Guide

How to record system audio on a Mac

Four ways to capture what your Mac is playing, from free to one click, and which one suits sampling.

Updated September 2026 · Prices in USD at the time of writing

Why it isn't built in

For years, the Screenshot toolbar (⇧⌘5) and QuickTime Player could only record from a microphone. Apple added an Include System Audio option to the Screenshot toolbar in macOS 27, but it still records your screen: you get a video, not an audio file you can drop into a DAW.

Apps that capture your Mac's sound directly, like KIBA or Audio Hijack, ask for permission first. It's called Screen & System Audio Recording in System Settings › Privacy & Security, even when the app only records sound.

1. The Screenshot toolbar (macOS 27 and later)

Press ⇧⌘5, choose a screen recording, open Options and choose Include System Audio. It's free and already on your Mac, but you'll have to pull the audio out of a movie file and trim it yourself. It's fine for a one-off, but slow if you sample often.

2. BlackHole (free)

BlackHole is a free virtual audio driver: it gives your Mac an extra audio device that other apps can record from. To hear your music while you record it, you build a Multi-Output Device:

1. Install BlackHole 2ch.
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup and create a Multi-Output Device with your speakers and BlackHole ticked.
3. Set that device as your Mac's sound output.
4. In your DAW, choose BlackHole as the input device, arm a track and record.
5. Switch your output back when you're done.

It's powerful and it costs nothing, which is why so many producers use it. The trade-off is the setup, and the fact that every recording happens inside your DAW session. More on BlackHole vs. KIBA.

3. Rogue Amoeba's apps

Rogue Amoeba makes the most complete audio tools on the Mac. Audio Hijack ($69) records any app or the whole system with a chain of effects. Piezo ($29) is its simpler recorder, and Loopback ($99) builds virtual devices for routing. They're excellent for podcasts, streaming and complex setups, and more than most people need for grabbing a sample.

4. KIBA, a sampler in your menu bar ($8.99)

KIBA is built for exactly one job: getting a sound from your Mac into your music.

1. Click the ring in your menu bar. KIBA starts recording everything your Mac plays, and a timer appears next to the icon. (Or press ⌥⌘R from anywhere.)
2. Click again to stop. The trimmer drops down with silence already cut, the peak set to −0.3 dB, and the tempo and key detected.
3. Drag the edges, then drag the waveform into your DAW or the Finder. The file is a 48 kHz, 24‑bit WAV named like Music_140bpm_Fmin_260925-141203.wav.

There's no driver to install and your sound output never changes. Right-click the icon to record just one app instead of the whole Mac.

Side by side