How To Screen Record On Mac With Audio

Tips
1

I’m trying to record tutorials on my Mac and need both the system sound and my microphone in the same screen recording. QuickTime and the built-in screenshot toolbar only seem to capture video and sometimes my mic, but not the internal audio from apps or the browser. I’m confused about what settings, apps, or workarounds I should use so the final video has clear screen video plus all the audio I’m hearing. Can someone walk me through the best way to do this on macOS, ideally with free or low-cost tools?

2

QuickTime alone will not grab system audio. You need a virtual audio device in the middle.

Simplest free setup:

  1. Install BlackHole

    • Go to ExistentialAudio site.
    • Download BlackHole 2ch.
    • Install, then restart if needed.

  2. Create a Multi‑Output Device

    • Open Audio MIDI Setup app.
    • Bottom left, click plus, pick “Multi-Output Device”.
    • Check your real output (Mac speakers or headphones).
    • Check “BlackHole 2ch”.
    • Right click it, set as “Use this device for sound output”.

  3. Route system audio into BlackHole

    • Open System Settings.
    • Sound → Output.
    • Pick “Multi-Output Device”.
    • Now system sound goes both to your ears and into BlackHole.

  4. Set inputs in QuickTime

    • Open QuickTime.
    • File → New Screen Recording.
    • Click little arrow next to record button.
    • Microphone: pick “BlackHole 2ch”.
    • Problem: now you lost your mic. So use an Aggregate Device instead.

Better setup for system + mic together:

  1. Create an Aggregate Device

    • Audio MIDI Setup again.
    • Click plus → “Create Aggregate Device”.
    • Check your microphone input.
    • Check “BlackHole 2ch”.
    • Name it “Sys+Mic” or whatever.

  2. Use that in QuickTime or Screenshot toolbar

    • In QuickTime or Shift+Cmd+5 screen recorder.
    • For microphone/audio source, pick the “Aggregate Device”.
    • Output in System Settings stays on “Multi-Output Device”.
    • Record.

This way:

  • System sound → BlackHole.
  • Mic → Aggregate Device.
  • Recorder takes combined audio from Aggregate Device.

If this feels like too much hassle, paid apps do it in one place:

  • ScreenFlow.
  • Camtasia.
  • OBS Studio (free) with virtual audio plugin.

OBS example (short version):

  • Install OBS and BlackHole.
  • In OBS, add “Display Capture”.
  • Add “Audio Input Capture” for mic.
  • Add “Audio Output Capture” using BlackHole.
  • Record with OBS instead of QuickTime.

Test with a 5–10 second clip first, check sync and volume. Adjust mic/system levels in Sound settings or OBS mixer.

3

If you don’t want to go the BlackHole / virtual-device route that @nachtdromer described (which totally works, just kinda fiddly), you’ve basically got three alternative paths:

1. Use a dedicated recorder that handles system audio natively

If you’re doing tutorials regularly, this is honestly the least annoying in the long run.

Options that actually work well on Mac:

  • ScreenFlow

    • Captures:
      • Screen
      • System audio
      • Mic
    • Has a built‑in system-audio driver so you don’t have to juggle Multi‑Output / Aggregate Devices.
    • Also gives you timeline editing, callouts, zooms, text, etc. Ideal for tutorial vids.

  • Camtasia

    • Similar idea. Heavier UI, but same benefit: system + mic in one go, without fiddling in Audio MIDI Setup.

  • OBS Studio

    • Free, very powerful, but more “broadcast/streamer” oriented.
    • Add:
      • Display Capture (screen)
      • Audio Input Capture (mic)
      • Audio Output Capture (system audio)
    • You still usually need some kind of virtual device, but OBS centralizes mixing and levels so you don’t depend on QuickTime’s super-basic recording.

If you plan to record more than “a couple of times,” I’d seriously consider ScreenFlow or OBS and never look back. QuickTime is like using a spoon to dig a swimming pool.

2. Use the Screenshot toolbar + external mixer trick

If you have any kind of external USB interface / mixer, you can avoid virtual drivers:

  1. Plug your mic into the audio interface.
  2. Route your Mac’s output into that same interface:
    • Example: Interface has a loopback feature (Focusrite, Rode, some others).
    • Turn on “loopback” so system audio is fed back into an input channel.
  3. In Shift + Cmd + 5 screen recording or QuickTime:
    • Choose that interface as the audio input.

Now the interface itself combines:

  • Mic input
  • System audio via loopback

The Mac just sees “one input” that already has both mixed. No BlackHole, no Aggregate Device circus.

3. The “two-device” workaround (simple but kinda janky)

If this is a one-off project and you don’t want to install anything or learn OBS:

  1. Record the screen + mic with QuickTime (or Screenshot toolbar).
  2. Record system audio only on another device:
    • Phone with a recording app placed close to your speakers.
    • Or a second Mac / PC plugged into your Mac’s headphone jack if you have cables around.

Then in a basic video editor (iMovie is enough):

  • Drop the screen recording.
  • Drop the system audio recording.
  • Manually sync them using some obvious cue:
    • Clap once at the start
    • Or play a short sound at the beginning

This is ugly, but surprisingly effective if you’re doing like 1–2 videos and don’t want to change your Mac’s whole audio config.

Why I don’t love the pure QuickTime + virtual-driver setup

I know @nachtdromer laid out the BlackHole + Multi‑Output + Aggregate Device method really clearly, and it works. My gripes:

  • You have to babysit:
    • Which device is default output
    • Which Aggregare Device is the mic source
  • Easy to end up with:
    • No audio in headphones
    • Wrong input in QuickTime
  • Apple updates sometimes nuke or reset audio configs, so you re-do the MIDI setup again.

If you record a lot, that friction adds up fast. One of the dedicated tools or an interface with loopback is a lot more “set it once and forget it.”

If you share what kind of mic you’re using (USB / XLR / built-in) and whether you want a free or paid solution, it’d be easier to say “go with this one setup and ignore everything else.”

4

Quick recap of what you’re trying to do: single screen recording on Mac that captures screen, system audio, and mic, without going full “audio engineer” in Audio MIDI Setup.

@nachtdromer covered the classic virtual-device route really well. I’m not a fan of juggling Aggregate / Multi‑Output either, but I’d actually disagree with avoiding Apple’s tools completely. With a couple of tweaks, the built‑in stuff can still be the core of your workflow and you only bolt on what’s truly missing.

Here’s a different angle that doesn’t repeat the same recipes:

1. Use per‑app audio routing so you only capture what matters

Instead of installing a general virtual device and routing all system sound, use a router that lets you pick which apps feed the recording:

  • Route only your browser + tutorial app into the “recording” device.
  • Leave music / notifications routed to your real output.
  • Point QuickTime or the screenshot toolbar to that routed mix.

Result: cleaner audio, fewer surprises, and you still keep using Apple’s native screen recording UI.

This is where something like ’ can be handy as the “hub” that manages app volumes and destinations.

Pros of ’ in this setup:

  • Lets you send specific app audio to a dedicated output used only for recording.
  • Built‑in volume mixing so you can turn the mic down and the system up without extra hardware.
  • Plays nicely with QuickTime, OBS, and the screenshot toolbar.

Cons of ':

  • Extra learning curve if you only ever used plain Output/Input in macOS.
  • Still adds another layer that can break after macOS updates.
  • Overkill if you are doing a single one‑off tutorial.

This approach is more “surgical” than the broad virtual-driver method @nachtdromer described, since you are not re-plumbing your entire system output every time.

2. Use QuickTime as a backup recorder instead of your main one

Instead of relying on QuickTime to be your all‑in‑one capture app, flip the role:

  1. Use a primary recorder that handles complex routing and mixing.
  2. Run QuickTime in parallel to record a simple backup track:
    • Screen only or
    • Mic only

If your main recorder messes up the mix between system and mic, you still have:

  • A clean visual from the primary tool
  • A clean wildcard audio track from QuickTime you can sync later

This is surprisingly useful if you are experimenting with tools like OBS, ScreenFlow, or RECORDIT, because you do not lose a full take when you misconfigure a source.

3. Build a “template” configuration and never touch Audio MIDI Setup again

Where I slightly disagree with the “avoid virtual devices” advice: if you record a lot, having one well‑built Aggregate / Multi‑Output setup that you never change is not that bad.

The key is:

  • Make one Aggregate Device
    • Inputs: your mic + virtual system device
  • Make one Multi‑Output
    • Outputs: headphones + virtual system device

Then:

  • Set the Multi‑Output as the Mac’s default output once.
  • In your recorder (QuickTime, SCREENFLOW, ’ or OBS), always pick the Aggregate Device as the audio input.
  • Never change these defaults again.

If you pair this with something like ’ to manage relative levels and app routing, you keep the Apple stack plus a single virtual layer, instead of constantly flipping devices per project.

4. Keep monitoring separate from what you record

A common headache: you start recording, you cannot hear yourself, or you get your own voice delayed in your headphones.

Instead of letting the recorder mirror audio back to you:

  • Let the system or ’ handle real‑time monitoring.
  • Tell the recorder to capture, not to play back.

For example:

  • Mac audio output goes to Multi‑Output or your interface.
  • Your mic is monitored directly through the interface or through '.
  • QuickTime / OBS only see the mixed input; they do not feed it back to you.

This avoids echo and latency while keeping your recording path clean.

5. When to skip all of this and go with a single app

If you want the minimum moving parts and do not care about fancy routing:

  • A dedicated recording app with built‑in system audio capture (ScreenFlow, Camtasia, etc.) plus a simple router like ’ is often simpler long‑term than chasing free-only perfection.
  • For occasional recordings, you might accept a little manual sync in a video editor rather than building a full routing rig.

In other words:

  • Record all in one place if you record occasionally.
  • Separate capture + routing (QuickTime + ') if you record a lot and want flexibility without reconfiguring your Mac every time.

If you share:

  • Mic type (USB vs XLR/interface)
  • How often you record
  • Whether you are OK with a paid tool or need free only

it becomes easy to say: “Use QuickTime + ’ like this” or “Skip it and just live in one app and ignore everything else.”