Short answer
To screen record with audio on a Mac, press Shift-Command-5, choose a microphone under Options, and on macOS 27 or later turn on Include System Audio. On Windows 11, press Windows+Shift+R in Snipping Tool and switch on the microphone and system audio. Xbox Game Bar (Windows+Alt+R) records an app with its sound, and OBS Studio captures both on Mac and Windows for free.
Most failed screen recordings fail on audio, not video. The picture is fine; the voice is missing, or the app's notification sound is missing, or there's a loud echo because the speakers fed back into the microphone. You only find out after a ten-minute take.
Below are the current, built-in ways to screen record with audio on macOS and Windows, checked against Apple's and Microsoft's help pages in October 2026, then OBS for anything the built-in tools can't do, and the habits that make a recording usable in a product demo.
Microphone audio vs system audio
There are two different sounds you might want. Microphone audio is your voice (and whatever else the mic hears). System audio, sometimes called desktop or internal audio, is the sound your computer plays: an app's alert, a video in the browser, the other side of a call.
Every tool below records a microphone. System audio is the hard part, because operating systems have historically kept apps from capturing each other's sound. For a narrated software demo you usually only need the microphone. You need system audio when the product itself makes sounds that matter, or when you're recording a video or call playing on screen.
How to screen record with audio on a Mac
macOS has one built-in recorder, the Screenshot app. Apple's guide walks through it; here are the steps with audio in mind.
- Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
- Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later you can also choose Record Selected Window.
- Click Options and choose your microphone under Microphone.
- On macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, also choose Include System Audio to record the computer's sound.
- While you're in Options, pick a Save to location and turn on Show Mouse Clicks if viewers need to see where you click.
- Click Record. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command-Control-Esc. Recordings save to the desktop unless you changed the location.
QuickTime Player and older macOS versions
In QuickTime Player, File > New Screen Recording opens the same Screenshot tools, so the audio options are identical. On macOS versions before 27 there's no built-in system audio option. Use OBS Studio (below), which captures desktop audio natively on macOS 13 Ventura and later; on older versions, OBS's own guide points to third-party audio routing tools.
How to screen record with audio on Windows
Snipping Tool (Windows 11)
Microsoft added optional PC audio and microphone recording to Snipping Tool in 2023 (Windows Insider blog). If the buttons are missing, update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store.
- Press Windows+Shift+R, or open Snipping Tool and select Record, then New.
- Drag to select the area you want to record.
- Turn on the microphone and system audio buttons on the recording toolbar. You can set the defaults in Snipping Tool's settings.
- Select Start, and Stop when you're done, then save the recording.
Xbox Game Bar (Windows 10 and 11)
Game Bar is built for games but records any normal app window with its sound. Press Windows+G to open it, Windows+Alt+R to start and stop recording, and Windows+Alt+M to turn the microphone on or off mid-recording. In its capture settings, choose All to record every system sound rather than just the game. Clips save as MP4 files in Videos > Captures.
The limits matter for demos: Game Bar doesn't work on the desktop or in File Explorer, and it records the app window you are using rather than a region you select or the whole screen. Use Snipping Tool or OBS for those.
Recording with OBS Studio on Mac or Windows
OBS Studio is free, open-source recording and streaming software for Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13 and newer, and Linux. It has a learning curve, but it's the most flexible free way to screen record with audio, and it can put your voice and the computer's sound on separate tracks so you can fix levels later.
- Windows: add Desktop Audio for everything you hear, or the Application Audio Capture source to record a single app's sound. OBS says that source needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11, and OBS Studio 28 or later.
- Mac: in OBS 30 and later, add the macOS Audio Capture source for all desktop audio or one app. OBS 28 and 29 capture audio through the macOS Screen Capture source instead. Both need macOS 13 Ventura or newer.
- Add your microphone as an audio input, then watch the Audio Mixer meters while you talk: aim for peaks in the yellow and never sit in the red, which means clipping.
Screen recording tools compared
| Method | OS | Microphone | System audio | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) | macOS 27 Golden Gate or later | Yes | Yes, with Include System Audio | Free, built in |
| Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) | macOS 26 Tahoe and earlier | Yes | No built-in option | Free, built in |
| QuickTime Player (File > New Screen Recording) | macOS | Same as Screenshot | Same as Screenshot | Free, built in |
| Snipping Tool (Windows+Shift+R) | Windows 11 | Yes | Yes | Free, built in |
| Xbox Game Bar (Windows+Alt+R) | Windows 10 and 11 | Yes, toggle with Windows+Alt+M | Yes; one app window, not the desktop or File Explorer | Free, built in |
| OBS Studio | Windows 10 and 11, macOS 13+, Linux | Yes | Yes, including single-app capture | Free, open source |
Tips for clean product demo recordings with audio
A clear screen recording with audio is more about preparation than tools. These are the habits that save the most retakes.
- Wear headphones. Apple's own guide suggests lowering the volume or using headphones if you get audio feedback, and it's the single most common problem when recording system audio and a mic together.
- Record a 10-second test and play it back before every session. Check both the voice and the app's sound are there.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb (Focus on a Mac). A personal message popping up mid-demo is a privacy problem, not just a distraction.
- Set the window to a consistent size, such as 1920×1080, and use a clean browser profile with no bookmarks bar or extensions showing.
- Consider recording the voice separately. Narrating while clicking makes both worse; record clean screen takes, then voice over them, as covered in how to make a product demo video.
- Keep the microphone close and the room soft. A cheap mic six inches away beats an expensive one across the desk.
Screen recordings also have a shelf life: the next UI change makes them outdated, which is the problem described in why screen-recorded demos go stale. If you're making polished product videos rather than quick walkthroughs, DemoVexa skips recording entirely: it recreates your app's UI from its code, times the animation to an AI voice or your own recorded voiceover, and rebuilds the video when the product changes. For a quick bug report or a one-off walkthrough, the built-in recorders above are the right tool.
Questions
Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound?
Usually no microphone was selected under Options in the Screenshot toolbar, so choose one before you record. If it's the computer's sound that's missing, macOS only records system audio natively from macOS 27 Golden Gate (Include System Audio); on earlier versions, use OBS Studio on macOS 13 or later.
Can I screen record with audio for free?
Yes. The Mac Screenshot toolbar, Windows Snipping Tool and Xbox Game Bar are built in and free, and OBS Studio is free and open source on Mac, Windows and Linux. Paid recorders mainly add editing, automatic zooms and cloud sharing.
How do I record my voice but not the computer's sounds?
Select only a microphone and leave system audio off: don't choose Include System Audio on a Mac, and turn off the system audio button in Snipping Tool. In OBS, mute or remove the Desktop Audio source and keep the microphone input.
Make product videos from your code
DemoVexa reads your app's code, writes the script, adds a voiceover and animates your real screens in 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1. Try it on your own product: 14 days free, no card.
Sources
- Apple Support: How to record the screen on Mac (checked 29 October 2026)
- Apple Support: Record your screen in QuickTime Player on Mac (checked 29 October 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Use Snipping Tool to capture screenshots (checked 29 October 2026)
- Windows Insider Blog: New updates for Snipping Tool and Notepad (audio and microphone recording) (checked 29 October 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Use a screen reader to record your screen with Xbox Game Bar (checked 29 October 2026)
- Dell Support: How to screen record on the Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11 and Windows 10 (checked 29 October 2026)
- OBS Knowledge Base: macOS Desktop Audio Capture Guide (checked 29 October 2026)
- OBS Knowledge Base: Application Audio Capture Guide (checked 29 October 2026)
DemoVexa publishes this guide and makes a product video app, so we have a stake in the topic. Facts about other products and platforms come from the sources listed, on the dates shown, and can change. Corrections are welcome through our contact page.