How to Record System Audio on a Computer

System audio is the sound your computer sends to its speakers or headphones: video playback, browser tabs, game audio, notification sounds and the remote side of a call. Recording it differs from recording a microphone. A microphone is an input device, while system sound goes to an output device, so most recorders cannot see it unless you give them a way to capture that output. This guide explains the common methods on Windows, macOS and Linux, and how to check that the file contains what you expect.

Before you start

Decide what you need to capture. You might want only the computer's sound, the computer's sound plus your microphone, or the sound together with a screen recording. The method depends on that choice and on your operating system.

• A recording app that can capture system sound. Examples are a screen recorder with a desktop audio option, or an audio editor that supports loopback capture.
• On some systems, an extra loopback or virtual audio device. Whether you need one depends on your OS version, your audio driver and the app.
• Permission to record. Recording calls, meetings or other people may require their consent, and some content is protected so that it records as silence or not at all. Check the rules that apply to you before recording.
• Enough free disk space for the recording format you plan to use. Uncompressed audio grows quickly over long sessions.

The methods in this guide capture audio on your own computer and write the file locally. If you use an online recorder, a browser extension or a cloud meeting feature instead, the audio may be processed or stored by that service. Check its documentation for where files are kept and who can access them rather than assuming they stay on your device.

Step-by-step instructions

Windows: use a loopback capture source

Windows offers two common routes. The first is an app that captures the output directly. The second is a Stereo Mix style recording device provided by some audio drivers.

• Option A, recorder with direct loopback. In Audacity, set the audio host to Windows WASAPI. Then choose the recording device whose name includes your speakers or headphones and the word loopback. Press Record and play the sound you want to capture.
• Option A, screen recorders. OBS Studio includes a Desktop Audio source that captures the default output device. Newer Windows builds also include screen recording tools that can save system sound. Availability and options vary by version, so check the app's settings before relying on it.
• Option B, Stereo Mix. Open the classic Sound control panel and go to the Recording tab. Right-click an empty area and enable Show Disabled Devices. If Stereo Mix or a similar device appears, enable it and select it as the input in your recorder.
• If no Stereo Mix device appears, your driver may not provide one. Use Option A or install a virtual audio device from a source you trust.

Loopback capture records whatever plays on the chosen output device. If you switch from speakers to headphones mid-session, the recording may stop picking up sound. Pick the output device before you start and leave it unchanged.

macOS: check built-in options, then route through a virtual device

For a long time, macOS did not let ordinary apps record system audio without a helper. Newer macOS versions allow apps to capture system or app audio after you grant screen and audio recording permission. Whether a given app can do this depends on both your macOS version and the app version.

• First, check whether your recorder offers a system audio or app audio option. Current versions of OBS Studio, for example, can capture audio through their macOS screen capture source on supported systems.
• When the app asks, grant screen and system audio recording permission in System Settings under Privacy & Security, then restart the app.
• If your app has no such option, install a virtual audio driver. It creates an extra device that apps can use as both an output and an input.
• To keep hearing the sound while it routes to the virtual device, open Audio MIDI Setup. Create a Multi-Output Device that combines your speakers or headphones with the virtual device, then select it as the system output.
• In your recorder, select the virtual device as the input device and start recording.
• When you finish, set your normal output device back in Sound settings. This undoes the routing change.

Linux: record the monitor source

PulseAudio and PipeWire, through its PulseAudio compatibility, expose a monitor source for each output. A monitor source carries a copy of everything played on that output.

• Start your recorder, for example Audacity, OBS Studio or a command-line tool that uses PulseAudio.
• Open a mixer that shows recording streams, such as pavucontrol, and go to its Recording tab while the recorder is running.
• For the recorder's stream, choose the entry named Monitor of followed by your output device.
• Play the audio and confirm that the recorder's input level moves.
• In OBS Studio, you can instead add an audio output capture source and pick the output device directly.

Recording system audio and your microphone together

If you need both your voice and the computer's sound, the simplest approach is an app that accepts several sources at once. OBS Studio, for instance, can hold a desktop audio source and a microphone source with separate level controls. Some recorders can also save each source to its own track, which makes later editing easier. Use headphones when possible. Otherwise the microphone picks up the speakers and you get an echo or doubled sound, along with extra background noise from the room.

Choose the settings that matter

• Sample rate. Match the rate used by the output device, often 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, to avoid unnecessary resampling. A mismatch can sometimes cause pitch or speed problems.
• Recording format. Lossless formats such as WAV or FLAC keep full quality for editing. Compressed formats such as MP3, AAC or Opus produce much smaller files.
• Bitrate and encoding. For compressed files, a higher bitrate keeps more detail. Choose the encoding your playback or editing software supports.
• Screen recordings. When capturing video too, frame rate and video bitrate mainly affect file size and smoothness. They do not change the audio, but the audio settings in the same dialog still apply.

Check the output

• Make a short test before a long session. Record a few seconds of the sound you plan to capture, stop, and play the file back.
• Watch the input level meter while recording. It should move with the sound, and its peaks should stay below the top of the scale. If they reach it, turn down the system volume or the recorder's input level so the audio does not clip.
• Listen for missing parts. If the file is silent, has only your microphone, or loses sound partway through, the capture source or output device is wrong.
• Check the file's properties in your player or editor. Confirm the recording format, sample rate, channel count and, for compressed files, the bitrate.
• Keep in mind that some protected video or streaming content may record as silence or be blocked. That is a deliberate restriction, not a settings fault.

Common problems and next steps

• The recording is silent. The recorder is probably using a microphone instead of a loopback or monitor source, or the sound plays on a different output device. Select the correct capture source and confirm which output the audio is using.
• Stereo Mix is missing on Windows. Enable disabled devices in the Sound control panel. If it still does not appear, use WASAPI loopback in your recorder or a virtual audio device, since not every driver provides Stereo Mix.
• I cannot hear anything while recording on macOS. The system output points only at the virtual device. Use a Multi-Output Device that includes your speakers or headphones.
• The app on macOS still records nothing. Check that it has screen and audio recording permission in Privacy & Security, then restart it.
• The recording echoes or doubles. Two sources capture the same sound, for example desktop audio plus a microphone near the speakers. Mute one source or wear headphones.
• The audio is distorted or crackles. Lower the playback volume or input level to stop clipping. Also match the sample rate between the output device and the recorder.
• The voice from a call is missing or one-sided. Make sure the call app plays through the output device you are capturing. Some apps use a separate communications device, so check the call app's own audio settings.

Once a short test plays back correctly, keep the same devices and settings for the full recording. If you changed the system output or enabled a virtual device for this task, switch back to your usual output device afterward so other apps behave as before.