Mac screen recording has no sound: why and how to fix it
The Mac’s built-in screen recording tools (Shift-Command-5 and QuickTime Player) let you choose a microphone in Options. If the microphone is set to None, or you expected the sound your Mac was playing to be recorded, the file will be silent or missing the app audio. Pick a microphone for your voice, and use a ScreenCaptureKit-based recorder such as mocka.screen to capture system audio on macOS 14 or later.
Check the microphone first
- Press Shift-Command-5 and open Options.
- Under Microphone, select the microphone you want so a checkmark appears next to it.
- If None is selected, the recording has no microphone audio.
If you wanted the sound your Mac was playing
Apple’s instructions for the Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime Player describe microphone selection only. They do not describe capturing system audio, which is why a recording of a video or a call often has no app sound.
On macOS 14 Sonoma and later, apps built on Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit framework can capture system audio directly, so you no longer need a virtual audio driver such as BlackHole or Soundflower.
Record system audio and microphone with mocka.screen
- Record screen, system audio and microphone together in one take.
- Clean the voice afterwards with on-device noise removal, included on every plan with no AI credits.
- Needs an Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later), macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and a paid plan from $9/month.
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Frequently asked questions
- Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound?
- Most often the microphone is set to None in the Screenshot toolbar’s Options menu, or the recording was expected to include system audio, which the built-in tools’ instructions do not cover.
- Do I need BlackHole to record Mac system audio?
- Not on macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Apps built on ScreenCaptureKit, including mocka.screen, capture system audio directly.