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I'm trying to record my screen and the audio only coming from my Mac.

When I do a screen recording with quicktime, with audio settings: internal microphone, it records the video but with a lot of external noise (like cats).

How do I make sure that the audio of what is being played on the screen (like music being played on my Mac) is recorded in the video file?

I don't care if I'll have to record the screen and audio separately, or plug in earphones etc, I'd like to have a simple answer.

I have already tried the suggestions in these other questions:

Sadly their solutions don't work for me, as my recordings still capture external noises on macOS Catalina.

What software or setup can do this?

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  • Hi Sara, you'll see we've reopened your question. It'd be fantastic if you could edit it to include the version of macOS you're running on your Mac, as this will most likely play a factor on what is the best answer for you.
    – Monomeeth ♦
    Commented Oct 19, 2019 at 1:50

5 Answers 5

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Try using Background Music.

When recording with Quicktime click the arrow and change the microphone to Background Music.

You can record system audio with Background Music. With Background Music running, launch QuickTime Player and select File > New Audio Recording (or New Screen Recording, New Movie Recording). Then click the dropdown menu (⌄) next to the record button and select Background Music as the input device.

You can record system audio and a microphone together by creating an aggregate device that combines your input device (usually Built-in Input) with the Background Music device. You can create the aggregate device using the Audio MIDI Setup utility under /Applications/Utilities.

Edit: If you have homebrew installed you can install using brew install --cask background-music

source

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  • 4
    Your answer saved me, I've been struggling with BlackHole and BackgroundMusic works like a charm. Btw. from brew: brew cask install background-music
    – Damien
    Commented Jan 25, 2020 at 14:04
  • Why is it so huge? 224.5MB
    – malhal
    Commented Nov 10, 2020 at 17:14
  • 2
    I used brew install cask background-music
    – James T Snell
    Commented Apr 1, 2021 at 3:09
  • Now it's brew install --cask background-music
    – stevec
    Commented Feb 4 at 6:47
  • This worked for me. Downloaded and installed Background Music using brew. Remember to select Background Music and NOT Background Music (UI Sounds).
    – wesley franks
    Commented Aug 14 at 14:18
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Using Third-party Apps like OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)

  1. Install OBS from Here
  2. Set Up Audio Sources
  3. Adjust Audio Settings
  4. Start Recording
  5. Stop Recording
  6. Save Your Recording

There are many third-party screen recorders available, such as screenFlow, and Apowersoft Screen Recorder. Here you can read more about How to Screen Record on Mac/MacBook Air/iMac with Audio which shows the best ways to record screens on a MacBook with internal audio and microphone sound.

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  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Oct 24, 2023 at 16:52
  • Thanks, OBS is super straightforward to use and customize.
    – xrisk
    Commented Aug 21 at 12:04
  • OBS Sucks on my macbook pro 2020 even with 32 gb of RAM.
    – Sahil Rajput
    Commented 2 days ago
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Just came to post a solution that worked for me. (Caution) It does require a paid subscription though.

I tried Loom (the screen recording software) & their macOS app has a setting to enable system audio. Turn that on.

Then, make sure your microphone is set to None & then record!

The only negative really is that you have to pay to use it for any reasonable amount of time... But hey it worked for me & personally for me this whole situation is such a headache that it's worth it for the saved time & headache. Not a sponsor or anything, just wanted to share my own personal found solution.

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Starting with macOS Ventura, it's now possible for apps to capture system audio without installing any kernel extensions or audio server plug-ins. This app (Claquette) can be downloaded from the Mac App Store and it is able to record your screen with mic audio and system audio out of the box. They also have a blog post on how system audio recording works on Ventura: https://peakstep.com/news/2023/06/claquette-system-audio-recording.html

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  • 3
    This requires purchase to save recordings without watermark
    – sam2426679
    Commented Feb 15 at 0:47
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This isn't an answer; @Roxiun's answer really helped me, these are some tips I learned that also helped

First, follow @Roxiun's answer and install Background Music. Then..

Familiarise yourself with the tools

If, like me, you have several possible audio inputs and outputs, it can be a little confusing, but the three things to tinker with are:

  1. An application on your mac called 'Audio MIDI Setup'
  2. Background Music application (note that to access its options, click on the little circles icon in the mac menu bar (i.e. top of your mac screen)
  3. After starting a new screen recording using Quicktime, there's a little menu will pop up on screen, which has an 'Options' section

Other quick tips

These are really convenient shortcuts to remember:

  • To start a screen recording: command + shift + 5
  • To end a screen recording: command + control + escape
  • If you can see Background Music is using the microphone and want to close it, first look in the menu bar (top of screen). I couldn't spot it there, nor via Activity Monitor, so I used killall Background\ Music and that stopped it.
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