# How to screen record on Mac with audio (system sound and microphone) > Record your Mac screen with sound: system audio on macOS 27, microphone on any version, the Terminal command, and a free fix for internal audio on older macOS. Source: https://showtake.app/blog/screen-record-mac-with-audio *Recording ยท updated 2026-11-12* On macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, press Shift-Command-5, open Options and choose Include System Audio. On older versions the built-in recorder takes only a microphone. Here are the exact steps for each case, plus the Terminal way and fixes when there is no sound. To screen record on a Mac with audio, press **Shift-Command-5**, click **Options**, and choose **Include System Audio** to record the sound your Mac plays (macOS 27 Golden Gate or later) and a **microphone** to record your voice. Then click **Record**, and stop with the Stop button in the menu bar or Command-Control-Esc. On macOS 26 Tahoe and earlier the built-in recorder can only record a microphone; to capture the Mac's own sound there you need a free virtual audio device, set up in about five minutes below. Steps checked on November 12, 2026 against Apple's support article [How to record the screen on your Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102618) and on a Mac mini with macOS 27.2. ## Which audio can you record? | macOS version | Your voice (microphone) | Sound your Mac plays (system audio) | How | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | macOS 27 Golden Gate or later | Yes | Yes | Shift-Command-5 > Options > Include System Audio | | macOS 26 Tahoe | Yes | Not built in | Microphone in Options; system audio through a virtual audio device | | macOS 15 Sequoia and earlier | Yes | Not built in | Same as Tahoe | To see your version, choose Apple menu > About This Mac. ## Record the screen with system audio (macOS 27 or later) 1. **Open the toolbar.** Press Shift-Command-5. The Screenshot toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen. 2. **Pick what to record.** Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window (macOS Tahoe 26 or later) or Record Selected Portion. 3. **Turn on the sound.** Click **Options** and choose **Include System Audio**. To narrate at the same time, also choose your microphone in the same menu. 4. **Optional extras.** Show Mouse Clicks draws a circle each time you click; a timer gives you 5 or 10 seconds to get ready; Save to changes where the file goes (the Desktop by default). 5. **Record.** Click Record (for a window, click the window). Stop with the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command-Control-Esc. The first time, macOS may ask you to allow screen and audio recording. If it does not record sound, check **System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording**. > **Use headphones when you narrate:** With system audio and a microphone both on, sound from your speakers can reach the microphone twice and echo. Headphones keep the two tracks clean. ## Record with QuickTime Player QuickTime Player can still start a recording: open it from Applications and choose **File > New Screen Recording** (Control-Command-N). On recent macOS this opens the same Screenshot toolbar as Shift-Command-5, so the audio options are the same. If you see QuickTime's own Screen Recording window instead (older macOS), click the arrow next to Record to choose a microphone. QuickTime opens the finished recording so you can trim it (Edit > Trim) before saving. ## Record internal audio on macOS Tahoe or earlier Before macOS 27 the Mac cannot route its own sound into a screen recording. The standard free fix is a virtual audio device: a driver that appears as both a speaker and a microphone, so the recorder can "hear" what the Mac plays. BlackHole (open source, by Existential Audio) is the common choice. 1. **Install the virtual device.** Install BlackHole 2ch from its official site or with Homebrew (`brew install blackhole-2ch`), then restart audio apps. 2. **Create a Multi-Output Device.** Open Audio MIDI Setup (in Applications > Utilities), click the + button, choose Create Multi-Output Device, and tick both your speakers or headphones and BlackHole 2ch. This lets you hear the sound while it is recorded. 3. **Send the Mac's sound there.** In System Settings > Sound > Output, choose the Multi-Output Device. 4. **Record BlackHole as the microphone.** Press Shift-Command-5, open Options and choose BlackHole 2ch as the microphone. Record as usual. 5. **Switch back afterwards.** Set Sound > Output to your speakers again, because volume keys do not control a Multi-Output Device. > **You cannot record your voice and the Mac's sound this way at the same time:** The Screenshot toolbar takes one microphone. To mix your real microphone with the Mac's sound, create an Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI Setup (your microphone plus BlackHole) and record that, or record the voice-over separately and add it when you edit. ## Record from Terminal `screencapture`, the command behind the Screenshot toolbar, records video too. On macOS 27.2 its help lists `-A` for system audio and `-g` for the default microphone: ```sh # 30-second recording of the main screen, with system audio and clicks shown screencapture -v -A -k -V 30 ~/Desktop/demo.mov # Record with the default microphone instead screencapture -v -g -V 30 ~/Desktop/voice.mov ``` `-v` records video, `-V 30` stops after 30 seconds, `-k` shows clicks, `-l ` records one window and `-R x,y,w,h` a rectangle. Run `screencapture -h` on your Mac: the flags differ between macOS versions, and `-A` is not listed on older ones. ## No sound in your screen recording? Check these - [ ] Include System Audio (macOS 27) or a microphone is chosen in Options - [ ] The recording app is allowed in Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording - [ ] On older macOS: Sound > Output is the Multi-Output Device and BlackHole 2ch is the recording microphone - [ ] The app you record is not playing protected content: some apps, such as the Apple TV app, block recording of their windows - [ ] The volume of the source app is up (the recording takes the app's level) - [ ] You are playing the file in a player that shows an audio track (QuickTime: Window > Show Movie Inspector) ## Making a demo of your own Mac app? If the goal is a product video of an app you build, the app's own beeps are rarely what you want in the final cut. Music and short captions carry a demo better, and they are easier to change than a recording. The whole process, from shot list to export, is in [how to make an app demo video](https://showtake.app/blog/app-demo-video). That is how ShowTake handles Mac apps: your coding agent drives the app window through ShowTake's MCP tools, ShowTake records the window, draws the pointer and click ripples, zooms on what was clicked, and adds a music track and captions at export. [Video: A Mac app take filmed by ShowTake: the app window with a re-drawn pointer and click ripples.](https://showtake.app/media/macos-apps.mp4) [Video: Music from the built-in library, large captions and a title card added at export (an iPhone take here; Mac takes work the same way).](https://showtake.app/media/music-captions.mp4) Music from the built-in library, volume and ducking, and caption styles are part of the free plan; your own audio files (a voice-over, sound effects, your own music) need Pro. The details are in [music and captions](https://showtake.app/docs/music-and-captions). For iPhone apps in the Simulator, see [how to record the iOS Simulator](https://showtake.app/blog/record-ios-simulator-video), and if you are choosing a general screen recorder for tutorials, our [Screen Studio comparison](https://showtake.app/guides/screen-studio-alternative-for-iphone-apps) explains where each tool fits. Paste into your agent after setting up ShowTake: ```text Film a 20-second demo of my Mac app: create a task, mark it done and filter the list. Add calm music from the library and short captions for each step, then export a 16:9 video for X and a Mac App Preview. ``` > Try it: paste this into your coding agent: "Set up ShowTake for me from https://showtake.app/agents.md and make a demo video of my app." ## Common questions ### How do I screen record on a Mac with internal audio? On macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, press Shift-Command-5, click Options and choose Include System Audio. On macOS 26 Tahoe or earlier, install a virtual audio device such as BlackHole, send the Mac's sound to a Multi-Output Device that includes it, and choose BlackHole as the microphone in the Screenshot toolbar. ### Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound? Usually no audio source is selected. Choose Include System Audio (macOS 27) or a microphone under Options in the Shift-Command-5 toolbar, and check that the recorder is allowed under Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording. Older macOS versions cannot record system audio without a virtual audio device. ### Can QuickTime record screen with audio? Yes. File > New Screen Recording opens the Screenshot toolbar on recent macOS, where you choose a microphone and, on macOS 27 or later, Include System Audio. QuickTime itself never recorded the Mac's internal sound on older versions. ### How do I record my voice and the computer's sound at the same time? On macOS 27 or later, choose both Include System Audio and your microphone in Options. On older versions, create an Aggregate Device in Audio MIDI Setup that combines your microphone and BlackHole, and record that device. ### Where do Mac screen recordings go? To the Desktop by default, named "Screen Recording" with the date and time. Change the folder under Options > Save to in the Shift-Command-5 toolbar.