How to Record System Audio on Mac (Without BlackHole)

Learn how to record system and application audio on macOS without complex third-party audio drivers, virtual cables, or configurations.

Published on 2026-06-02

Historically, recording system audio (the sound coming out of your Mac's speakers or headphones) has been incredibly frustrating. Because of macOS security sandboxing, standard apps cannot capture the audio of other apps (like Zoom, Chrome, or Spotify) out of the box.

To get around this, users have had to install virtual audio drivers like BlackHole, Soundflower, or pay for complex routing software like Loopback.

This guide explains how to capture application and system audio on macOS without complex virtual cables.

Why Virtual Audio Drivers are Frustrating

For years, the standard advice for recording Mac audio was to install an open-source driver like BlackHole and configure a Multi-Output Device in macOS Audio MIDI Setup. While this works, it introduces several headaches:

  1. Volume Controls Disabled: When routing audio through a virtual device, you lose the ability to control your Mac's volume using the keyboard volume keys.
  2. Audio Latency: Sound can fall out of sync, especially during long video calls.
  3. Complex Setup: Setting up MIDI devices and selecting inputs in Zoom/Teams is confusing and prone to configuration errors.
  4. Security Warnings: Installing kernel-level drivers or third-party audio utilities requires granting deep system permissions.

The Modern Solution: macOS ScreenCaptureKit

With macOS 13 (Ventura) and macOS 14 (Sonoma), Apple introduced ScreenCaptureKit—a modern framework that allows authorized applications to record screen and application-specific audio directly from the system kernel.

This means you can capture clean, digital audio streams from specific applications (like Safari, Slack, or Zoom) without rerouting your main speaker outputs.

How to Record System Audio Easily on Mac

If you want a hassle-free, native experience without configuring MIDI settings or losing volume control, you can use justREC:

  1. No External Drivers: justREC utilizes native Apple APIs to capture system and application audio directly. You do not need to install BlackHole, Soundflower, or any virtual drivers.
  2. One-Click Recording: Simply open justREC, choose whether you want to record the entire desktop or a specific application window, and click Record.
  3. Keep Your Controls: Because justREC records via native system loops, your Mac's volume buttons, headphones, and speakers work exactly as expected.
  4. Mic + System Balance: justREC automatically separates and records both your physical microphone input (your voice) and the system audio output (other speakers on the call), ensuring high-quality transcripts for both sides.

Alternative: Setting Up BlackHole Manually (For Free/Open Source)

If you prefer to set up a manual routing pipeline using open-source tools:

  1. Download BlackHole: Install it via Homebrew (brew install blackhole-2ch) or download the installer.
  2. Open Audio MIDI Setup: Search for "Audio MIDI Setup" on your Mac.
  3. Create a Multi-Output Device: Click the + button in the bottom left, choose Create Multi-Output Device, and check both Built-in Output (or your headphones) and BlackHole 2ch.
  4. Change Output: Go to System Settings > Sound > Output, and select the Multi-Output Device.
  5. Configure Recording Software: Open your recording app (like QuickTime or Audacity) and select BlackHole 2ch as the input source.
  6. Note: You will not be able to adjust your Mac's speaker volume while this is active.

Get Started Natively

If you want to record Zoom calls, webinars, or browser audio without breaking your volume keys or dealing with virtual MIDI setups, download justREC. It handles audio loopback out of the box, keeping your files and transcripts private on your Mac.