Quibble
All guides

How to Record Your Mac Screen With Internal Audio

Updated November 13, 2026 ยท By KIM YOOGEON, maker of Quibble

If your screen recording has your voice but no sound from the video you were playing, that is expected. Before macOS 27, the Mac's built-in screen recording tool records the microphone only. Internal audio, also called system audio, is the sound your Mac plays: a video, a call, an app's alert.

This guide shows three ways to record it: the built-in option on macOS 27, a free virtual audio driver for older versions, and Quibble. We make Quibble, so check the steps for the other methods against Apple's and the driver's own pages, linked below.

Microphone audio vs system audio

  • Microphone audio is your voice, or anything the mic hears.
  • System audio is sound coming from the Mac itself, recorded directly rather than through the mic.

You can record either one or both. A tutorial usually wants your voice plus the app's sounds. A recorded meeting wants the other person's voice, which is system audio.

Method 1: macOS 27 built-in (Include System Audio)

On macOS 27 or later, Apple's Screenshot app has the option. Apple's support page describes it.

  1. Press Shift-Command-5 to open the toolbar.
  2. Choose Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Portion or Record Selected Window. (Selected window needs macOS Tahoe 26 or later.)
  3. Click Options.
  4. Choose a Microphone if you want your voice.
  5. Choose Include System Audio.
  6. Click Record. Stop with the Stop button in the menu bar or Command-Control-Esc.

The file is saved as a .mov, by default to your desktop. You can change this under Save to in Options.

Limits: there are no captions, zoom or highlight tools in this method. If you are on an earlier macOS version, the toolbar's Options menu offers a microphone only, so go to Method 2 or 3.

Method 2: A virtual audio driver such as BlackHole (older macOS)

Before macOS 27, a common workaround is a virtual audio device. BlackHole is one. Its project page describes it as a macOS virtual audio loopback driver that lets apps pass audio to other apps with no extra latency. It is open source under GPL-3.0.

The setup, as the project describes it:

  1. Install BlackHole from the project's page, or with Homebrew (brew install blackhole-2ch).
  2. In Audio MIDI Setup, create a Multi-Output Device. This lets you hear the sound while it also goes to BlackHole.
  3. Right-click the Multi-Output Device and choose Use This Device For Sound Output.
  4. In an app that lets you choose an audio input, choose BlackHole. The project's own example is a music app such as GarageBand. If BlackHole is the input, your microphone is not recorded unless you combine the two in an Aggregate Device.

The project lists caveats. The Built-in Output must be enabled and listed first in the Multi-Output Device. Drift correction should be on for devices other than the clock source, to avoid glitches. macOS cannot change a Multi-Output Device's volume, so you set volume on each device. AirPods should not be the clock device.

Fits: people comfortable with audio settings, or who want a free option. Limits: it takes setup, and your recording app must accept BlackHole as an input. Test with a short recording before a long one.

Method 3: Quibble

Quibble records the microphone by default. System audio is off until you turn it on.

  1. Open Quibble and go to Settings.
  2. Turn on System audio (or choose Record System Audio from the recording options menu).
  3. Press Option-Command-R to start recording.
  4. Play your video, join your call or demo your app. Talk if you want your voice on the recording.
  5. Stop. The editor opens.

Recording, editing and previewing are free. Saving the finished video and exporting need a license ($7.99 per month, $79 per year or $129 once, 14-day refund). Quibble runs on Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later, so it works on versions where the built-in toolbar has no system audio option.

When you stop, Quibble adds captions of what you said into the microphone track, in English or Korean, within a few seconds. They are made on your Mac.

If your recording will become a tutorial, see how to record a tutorial video on Mac.

Which method should you use?

SituationTry
You are on macOS 27 and want a quick clipBuilt-in Include System Audio
You are on an older macOS and want freeBlackHole, with a short test first
You want captions, zoom and highlights tooQuibble
You want to record a callCheck the call app's rules and each person's consent first, then use any method above

If you hear no sound

  • Check that system audio is actually turned on (Include System Audio in the Screenshot app, or System audio in Quibble's Settings).
  • Check that the sound is playing and the volume is up.
  • Do a 10-second test and play it back before a long recording.
  • Make sure the app has permission to record the screen in System Settings.

Frequently asked questions

Can the built-in Mac screen recorder record internal audio?

On macOS 27 or later, yes: choose Include System Audio in Options in the Screenshot toolbar. In earlier versions, the tool offers a microphone only.

Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound?

Either no microphone was selected, or you expected system audio, which the older built-in tool does not record. Choose a microphone in Options, or use one of the methods above for system audio.

Is BlackHole free?

It is open source under GPL-3.0. The project says other apps need a separate license to bundle it. For recording your own screen, check the project's page for its current terms.

Does Quibble record system audio by default?

No. It records the microphone by default. Turn on System audio in Settings (or Record System Audio in the recording options menu) to add the Mac's sound.

Can I record Mac audio and my voice at the same time?

Yes. In the built-in tool, pick a microphone and turn on Include System Audio on macOS 27. In Quibble, the microphone is on by default and you turn on System audio in Settings.

Sources

---

More guides