How to Record Your Screen with Sound on a Mac

Macs can record the screen with Shift-Command-5, but the built-in recorder only captures your microphone — not the sound coming from the computer. To record a video, a webinar or a web app with its sound, open the Screen Recorder in Chrome or Edge, tick System / tab audio, start recording, choose the tab that's playing, and tick Share tab audio. Add your microphone for a voice-over.

Record a tab with its sound

1. Open the Screen Recorder in Chrome or Edge on your Mac.
2. Choose the quality — 720p, 1080p or Full resolution.
3. Under Sound, tick System / tab audio; add the microphone if you want to talk over it.
4. Click Start recording.
5. In the sharing dialog, choose the Chrome Tab (or Edge tab) you want and make sure Share tab audio is ticked.
6. Record, pause and resume as needed, then stop and download.

The first time, macOS asks you to allow screen recording for your browser in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording. Turn it on and restart the browser.

Why tab sharing is the reliable route on a Mac

macOS protects system audio tightly. Browsers can always capture the sound of a tab they're showing, but capturing the sound of the whole Mac — another app, the Music app, a desktop video player — depends on your macOS and browser versions and often isn't available. So:

• Video or meeting in a browser? Share that tab with audio — it just works.
• Sound from a desktop app (Zoom app, Teams app, Spotify)? Where possible, use the web version of the app in a browser tab instead, then record the tab.

The built-in Mac recorder

Shift-Command-5 opens the Screenshot toolbar, which records the whole screen or a selected part. Under Options, you can pick a microphone. It's great for silent tutorials or narrated walkthroughs — but the computer's own sound isn't recorded. QuickTime Player's New Screen Recording works the same way.

Getting good results

• Use headphones when recording a tab with sound and your microphone together, so the microphone doesn't pick up the speakers.
• Hide notifications: turn on a Focus mode (Do Not Disturb) before recording.
• Increase text size in the app or browser (Command and +) so the recording is readable.
• Record a test of a few seconds and play it back to check both sounds.

Record a narrated walkthrough

For a tutorial where you talk over a web app or a demo video:

1. Put on headphones.
2. Tick both System / tab audio and the microphone.
3. Share the tab with Share tab audio ticked.
4. Pause the recording while you set up the next step, then resume — the pauses don't appear in the video.

File format

Recent versions of Chrome and Edge save MP4 files, which play in QuickTime, Photos and everywhere else. If your browser saves WebM, convert it with Convert to MP4 — or use it as it is in Chrome, VLC and most editors.

After recording

• Cut off the start and end with the Video Cutter.
• Need just the sound — a webinar's audio for listening later? Use Extract Audio to save it as an MP3.
• Too big to share? Compress it — see the compress guides for Discord, email and WhatsApp.

Ask before recording others

If you record a call, a class or a meeting, check that participants agree. Laws differ between countries and states, and some require everyone's consent.

Frequently asked questions

Is the recording uploaded?

No. Your browser records it and saves it to your Mac.

Does it work in Safari?

Safari can share a screen or window, but recording a tab with its sound works best in Chrome or Edge.

Is there a watermark or time limit?

No watermark and no time limit.