How to record screen with audio on Mac

Mac users may be confronted with the issue that there's no sound on the recorded video. Read this article to find the fixes to record a Mac screen with audio on Mac.

A quick glance of reliable Mac-based screen recorders

• Mac offers built-in screen recorders, Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player, to record screen with audio without hassle.
• If you want to record all activities on the Mac screen with both playing audio and microphone voice flawlessly, try desktop Screen Recorder to make it.
• If you want to record a Mac screen with audio for free, you can select OBS Studio to exclude all limitations.

Various screen recorders for Mac can be adjusted to record videos with system and external sound at the same time.

A screenshot is not enough if you want to save something on your Mac for future playback, then screen recording is a great way to capture important happenings on your screen. Whether you want to create a video tutorial or record some presentations, a recording screen with audio on Mac can do it for you. Also see: How to screen record on Windows 10.

Before recording, you must ensure that everything you need is captured properly. However, you might be confronted with the issue that there's no sound in the recorded video and confused about whether can you record the screen with audio on Mac. The answer lies in this article.

Table of Contents

• Why is my Mac not recording sound?
• Quick fixes for Mac don't record sound
• How to record screen with audio on Mac?

Why is my Mac not recording sound?

Let's first delve into the discussion of why voice vanishes when we record screens on Mac and how to overcome this issue.

Audio can be divided into two: internal audio and audio from the microphone. During the screen recording process, there're two main possible scenarios for no sound recorded:

Only records the external sound

Generally, macOS can capture both internal and external audio while recording the screen. You may haven't checked the advanced recording settings about the audio source, no matter what screen recorder you use. Another possible reason is that the sound of your system is too low, hence the screen recorder is unavailable to catch the playing voice.

Only records the internal sound

In most situations, Mac internal audio will be automatically recorded. If you want to show a tutorial to others and elaborate on the details during the recording process, you have to turn the mic on and allow the screen recorder to use your microphone, or the recorded video only contains the Mac system sound. If you haven't set the microphone as the sound input device, the screen recorder can't pick up the external sound either.

Quick fixes for Mac don't record sound

Whatever the reason in your case, here are two quick fixes to resolve the "no sound" issue on your Mac device.

Check and allow microphone access

Go to Settings to find Security & Privacy. Click it and select the Privacy panel. Find Microphone and tick corresponding screen recorders to allow microphone access.

Select the correct audio source

There're various Mac-based screen recorders. Whatever screen recorder you use, you can set the audio source before recording to ensure you can record the screen with audio on Mac.

If you're still struggling to record screen with audio on Mac, then just try some reliable ways below to enjoy the hassle-free experience.

How to record screen with audio on Mac?

You can record the screen with audio on Mac using the Screenshot Toolbar, the QuickTime Player, or installing a reliable third-party app like Appgeeker Screen Recorder and OBS Studio. The former two are installed by default on your Mac. Feel free to use these tools to record the whole screen or a selected part.

Let's see how you can record your Mac screen with audio by using these tools.

Appgeeker Screen Recorder

To get more features when recording the Mac screen, using a professional third-party tool like Screen Recorder launched by Appgeeker is more convenient. Appgeeker Screen Recorder for Mac is an all-in-one tool for recording the screen with audio on Mac.

As versatile software, it serves multiple purposes and can capture all activities on the screen with internal and external audio, including the webcam. Whether you want to make tutorials, capture online meetings or calls, or record games, it easily covers you. Moreover, this tool has multiple options to annotate captured media, snap a shot, save recorded in multiple formats, etc.

Desktop Screen Recorder offers you absolute control over your screen recording. While capturing, you can enjoy real-time drawing, take screenshots and resize them to save them in the format you want. Before saving, you can trim your recording to remove any undesirable parts. Isn't it amazing?

Here are step-wise instructions to use this wonderful tool.

Step 1. In the first step, you need to install and run the Screen Recorder on your Mac.

Step 2. Set the preference for the first time you use Screen Recorder. Click on the gear icon and select Preference. Here you can change the settings of the mouse, hotkeys, output, and other recording-related settings. After finishing the presets, click OK to apply.

Step 3. Choose Video Recorder, then the window below will show up. Select and customize the video recording area. Turn on the System sound and Microphone for recording audio.

Step 4. Hit the REC button to start recording. During the recording process, you can change the settings from the toolbox. Once done, you can preview the video and set its start and end.

Pros:

• Straightforward operation and interface
• Automatic sound optimization
• Advanced output settings
• Basic and advanced edits are available
• Supports various input, and output formats, including WMV, MP4, and others

Screenshot Toolbar – the most convenient screen recorder for Mac

The Screenshot Toolbar is the shortcut key to recording the Mac screen with audio. Mac users can adjust the width and height of the recording area and record all activities in the recording area with audio as follow:

1. Press Command + Shift + 5 on your keyboard together to enable the Screenshot Toolbar.

2. If you want to adjust the recording area, click the dotted Record Selected Portion icon.

3. As aforementioned, system audio is contained automatically using Screenshot Toolbar. To record the external audio, click Options and choose the microphone.

4. After then, click Record to start capturing video on your Mac with audio.

5. When you've completed it, hit the stop button on the top of the screen. Your recorded file will be saved as a .mov file by default.

Pros:

• Quick and easy to access.
• Straightforwars recording process.

Cons:

• Limited editing features.
• Supports only a few output formats.
• The track of the mouse cursor is unobvious.

QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is an advanced media playback application with editing functions, pre-installed on Mac. It can easily stream media from web pages and local files on the device. Moreover, it is available to capture video and audio on Mac.

To record the Mac screen with audio using the QuickTime player:

1. Open the QuickTime Player, and select File > New Screen Recording.

You may see either the interface of the Screenshot Toolbar or the screen recording window below.

2. Before starting screen recording, click the small arrow beside the red Record button and select a microphone to record the screen with audio on Mac, and change the voice volume slider. If necessary, you can tick Show Mouse Clicks in Recording to convenience audiences.

3. Click the Record button, then click the screen to start recording. Or you can drag and select the recording area, then click Start Recording.

4. Click the Stop button in the menu bar to stop recording when you are done, or you can press Command + Control + Esc on the keyboard to exit recording. After that, you can preview and edit the recorded video automatically.

Pros:

• Easily available
• Simple and focused interface

Cons:

• Lacks advanced features
• Only supports recording in .mov format.

OBS Studio

OBS Studio is a free open-source desktop screen recorder. It features video recording with internal and external audio on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. It is recommended by users from around the world due to its specialty and reliability. In addition, it's a completely free tool for screen recording that can record all activities on the Mac screen with system and mic audio. The drawback is that the interface is complex and not user-friendly, especially for those novices. Users need to learn more information and details.

Below is a quick start to using OBS Studio to record the Mac screen with audio for users to get started as soon as possible without any hassle.

1. Download and run OBS Studio on your Mac.

2. OBS Studio is set to capture internal and external sounds by default. If you find the volume meters aren't moving, go to File > Settings > Audio to select the device manually.

Note:

• Mac users need to install an extra app to capture the desktop audio since macOS doesn't offer direct recording for desktop audio devices.

3. Click Add button under Source window and select Display Capture to record everything on the Mac screen.



4. Go to Settings > Output to check the output settings. If you are satisfied with this, you can click Start Recording on the lower right side of the interface to record your Mac screen with voice.

Wrapping up

To summarize, we have discussed some simple and quick solutions to record Mac screens with audio. You can use free tools like Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player for screen recording on your Mac. However, the free solutions have certain limitations, like time and file size limits.

A versatile desktop application like Appgeeker Screen Recorder is worth your investment if you are a long-term user. Once installed, the software will cover your advanced screen recording needs. It's easy to use with excellent output results.

Hurry up to avail the free trial of this amazing tool to boost your screen recording capabilities like never before!