How-to

How to screen record on Mac with audio.

Updated October 8, 2026 · macOS Sonoma 14 to macOS 27

The quick answer: press Shift-Command-5, click Options and pick a microphone under Microphone to record your voice. On macOS 27 or later, also choose Include System Audio to record the sound your Mac plays. Then click Record, and press Command-Control-Esc to stop.

On macOS Sonoma 14, Sequoia 15 and Tahoe 26, the built-in toolbar can add your microphone, but it doesn’t capture the sound playing on your Mac. For that, you need an app that records system audio, such as Framecast. Here’s how each option works, step by step.

Two kinds of audio

“With audio” can mean two different things, and macOS handles them differently:

• Your microphone: your voice, as you talk someone through what’s on screen.
• System audio (also called internal or computer audio): the sound your Mac plays, such as a video in your browser, an app’s alerts or music.

To see which version of macOS you have, choose Apple menu › About This Mac. The window shows its name and version number.

Record your screen with your voice (any recent macOS)

On macOS Sonoma 14 or later, the built-in Screenshot toolbar does this. There’s nothing to install.

1. Press Shift-Command-5. The Screenshot toolbar appears.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later you can also choose Record Selected Window.
3. Click Options. Under Microphone, choose the microphone you want, so a checkmark appears next to it.
4. Click Record and talk as you go.
5. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc. The recording is saved to your desktop as a .mov file.

To record without sound, go back to Options and choose None under Microphone.

Record your Mac’s sound too (macOS 27 or later)

In macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, the Screenshot toolbar can record system audio as well.

1. Press Shift-Command-5 and pick what to record.
2. Click Options and choose Include System Audio.
3. To record your voice as well, choose a microphone under Microphone in the same menu.
4. Click Record. Stop with the Stop button in the menu bar or Command-Control-Esc.

On macOS Tahoe 26 and earlier, Include System Audio isn’t in the menu. Skip to Framecast below, which records your Mac’s sound on macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

QuickTime screen recording with audio

In QuickTime Player, choose File › New Screen Recording, or press Control-Command-N. On current versions of macOS, this opens the same Screenshot toolbar, so sound works exactly as above: pick a microphone in Options, and on macOS 27 or later, choose Include System Audio.

If QuickTime opens its own window called Screen Recording instead, click the arrow next to the Record button and choose a microphone. The volume slider there lets you hear that audio while you record. If you get feedback, lower the volume or use headphones with a microphone.

Record your voice and your Mac’s sound with Framecast

Framecast records system audio on any Mac it runs on, macOS 14 Sonoma or later, so you don’t need macOS 27 for it. Your microphone and your Mac’s sound go into the same recording but are kept apart, so you can turn one down under the other later. You can also record sound from only the apps you choose, and leave chat pings and other noises out.

1. Download Framecast and open it. Allow Screen Recording, and Microphone for your voice.
2. Press Option-Command-Return in any app. On the recording bar, pick Display, Window or Area.
3. Click the Microphone button and pick a microphone. The ring around its icon moves with your voice, so you can check the level before you start.
4. Click the Sound button and choose Record system audio from all apps, or Record system audio from selected apps and tick the apps you want under Apps.
5. Click Record. To stop, press Option-Command-Return again.
6. In the editor, open the Audio tab. System audio has its own Volume and Mute, separate from your voice.

System audio is off until you turn it on. To keep it on for every new recording, turn on Record system audio by default in Settings › Recording. Sounds Framecast makes itself are never recorded. More in the guide: System audio and Camera and microphone.

The old workaround: a virtual audio driver

Before macOS 27, the usual way to get a Mac’s sound into the built-in recorder was a virtual audio driver, such as BlackHole. It shows up as an extra audio device that carries your Mac’s sound to the recorder. It works, but it means installing a driver and changing your sound settings around each recording. On macOS 27 or later, Include System Audio does this for you, and apps that record system audio themselves don’t need a driver at all.

Which option is right for you?

• Screenshot toolbar on macOS 14 to 26: built in. Records your microphone, but not your Mac’s sound.
• Screenshot toolbar on macOS 27 or later: built in. Records your microphone, and your Mac’s sound with Include System Audio.
• QuickTime Player: on current macOS, the same toolbar with the same audio options, opened from QuickTime’s File menu.
• Framecast, macOS 14 or later: your microphone and your Mac’s sound, from all apps or only the apps you pick, kept apart with their own volume. Adds voice cleanup, captions and automatic zooms. Free to try; exporting needs a license.

Tips for clear audio

• Wear headphones. If your speakers play into your microphone, you get echo and feedback.
• Check your level first. Record ten seconds, play it back, then do the real take.
• Record only the sound you need. In Framecast, choose system audio from selected apps, so a chat ping from another app stays out.
• Clean it up afterwards. Framecast’s voice enhancement takes out keyboard, fan and room noise and evens out your volume. Your original recording is never changed. See Voice enhancement.

Troubleshooting: no sound in your screen recording

Your voice is missing

Open Options on the toolbar and check that a microphone is chosen under Microphone, not None. If another app records the screen but not your voice, choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security, click Microphone, and turn that app on.

The sound from your Mac is missing

On macOS Tahoe 26 and earlier, the built-in toolbar doesn’t record it. On macOS 27 or later, make sure Include System Audio is chosen in Options. In Framecast, check the Sound button on the recording bar: it should read System audio or name the apps you picked. With selected apps, nothing is recorded until you tick at least one.

The app isn’t allowed to record

Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security, click Screen & System Audio Recording, and turn the app on. After you allow it, macOS may ask you to quit and reopen the app.

You can’t find the recording to check its sound

Recordings from the toolbar are saved to your desktop as .mov files named “Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov”, unless you picked another place under Save to in Options. With the floating thumbnail on, the file appears a few seconds after you stop, once the thumbnail goes away; swipe the thumbnail to the right to save it straight away. Open it in QuickTime Player and turn up your volume to check what was recorded. Some apps, such as the Apple TV app, might not let you record their windows. In Framecast, a new recording opens in the editor as soon as you stop, so you can press Space to play it.

The exported video is silent

In Framecast’s Export window, make sure Include audio is ticked. GIFs never have sound, so export an MP4 or MOV if you need it. See Export a video.

Make it sound and look polished

Clear sound is one part of a good screen recording. The other is helping viewers see what you’re talking about. Framecast helps with both:

• Voice enhancement with Standard, Noise reduction, Podcast and Voice isolation modes. See Voice enhancement.
• Captions written from your voice on your Mac, drawn into the video or saved as SRT and VTT files. See Captions.
• Click sounds: a real mouse click on every click, for videos with no voice. See Click effects.
• Automatic zoom where you click and type, so small text fills the frame. See Automatic zoom.

Recording, transcription and voice cleanup all happen on your Mac. Download Framecast and try it with every feature; you only need a license to export. New to recording your screen? Start with how to screen record on Mac.

Questions