How to Screen Record on MacBook Air with Sound via 4 workable methods

There are 4 solutions on how to screen record on MacBook Air with sound. Whether it's the Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player built into MacBook Air or the third-party software EaseUS RecExperts and OBS Studio, you can get your goal with their help. 

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Updated on Jun 18, 2024

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Comparison Audio Recording Format Support Effectiveness

EaseUS RecExperts

Check Details

Microphone & Internal audio All common formats High - Simple Steps with rich advanced functions offered.

Screenshot Toolbar

Check Details

Only Microphone MP4, MOV Medium - Simple steps with weak recording functionality.

QuickTime Player

Check Details

Only Microphone MP4, MOV Medium - Simple steps with weak recording functionality.

OBS Studio

Check Details

Microphone & Internal audio More than 6 formats Medium - Strong recording features but not novice-friendly.

Note:

  • Effectiveness refers to the experience when screen recording on MacBook Air with sound via the help of the corresponding tool/software.
  • After considering the above 3 aspects together, we believe that the EaseUS RecExperts, the professional screen recorder, deserves the highest score. 

When you want to record Twitter space, zoom meetings, or other on-screen activities on MacBook Air, it's important to learn how to screen record on MacBook Air with sound

screen record on macbook air with sound

There are two types of sound sources on Mac: Built-in Microphone and system sound (internal audio). In this post, we'll introduce you to 4 screen and video recorders. No matter which kind of sound you want to record, or both, you can find useful tools in this article to help you record screens on Mac with audio.

Screen Record on MacBook Air with Sound Using EaseUS RecExperts

We believe that the best way to record video and audio on Mac is by using EaseUS RecExperts for Mac. 

This specialized tool is essentially a screen recorder with no watermark and any time limits. It helps Mac users capture screens and videos in selected areas and provides various recording parameters to customize the recording plan.

It is also an excellent internal audio recorder. All you need is a few clicks before recording, and EaseUS RecExperts will record the microphone sound or capture the internal audio for you while recording the screen on Macbook M1/M2 or other models. So, if you have no idea about how to screen record on Mac with internal audio, download it and have a try!

Here are more functions EaseUS RecExperts can offer:

Now, let's learn how to use EaseUS RecExperts to screen record on MacBook Air M1/M2 and other models with sound.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS RecExperts. Choose a recording mode from "Full Screen" or "Region". If you choose the second one, you will need to select the recording area manually.

Choose a Recording Mode

Step 2. After selecting the recording mode, you need to choose which audio to record. To record the system sound, click on the loudspeaker sign; to record the microphone sound, click on the mic sign; to record no sound, select nothing.

Record Audio

Step 3. Then, you can click the red "REC" button to start recording. If you want to pause the recording, click on the white "Pause" button; to end the recording, click on the red "Stop" button.

Pause or Stop Recording

Step 4. After recording, the recording list window will open. Here you can view, split, delete, manage your recordings easily.

Recording List Window

Screen Record on MacBook Air with Sound Using Screenshot Toolbar

Of course, if you don't want to use third-party screen and video recorders, the screenshot feature built into macOS can also help you record your screen.

And if your MacBook Air 2022 is configured with Mojave or above, you can use a hotkey combination to bring up the Mac screenshot toolbar and record the screen with sound using its built-in features.

Here are 3 Steps offered for you.

Step 1. Press Shift + Command + 5 shortcuts to run the Mac Screenshot Toolbar.

press shift command and 5 keys

Step 2. Navigate to Option. Here you can change the save location, timer, and other personal custom settings. Choose a microphone you want to use when screen recording.

choose a microphone

Step 3. Then you can hit the onscreen controls on the screenshot toolbar to decide whether to record the part of screen or the entire screen. Hit the Record to start the process.

record mac screen with sound now

It is worth pointing out that Apple does not allow users to record system audio using its built-in features for security reasons. In other words, you can not record internal audio on Mac when using Screenshot Toolbar or other built-in functions.

Because of that, if you'd like to record videos with sounds from YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, etc., on MacBook Air 2017 or other models, using a professional recording tool like EaseUS RecExperts is a better choice.

Screen Record on MacBook Air with Sound Using QuickTime Player

In addition to using the Screenshot Toolbar, it's also a good idea to use QuickTime Player, the local player built into MacBook Air, to screen record with sound.

Compared to the Screenshot Toolbar, QuickTime Player allows users to create new audio and offers a variety of customizable audio settings. For those who want to record podcasts on Mac, QuickTime can do them a good favor with its nice quality of audio recorded.

These 5 steps are provided for you to screen record on MacBook Air 2015 or other models with sound via QuickTime.

Step 1. Launch QuickTime Player on your MacBook Air 2015.

Step 2. Head to File> New Screen Recording.

create new screen recording

Step 3. Hit the downward arrow near the red Record button. You can find the Microphone settings here. Choose the Microphone you are preparing to use.

choose the internal microphone

Step 4. Click the Record button to start recording. You can click anywhere once to start recording the whole screen. Or just choose an area of the screen to record.

Step 5. Hit the Stop button to stop recording, and save your recording. If you are not satisfied with the video, you can also trim the video in iMovie.

save the recording

Tip

Of course, the same as Screenshot Toolbar, QuickTime Player can't record internal audio. But you can additionally download a free macOS extension - SoundFlower

Set Soundflower as your audio output device, choose the Soundflower as the microphone on QuickTime screen recording, and now you can screen record with internal sound via QuickTime now.

Besides Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player, many Mac users also find that they can record screens on Mac using iMovie. But they report that iMovie can't screen record with sound.

In fact, iMovie can record audio, but compared with the first two built-in tools, the method of using iMovie to record audio is a bit more complicated. You can read the following article to learn the specific steps.

related articles

How to Record Audio on iMovie & Best Alternative

If you want to know how to record audio on iMovie, you can follow the steps provided by this post to record audio on iMovie on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. 

how to record audio on imovie

Screen Record on MacBook Air with Sound Using OBS Studio

If you want to learn about tools that can help you record screens with sound, except EaseUS RecExperts, then OBS Studio is not to be missed.

OBS Studio is the best but free open-source screen recorder available. It can easily capture your PC screen with a microphone, system sound, and webcam for you and stream it to a number of platforms in real time.

Here is a useful tutorial on how to use the OBS record screen on Mac with audio.

Step 1. Download the OBS Studio for Mac on your MacBook Air.

Step 2. Run OBS, and navigate to Settings. Adjust the audio and video options according to your needs.

adjust video and audio setting

Step 3. Hit the "+" icon and head to Display Capture in the pop-up box to create a new display, and hit OK.

create a new display

Step 4. Now you can select the Start Recording button to record the screen on Mac with sound now.

hit the start recording option

Step 5. Click the Stop Recording button when you want to end the process.

Conclusion

How to screen record on MacBook Air with sound? It is not a hard problem. You can use the Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player, which are built-in tools of macOS, to record screens with microphones. But if you want to find the best screen recorder with audio on Mac for recording internal audio, we believe that EaseUS RecExperts is the right choice.

If you want to get more recording tips, do not miss these posts below!

FAQs

1. Why does my MacBook recording have no sound?

If your MacBook records no sound, there are many possible reasons.

Reason 1. The microphone is not connected to the computer.

Reason 2. Something is wrong with the MacBook's built-in microphone.

Reason 3. The switch for the recording sound option is not turned on.

Reason 4. You want to record internal sound, but currently, the Mac does not support recording system sound using its built-in tools.

Reason 5. The third-party recording tool is set up incorrectly.

2. How do I stop a recording on my MacBook Air?

You can stop a recording by hitting the Stop recording button, or just pressing the shortcut Command + Control + Esc.

EaseUS RecExperts

One-click to capture anything on screen!

No Time Limit, No watermark

Start Recording

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