Why doesn't my Mac screen recording have the computer's sound?

QuickTime Player records sound only through a microphone. The sound your Mac plays goes to the speakers or headphones, not into the microphone, so it is missing from the recording. With headphones on, none of it reaches the microphone.

Guides

How to record your Mac screen with internal audio (even with headphones)

Q: Can I record the computer's sound and my voice in the same file?

Yes. Screen & Sound Recorder, a free Chrome extension, mixes the computer's sound and your microphone into one track and saves an MP4. With a virtual audio device such as BlackHole you can do the same by combining devices in Audio MIDI Setup.

Updated October 28, 2026

Short answer: QuickTime Player only records through a microphone, so the sound your Mac plays is missing, and with headphones on none of it is recorded. To capture it, set up a virtual audio device such as BlackHole, or use a recorder that captures the computer's sound directly, such as Screen & Sound Recorder, a free Chrome extension.

Why your recording has no computer sound

Your Mac sends sound to an output, such as the speakers or your headphones. QuickTime Player listens to an input, your microphone. Without headphones, the microphone picks up a faint, echoey copy of the speakers. With headphones on, the other people in a call, the video you're explaining and every app sound go straight to your ears, and the recording only has your voice.

Option 1: A virtual audio device such as BlackHole

A virtual audio driver creates a pretend microphone that hears what your Mac plays.

Install a virtual audio driver such as BlackHole.
In Audio MIDI Setup, create a Multi-Output Device with your headphones or speakers and BlackHole, and set it as your Mac's output.
In your recorder, choose BlackHole as the microphone. To get your own voice in the same file too, create an Aggregate Device with BlackHole and your microphone.
Switch your output back when you're done.

It works with any app, but it takes some setup, and the keyboard volume keys don't change the volume of a Multi-Output Device.

Option 2: Screen & Sound Recorder for Chrome

Screen & Sound Recorder is a free Chrome extension that captures the computer's sound directly and mixes it with your microphone, without changing any audio settings. It needs macOS 14.2 or later and Chrome 141 or later.

Add Screen & Sound Recorder to Chrome and pin it to the toolbar.
The first time, open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Screen & System Audio Recording, and turn on Google Chrome. Allow the microphone and camera if you want to use them.
Click the extension's icon, choose your microphone, camera and quality, and press Start Recording.
In Chrome's picker, choose Entire Screen, a window or a tab, and turn on the audio switch at the bottom ("Also share system audio" for a screen).
Press the toolbar icon to pause or stop. The MP4 is saved into your folder in Downloads, and the Recordings page opens so you can watch it.

Everything stays on your Mac: there's no account and nothing is uploaded.

Which one should you use?

You also route audio between apps, for music or streaming: a virtual audio device.
Screen, computer sound, your voice and your camera in one MP4, without touching audio settings: Screen & Sound Recorder.

Questions

Can I record the computer's sound and my voice in the same file?

Yes. Screen & Sound Recorder mixes both into one track. With BlackHole, combine it with your microphone in an Aggregate Device.

Do I need headphones?

Not for the computer's sound, which is captured directly. Headphones give the cleanest result when your microphone is on, because the microphone doesn't pick up the speakers a second time.

Record your screen with its sound

Free for Mac. Your screen, your computer's sound and your voice in one MP4.

Add to Chrome, it's free