How to QuickTime Screen Recording with Audio on Mac (Microphone + System Sound)

Every Mac includes QuickTime Player as a built-in application. It can record your screen without installing any extra software. The trouble starts when you finish a recording, hit play, and hear nothing. Whether you need microphone audio, system sounds, or both at once, the fix depends on which type of audio you are targeting. This guide explains every setup process in clear steps. You will know what to configure before starting a recording. So let's get started!

What QuickTime Records Automatically and What It Doesn't

QuickTime natively supports microphone audio and lets you select any connected mic directly from the recording options panel. What it cannot do is capture internal system audio, meaning sounds your Mac plays through its speakers, without a virtual audio driver acting as a bridge. That driver is called BlackHole, and the next sections show how to use it. 

The table below summarizes the starting position at a glance.

How to Screen Record with Microphone Audio in QuickTime

For most users recording tutorials, walkthroughs, or voiceovers, microphone-only recording is all that is needed, and QuickTime handles it without any third-party tools.

1. Open QuickTime Player. From the menu bar, go to File > New Screen Recording. Alternatively, press Shift + Command + 5 to open the macOS screenshot toolbar directly.

2. Open the recording options. Click the small chevron (the arrow icon) immediately to the right of the Record button. A dropdown panel appears with several configuration options.

3. Select your microphone. Under the Microphone heading, choose your audio input. If this is set to “None,” your recording will capture video only, with no audio track.

4. Check the volume meter. After selecting a microphone, speak at your normal recording volume. The level meter in the panel should respond with visible movement. A flat, unresponsive meter means the input is not receiving signal.

5. Choose your recording area. Use the toolbar icons to select either full screen or a specific region of the display.

6. Start the recording. Click Record. A short countdown appears before capture begins.

7. Stop the recording. Click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command + Control + Esc. QuickTime saves the file and opens a preview window automatically.

Note: MacBook microphones can pick up noise from nearby hardware components. Fan and keyboard sounds may become noticeable in recordings. A quieter environment often leads to cleaner recorded audio. An external microphone can also help reduce unwanted background noise.

Choosing the Right Microphone Source

The audio source dropdown lists every active input device QuickTime detects. Here is what each option typically represents:

• Built-in Microphone: The internal Mac mic. Accessible and convenient, but sensitive to keyboard typing, fan noise, and room echo.

• External USB or Bluetooth Microphone: Appears by device name, such as “Blue Yeti” or “AirPods Microphone.” Select this for improved audio quality when an external mic is connected.

• Aggregate Device: Only appears after you create one manually in Audio MIDI Setup. This is the option used for recording system audio or combining multiple sources.

• None: Disables all audio capture entirely. Confirm this is not selected before starting any recording where audio matters.

How to Capture Internal System Audio in QuickTime (The BlackHole Method)

QuickTime has no native route to record what is playing through your Mac speakers, such as app audio, video playback sound, or music. BlackHole is a free, open-source virtual audio driver that solves this by creating a loopback channel that QuickTime can read as a standard audio input.

1. Download BlackHole 2ch. Visit existential.audio/blackhole and download the free 2-channel installer. Run the package and follow the on-screen prompts to complete installation.

2. Restart your Mac. BlackHole might not register as an audio device until after a full restart. Skip this step, and it may not appear anywhere in the next steps.

3. Open Audio MIDI Setup. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight Search, type “Audio MIDI Setup,” and open the application.

4. Create an Aggregate Device.

• Click the + button in the lower-left corner and select Create Aggregate Device.

• In the device checklist on the right, tick the box next to BlackHole 2ch.

• Rename the device something recognizable, such as “System Audio Capture.”

5. Set your Mac’s audio output to BlackHole. Go to System Settings > Sound > Output and select BlackHole 2ch. This tells macOS to route all system audio through the BlackHole channel rather than your speakers.

6. Select BlackHole in QuickTime. Open File > New Screen Recording, click the options chevron, and under Microphone select BlackHole 2ch or the Aggregate Device you just created.

7. Start the recording. Press Record. Any audio playing through your Mac will now be captured in the output file.

Caution: While BlackHole 2ch is set as your system output, your Mac’s built-in speakers produce no sound. Plug in headphones if you need to monitor audio during the recording session. You can also configure a multi-output device in Audio MIDI Setup to send audio to both BlackHole and your speakers at the same time, though that step is optional.

What About Soundflower?

Soundflower was an earlier virtual audio driver that served the same purpose as BlackHole. It is no longer reliably compatible with macOS Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma, and active development has effectively stopped. If you encounter Soundflower in older forum posts or tutorials, treat those instructions as outdated. BlackHole is the current maintained alternative and the one to use on any recent version of macOS.

How to Record Screen with Both Microphone and System Audio Simultaneously

This setup is the most common for tutorial creators who want narration layered over app audio, video sound, or game playback. It combines both inputs into a single Aggregate Device, which QuickTime treats as a single audio source.

Audio routing at a glance: Mic Input → Aggregate Device ← System Audio (via BlackHole) → QuickTime

1. Open Audio MIDI Setup. Press Command + Space and search for “Audio MIDI Setup.”

2. Create a combined Aggregate Device.

• Click + and select Create Aggregate Device.

• Check the box for BlackHole 2ch.

• Also, check the box for your microphone input, for example, Built-in Microphone or your external USB mic.

• Name the device something clear, such as “Mic + System Audio.”

3. Set system audio output to BlackHole. In System Settings > Sound > Output, select BlackHole 2ch so that all system audio routes through the driver.

4. Select the Aggregate Device in QuickTime. Open File > New Screen Recording, click the options chevron, and choose your Mic + System Audio Aggregate Device under Microphone.

5. Test before starting. Play a short audio clip on your Mac and speak aloud. Both should register on the volume meter in the QuickTime recording panel.

6. Start your recording. Your voice and system audio will both be captured in a single audio track in the exported file.

No additional software is required beyond BlackHole. Once the Aggregate Device is saved in Audio MIDI Setup, activating this configuration before a recording takes only a few seconds each time.

Troubleshooting: No Audio in Your QuickTime Screen Recording

If all four items above check out and audio is still absent, confirm that Screen Recording permission is also enabled for QuickTime under System Settings > Privacy and Security > Screen Recording.

Upgrade Your Screen Recording Audio Quality

Once the audio routing is working, voice quality becomes the next priority for polished tutorials and educational recordings. The built-in Mac microphone picks up keyboard clicks, fan hum, and ambient room noise that is easy to hear in quiet passages of a recording. A compact wireless lavalier microphone such as the Hollyland LARK M2 clips to your collar and connects to your Mac through its included USB-C receiver, delivering clear, close-source voice capture without cable clutter at your desk. At 9g and with up to 40 hours of combined battery life, it handles long recording sessions comfortably and is a practical next step once the technical side of your audio setup is dialed in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is there no sound when I play back my QuickTime screen recording?

The most common cause is that the audio source was set to “None” in the recording options before capture began. Reopen File > New Screen Recording, click the options chevron, and choose an active microphone or virtual audio device. Also, check that macOS has granted QuickTime microphone access in System Settings > Privacy and Security > Microphone before trying again.

Q: Can QuickTime record system audio without third-party software?

No. QuickTime Player has no built-in route to capture internal system audio on macOS. Sounds from apps, video playback, or music cannot be recorded natively. BlackHole 2ch is the most reliable free workaround available and is compatible with macOS Monterey, Ventura, Sequoia, and Sonoma without requiring a paid subscription.

Q: Does QuickTime screen recording capture audio from videos playing on screen?

QuickTime cannot record internal Mac audio without extra configuration. To capture sound from on-screen videos, install a virtual driver such as BlackHole first. Next, open Audio MIDI Setup. Then create a Multi-Output Device or Aggregate Device. Add both your speakers and the virtual driver to that setup. Set the new device as the Mac's active audio output. Before recording, choose the virtual driver in QuickTime's audio menu. QuickTime can then record the system audio during capture.

Q: Will the BlackHole method work on macOS Sonoma and Ventura?

Yes. BlackHole 2ch is actively maintained and regularly tested on macOS Monterey, Sequoia, Ventura, and Sonoma. Download the latest version directly from the official existential audio website. If you recently upgraded macOS and BlackHole stopped appearing, reinstalling the latest build typically resolves the issue.

Q: How do I stop QuickTime from recording keyboard typing sounds?

The built-in Mac microphone is positioned close to the keyboard, making typing noise difficult to eliminate with software alone. Switching to an external microphone placed at chest or lapel level keeps the pickup source closer to your voice and farther from the desk surface, which substantially reduces keyboard and ambient noise in the recording.

Conclusion

QuickTime supports three different audio recording setups on Mac. Microphone recording only needs a simple selection from the menu. Recording system sound requires installing BlackHole and changing audio routing. Capturing both sources also needs an Aggregate Device configuration. The setup process may seem confusing during the first attempt. 

After everything is configured, preparation takes only a few moments. Users needing advanced editing options may prefer dedicated Mac recording software. Regular tutorial creators can improve sound quality with an external microphone. The extra setup is small, but the audio difference is noticeable.