How to Screen Record on Mac With Sound (Mic & Internal)

What Apple’s built-in tool records

Apple’s Mac User Guide describes the Screenshot panel (Shift-Command-5) with tools to record the whole screen, a window or a portion, and Options for save location, timer, mouse pointer, floating thumbnail and Microphone (select a microphone, or None to turn it off). Screen recordings are saved as .mov files. The guide does not describe an option to capture the Mac’s internal or app audio, so do not expect the sound of a video or call to appear just because you picked a microphone.

Official documentation for this section

Recording internal audio with OBS Studio

OBS documents that on macOS 13 and later its macOS Screen Capture source can capture a display, window or application and its audio, and that OBS Studio 30 adds a separate macOS Audio Capture source for desktop audio or a single application. On macOS 12.3–12.6 the screen source is listed as available without audio. If you only want one app’s sound, choose Application or Window capture so notifications and other apps stay out of the recording.

Official documentation for this section

Why your recording has no sound

Common causes: Microphone was set to None; the wrong input (for example a display or webcam mic) was selected; the recorder lacks the Screen Recording permission; the sound you wanted was internal audio, which the built-in tool does not list; or the app’s own volume was muted. Change one thing at a time and confirm with a short test clip.

Keep recordings private by default

A full-screen recording can capture notifications, messages and other windows. Prefer Record Selected Window or a portion, turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode, and review the clip before sharing. If you share a recording through a hosted service, check its own storage and download rules first.

Scope of this guide

We read the linked official help on 19 October 2026 and wrote this guide from it. We did not install, run or time the software for this guide, and nothing here is a hands-on test result. Menus can differ by app version, region and device; check what your own screen shows.