How to Record the Screen on Mac With System Audio
macOS's built-in screen recorder, opened with Shift-Command-5, captures the microphone but not the sound playing from your Mac. To record system audio you need an app built on Apple's ScreenCaptureKit, or a virtual audio device that routes sound back in. The first route needs no driver and works on recent macOS versions.
What Shift-Command-5 does
It records the full screen or a selection and can add the microphone. System audio, such as a video call you are watching, is not recorded by it.
Option A: a ScreenCaptureKit app
Recent macOS versions let apps capture system audio directly, with the screen recording permission. No driver is installed.
Option B: a virtual audio device
Tools that create a loopback audio device work on older systems but change your sound settings and can confuse call apps.
Paperlane for Mac and the limits
Paperlane for Mac is a free native macOS app that records your screen on your Mac. Its Record Screen tool uses ScreenCaptureKit to record the display or a region with system audio and, optionally, the microphone, after the permission macOS asks for the first time. Recording calls or copyrighted content may need consent from the people involved, which is your responsibility. DRM-protected video records as black.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install a driver?
Not with a ScreenCaptureKit app. Older workarounds use a virtual audio device.
Why is my recording black?
Protected streaming video is blocked from capture by design.