MacOS has a built-in screen recorder that is easy to use for tutorials, gameplay clips, walkthroughs, and quick desktop captures. The catch is that by default, it usually records microphone input instead of the sound coming directly from your Mac, which means browser audio, game audio, or app sound may not be included.
To make internal audio recording work, you will need a small audio driver called BlackHole. BlackHole is a lightweight virtual audio driver for macOS that lets your system route sound internally, making it possible for the built-in screen recorder to capture the audio playing on your Mac.
What You Need
Before starting, download and install BlackHole (https://existential.audio/blackhole/) on your Mac. Please download the BlackHole 2ch. Once installed, you will need to set it up inside Audio MIDI Setup, a built-in macOS utility.
How to Set Up Internal Audio Recording on Mac
1. Download and install BlackHole
Download the BlackHole driver and install it on your Mac.
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup
Go to Apps, then search for MIDI, and open Audio MIDI Setup.
3. Create an Aggregate Device
Inside Audio MIDI Setup, click the + button in the lower left corner, then choose Create Aggregate Device.
A new device called Aggregate Device will appear in the list. You can rename it by double-clicking the name and changing it to Internal Audio if you want.
After that, select the new Aggregate Device and check the following:
- MacBook Air Speaker or your current speaker output
- BlackHole 2ch
4. Create a Multi-Output Device
This step is important because the setup may still not work for recording if you stop at only creating an Aggregate Device.
Still inside Audio MIDI Setup, click the + button again, then choose Create Multi-Output Device.
A new Multi-Output Device will be added. Select it, then check:
- MacBook Air Speaker or your current speaker output
- BlackHole 2ch
Once both are enabled, your Mac should now be ready to route internal audio properly for screen recording.
How to Start Recording
Now press Shift + Command + 5 on your Mac to open the built-in screen recording toolbar.
Click Options, then under the Microphone source, select the Aggregate Device you created. If you renamed it to Internal Audio, choose that. Otherwise, select the default Aggregate Device name.
After that, start your screen recording as usual and should now record the internal audio.
How to Check if It Worked
Play a video, game, browser tab, or any app with sound while recording. Once you finish and play back the recorded file, it should now include the internal audio from your Mac.
This setup is especially useful if you want to record browser videos, gameplay, app demos, or presentations with sound without relying on your microphone. It takes a few extra setup steps the first time, but once BlackHole is configured properly, recording internal audio with the built-in Mac screen recorder becomes much easier.