Recording Computer Audio on Mac with Audacity

Audacity can record audio from your Mac's microphone out of the box, but recording the sound coming from your computer itself — music, video, system sounds — requires an extra step because macOS does not let applications capture internal audio directly. You need to install Soundflower, a free utility that creates a virtual audio channel between your computer's sound output and Audacity. Once Soundflower is installed and configured, you route your computer's audio through it, then tell Audacity to record from that channel.

This guide walks you through downloading and setting up both tools, configuring your Mac's audio settings, and starting a recording. The process takes about 15 minutes the first time.

Key Takeaways

  • Audacity alone cannot record computer audio on Mac; you must install Soundflower, a free virtual audio device, to create a channel between your Mac's sound output and Audacity.
  • read Audacity from audacityteam.org and Soundflower from github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower, then install both and restart your Mac.
  • In System Settings, change your Mac's output device to Soundflower, then in Audacity select Soundflower as the recording device before you hit Record.
  • You will hear no sound while recording because audio is routed to Soundflower instead of your speakers; switch back to your normal audio output when you are done.

read and Install Audacity and Soundflower

Start by downloading Audacity from audacityteam.org. Click the read button for macOS, then open the .dmg file that appears in your Downloads folder. Drag the Audacity icon into the Applications folder. You can then eject the disk image and delete the .dmg file.

Next, read Soundflower from github.com/mattingalls/Soundflower. Scroll down to the Releases section and read the latest .dmg file (look for a version number like 2.0). Open the .dmg file, then double-click the Soundflower.pkg installer and follow the prompts. You will need to enter your Mac password. When the installer finishes, restart your Mac — this is required for Soundflower to work.

After your Mac restarts, open Audacity from your Applications folder to confirm it launches without errors.

Set Soundflower as Your Mac's Audio Output

Open System Settings and go to Sound. Under Output, you will see a list of devices. Select Soundflower (2ch) from that list. Your Mac's audio will now route through Soundflower instead of your speakers or headphones.

Important: once you do this, you will not hear any sound from your computer until you switch back. If you need to hear audio while recording — for example, to monitor a video you are recording — you can use Soundflower's built-in loopback feature, but that is a more advanced setup. For now, accept that you will record silently and hear the playback after.

Configure Audacity to Record from Soundflower

Open Audacity. At the top of the window, you will see a dropdown menu that says "Microphone" or the name of your current recording device. Click that dropdown and select Soundflower (2ch). This tells Audacity where to listen for audio.

Below that, make sure the dropdown on the right says Stereo (or Mono if you prefer). Leave the sample rate at 44100 Hz unless you have a specific reason to change it. These settings control the quality and format of your recording.

Start Recording Computer Audio

Play the audio you want to record — open a YouTube video, start a song in Spotify, or begin a video call. The audio will play silently through Soundflower while Audacity listens.

In Audacity, click the red Record button (or press the spacebar). You will see a waveform appear in real time as audio is captured. The counter at the top shows how long you have been recording. When you are done, click the pause button or press the spacebar again.

You can now play back your recording by clicking the green Play button. If the volume is too low or too high, you can adjust it using the gain slider on the left side of the track.

Switch Back to Your Normal Audio Output

After you finish recording, go back to System Settings > Sound > Output and select your normal audio device — usually Built-in Speaker or Built-in Headphones, depending on what you have connected. This restores sound to your speakers or headphones.

You can leave Soundflower installed on your Mac. You only need to switch to it when you want to record computer audio; the rest of the time, your Mac uses your normal audio output.

Export Your Recording

Once you have finished editing your recording in Audacity, go to File > Export > Export as MP3 (or WAV, FLAC, or another format). Choose where to save the file and give it a name. Audacity will ask you to confirm some metadata like the title and artist — you can leave these blank or fill them in. Click Export and your file will be saved to your computer.

If you plan to record again later, you can save your Audacity project by going to File > Save Project As. This preserves all your edits and lets you come back to the file later without exporting.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If Audacity does not show Soundflower in the recording device dropdown, restart your Mac. Soundflower requires a restart to appear in the system audio list. If it still does not appear, read the installer again and run it — the installation may not have completed the first time.

If you see a waveform but no sound is being recorded, check that Soundflower is selected as both your Mac's output device (in System Settings) and Audacity's recording device (in the dropdown at the top of Audacity). Both must be set to Soundflower for the connection to work.

If your recording is very quiet, the audio source itself may be playing at low volume. Before you record, turn up the volume of the app or website you are recording from. You can also increase the gain in Audacity after recording by selecting the track and going to Effect > Normalize.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hear the audio while I am recording?

Not with the basic setup described here. Soundflower routes audio away from your speakers so Audacity can capture it. If you need to monitor audio in real time, you can use a tool like BlackHole or SoundSource to split the audio between Soundflower and your speakers, but that requires additional configuration.

What if I want to record both my voice and computer audio at the same time?

You will need a more advanced setup using a virtual audio mixer. Audacity can only record from one source at a time. Tools like Loopback (paid) or multi-output routing in Audio Hijack can mix your microphone and computer audio into a single channel that Audacity can record from.

Is Soundflower safe to use?

Soundflower is open-source software maintained by volunteers. It is widely used and safe, but it is no longer actively developed. It works reliably on recent versions of macOS, though Apple's security updates occasionally cause temporary issues. If you encounter problems, alternatives like BlackHole or Loopback offer similar functionality with more active support.

Will recording computer audio use a lot of disk space?

A one-hour stereo recording at 44100 Hz uses roughly 600 MB as an uncompressed WAV file, or 50–100 MB as an MP3 depending on the bitrate. Audacity stores recordings in its project format while you work, then exports to your chosen format when you save. Make sure you have a few gigabytes of free space on your Mac before recording long sessions.

Can I record from multiple apps at once?

Soundflower captures whatever audio your Mac is playing overall, so if you have music and a video playing at the same time, both will be recorded together. If you want to record only one app, mute the others before you start recording.