu bar icon becomes a red dot with a timer.
5. Stop from the HUD, the menu bar icon, Escape, or your Stop Recording shortcut. The MP4 lands in your save folder and in history.

Screen recording in Shotnix →

Which method should you use?

If you need your voice only, the built-in toolbar is enough. If you need what the Mac is playing, the virtual device route works but is fiddly and easy to leave in a broken state. A native app that uses ScreenCaptureKit removes the setup entirely, records both sources as separate toggles, and gives you MP4 instead of MOV.

Troubleshooting

• No permission prompt or a black recording: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and enable the app, then quit and reopen it.
• No microphone in the video: check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone for the app you recorded with.
• Silent recording with a virtual device: make sure the Multi-Output Device is the active system output and that BlackHole is selected as the input in the recorder.
• Bluetooth headphones: some switch to a low-quality profile when a microphone is active. Use wired audio for narration.

Questions