How to Route System Audio to OBS on macOS

You install OBS Studio on your Mac, create a new scene, go to add an audio source, and look for “Desktop Audio.” It’s not there. On Windows, that option shows up automatically and captures everything your computer is playing. On macOS, it simply doesn’t exist.

This is one of the first things every Mac streamer or content creator runs into. You want to capture game sounds, music, browser audio, or app sounds into OBS for a stream or recording. But OBS on Mac gives you no obvious way to do it. You’re not missing a setting. The option genuinely isn’t available.

Here’s why, and how to fix it.

Why macOS Doesn’t Expose Desktop Audio

On Windows, the operating system provides a system-level audio loopback. Any app can ask the OS for a copy of whatever audio is currently being played. That’s how OBS captures desktop audio with zero setup on Windows.

macOS doesn’t work this way. Apple’s audio architecture keeps outputs (speakers, headphones) strictly separated from inputs (microphones). Apps can only access input devices. There’s no built-in mechanism for an app to say “give me a copy of all audio going to the speakers.”

This is partly a privacy and security design choice. macOS sandboxes audio so that apps can’t silently eavesdrop on what other apps are playing. It’s a reasonable philosophy, but the practical result is that there’s no “Desktop Audio” option in OBS, and no system-level toggle to enable one.

So if you want system audio in OBS on a Mac, you need a workaround.

Option 1: The macOS Screen Capture Source

Newer versions of OBS (28 and later) include a macOS Screen Capture source that uses Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit framework. This source can capture audio along with video, which makes it the easiest starting point.

To try it:

1. In OBS, click the + button under Sources.
2. Select macOS Screen Capture.
3. Choose whether to capture an entire display or a specific window.
4. In the source’s properties, make sure audio capture is enabled.

This does work for some use cases, but there are limitations worth knowing about:

• Audio is tied to what you’re capturing. If you capture a single window, you only get audio from that window’s app. If you capture the full display, you get audio from apps that are visible on that display. Background apps or apps on other displays may not be included.
• It’s not a true system audio capture. If you want to capture all audio your Mac is playing regardless of which app is making the sound, this source can fall short. Audio from certain apps or system sounds may not come through depending on your capture mode.
• Mixing gets complicated. If you want fine control over which audio goes into your stream versus what you hear locally, there’s no clean separation. The audio you capture is determined by your screen capture selection, not by an audio-specific configuration.

For simple setups where you’re capturing a fullscreen game or a single app window, the macOS Screen Capture source might be enough. But if you need reliable, always-on system audio capture that works regardless of what’s on screen, you’ll want a different approach.

Option 2: A Virtual Audio Cable with Soundshine

The more flexible solution is to route your system audio into a virtual microphone, then add that virtual mic as an audio input in OBS. This gives you a true desktop audio capture that works with every app, every game, and every sound your Mac makes.

Soundshine is a macOS menu bar app that creates exactly this. It installs a lightweight audio driver that presents your system audio as a virtual microphone called “Soundshine Microphone.” OBS sees it as a standard mic input, so you can add it as an Audio Input Capture source. Meanwhile, you still hear everything through your real speakers or headphones.

Here’s how to set it up step by step:

Setting Up Soundshine with OBS

1. Install Soundshine. Download it and run through the setup wizard. It installs a small audio driver and takes about 30 seconds.
2. Turn on audio routing. Click the Soundshine icon in your menu bar and enable audio routing. Your system audio is now being mirrored to the virtual microphone.
3. Open OBS Studio and go to the scene where you want system audio.
4. Add a new source. Click the + button under Sources and select Audio Input Capture.
5. Select Soundshine Microphone as the device.
6. Click OK. You should see the audio meter in OBS responding to whatever your Mac is playing.

That’s it. Play a song, launch a game, open a YouTube video. You’ll see the levels jump in OBS, and the audio will be included in your stream or recording.

Why This Approach Works Well for OBS

A few things that make the virtual mic approach especially practical for streaming and recording:

• It captures everything. Unlike the Screen Capture source, you get audio from every app, including background apps, games, music players, notification sounds, anything that plays through your Mac’s audio output.
• It’s a separate audio source in OBS. Because it shows up as its own Audio Input Capture, you can adjust its volume independently, apply OBS audio filters to it, or mute it without affecting your microphone or other sources.
• You still hear your audio normally. Soundshine passes audio through to your real speakers or headphones at the same time. There’s no rerouting that cuts off your local playback.
• It works with any OBS scene. You add it once and it works whether you’re streaming a game, recording a tutorial, or doing a podcast. No need to reconfigure it when you change what’s on screen.

Combining System Audio with Your Microphone

Most streamers need both system audio and their voice in the same stream. With this setup, that’s straightforward. You’ll have two separate audio sources in OBS:

• Audio Input Capture (Soundshine Microphone) for system sounds.
• Audio Input Capture (your real microphone) for your voice.

Each one has its own volume slider and its own set of audio filters in OBS. You can apply noise suppression to your voice mic without affecting system audio, or adjust the balance between game sounds and commentary. This kind of per-source control is one of the biggest advantages over the Screen Capture approach, where everything is bundled together.

Quick Summary

If you’re trying to get system audio into OBS on macOS, you have two main paths:

• macOS Screen Capture source works for basic cases where you’re already capturing a specific window or display, and you only need audio from that capture. No extra software needed, but limited in flexibility.
• A virtual audio cable like Soundshine gives you full system audio as a standalone OBS source. It works with all apps, gives you independent volume and filter control, and doesn’t require screen sharing.

Until Apple adds a native audio loopback to macOS, a virtual audio device is the cleanest way to get desktop audio into OBS on a Mac.