LesskeysRecord audio from a Mac: your voice or the sound it plays
To record your voice, open QuickTime Player and choose File, then New Audio Recording. Recording the sound your Mac plays is a different job: macOS 26 and earlier have no built-in way, and Apple's help page lists one only from macOS 27.
macOS 13+ on Apple Silicon · No subscription
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Your voice
How to record your voice with QuickTime Player
- Open QuickTime Player and choose File, then New Audio Recording.
- Use the pop-up menu next to the record button to pick your microphone and the quality.
- Click Start Recording, speak, then click Stop Recording.
- Choose File, then Save, and pick where it goes.
High quality is plenty for speech and keeps files small.
Source: Apple, Record audio in QuickTime Player.
The Mac's sound
The sound your Mac plays
QuickTime records a microphone, and nothing else.
Apple's screen recorder (⇧⌘5) has no system-audio choice on macOS 26 and earlier; we checked macOS 26. Apple's help page lists Include System Audio from macOS 27 Golden Gate, which we have not tried. The result is a screen recording: a video file.
Source: Apple, Take screenshots or screen recordings on Mac.
Both together
Both together, with Lesskeys
Record Call is not only for calls. It records any sound your Mac plays.
- Choose Record Call and pick your microphone
- Press record, play what you want, press stop
- It stays in the Library on your Mac, with a transcript
macOS asks for Screen Recording permission the first time, even for audio only. No bot joins a call and nothing is uploaded.
Tell the people you record; some places require everyone's consent.
Pick one
QuickTime or Lesskeys?
Pick QuickTime Player if
- Built in, nothing to install.
- Microphone only: no system audio on macOS 26 and earlier.
- You choose the quality and where it is saved.
Pick Lesskeys if
- Records your Mac's sound and your microphone together, as one recording.
- Writes a transcript with speaker labels.
- Needs macOS 13+ on Apple Silicon. A muted person is silence.
Questions
Questions about recording audio on a Mac
How do I record audio on a Mac?
Open QuickTime Player, choose File, then New Audio Recording, pick your microphone and click Start Recording. Click Stop Recording and save the file.
Can QuickTime Player record the sound my Mac plays?
Apple's page for QuickTime audio recording names a microphone as the source. The screen recorder (Shift-Command-5) has no system-audio option on macOS 26 and earlier. Apple's help page lists Include System Audio from macOS 27 Golden Gate, which we have not tried.
How do I record system audio on a Mac?
macOS 26 and earlier have no built-in way. Apple's help page says that from macOS 27 you can choose Include System Audio in the screen recorder's Options. On any macOS that Lesskeys supports (macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon), Lesskeys records the sound your Mac plays together with your microphone.
Do I need Screen Recording permission to record audio with Lesskeys?
Yes. macOS asks for it the first time. Lesskeys needs it to hear the sound your Mac plays, even for an audio-only recording, and it records the screen only if you turn video on.
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