How to Capture Desktop Audio Natively in OBS on macOS

This article provides a straightforward, step-by-step guide on how to capture your Mac’s system and application audio natively using OBS Studio. Recent updates to macOS and OBS Studio have eliminated the need for complex, third-party virtual audio routing software, allowing you to capture high-quality desktop audio directly within the application.

Prerequisites

To use native audio capture, ensure your system meets the following software requirements: * Operating System: macOS 13 Ventura or newer. * Software: OBS Studio version 28.0 or newer.

This method allows you to capture audio from specific applications (such as a web browser, Discord, or a game) without capturing unwanted system sounds or alerts.

  1. Launch OBS Studio on your Mac.
  2. In the Sources dock at the bottom of the screen, click the + (Add) button.
  3. Select macOS Application Audio Capture from the list.
  4. Name the source (e.g., “Game Audio” or “Browser Audio”) and click OK.
  5. In the properties window that appears, locate the Application dropdown menu.
  6. Select the active application you want to capture audio from.
  7. Click OK. The audio from that application will now appear as a dedicated volume meter in your Audio Mixer dock.

Method 2: Capture Entire Desktop Audio via Screen Capture

If you want to capture all system sounds and desktop audio simultaneously alongside your video, use the macOS Screen Capture source.

  1. In the Sources dock, click the + (Add) button.
  2. Select macOS Screen Capture.
  3. Name the source (e.g., “Desktop Capture”) and click OK.
  4. In the properties menu, set the Method to Display Capture.
  5. Ensure that the checkbox for Capture Audio is checked.
  6. Click OK.

Note: If you only want the audio and not the video from this source, you can click the eye icon next to the source in the Sources list to hide the video feed; the audio will continue to play in the background.

Troubleshooting Audio Levels

After adding your native audio sources, monitor the levels in the Audio Mixer panel. * Use the blue volume sliders to adjust the output levels to prevent clipping (when the meter hits the red zone). * If you do not hear any audio, ensure the targeted application is actively playing sound and that your Mac’s system volume is turned up.