How to Record Computer Audio on PC/Mac [5 Proven Ways]

Recording computer audio is essential for creating tutorials, podcasts, gaming streams, or preserving online content. If you’re struggling with how to record audio from a computer, you've come to the right place. This post brings you the five best ways to record computer audio on Windows, on Mac, and online. Moreover, in-depth reviews and tutorials are also included. Now, pick a preferred way to record audio from your computer.

Ultimate Solution to Record Audio from Computer [Best]

VideoSolo Screen Recorder is an all-in-one recorder that caters to all your recording needs, let alone record computer audio from a microphone or system sound. The recordings can be saved into popular formats like MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC, WAV, and FLAC of up to lossless quality.

Better yet, you can apply noise cancellation and voice enhancement if you want to record a microphone. When done recording, you are able to trim, compress, and convert the audio file if needed.

More Sparkling Features to Explore

• 20+ Recording Modes Supported – Audio Recorder, Video Recorder, Game Recorder, Webcam Recorder, Phone Recorder, and many other modes for any scenario.
• Lossless Video and Audio Quality – The recordings can be exported with lossless quality at up to 60fps.
• Music Recorder for All Platforms – VideoSolo Screen Recorder enables you to record online HD music from Spotify, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, etc.
• Real-Time Annotation – When recording a video, you can add text, lines, arrows, callouts, images, and highlights to make a pro tutorial video.
• Recording Without Interruption – You can set a fixed window to start recording and avoid any unexpected disturbance during recording.
• Advanced Post-Processing Tools – Utilize editing tools to cut, crop, compress, or convert the recording with ease.

VideoSolo Screen Recorder is easy to use and compatible with both Windows and macOS systems. Let's learn how to record audio from a computer in a few steps.

Step 1. Click "Audio Recorder" on the Main Interface

Launch VideoSolo Screen Recorder after the installation. To record computer system audio, click “Audio Recorder” on the main interface when the program is launched.

Step 2. Set Proper Recording Volume

Before recording, you can adjust the appropriate system sound and perform a sound test to get ready.

• If you just want to record sound from computer, you'd better turn off the microphone to avoid unnecessary noises.
• If you want to record microphone sound from a computer, it's recommended to enable noise cancellation and microphone enhancement to ensure better and clearer audio quality.

Step 3. Modify Output Settings (Optional)

In the output tab, “MP3” & “High” are selected by default and you can easily modify them to WMA, M4A, AAC, and lossless in Windows.

In the Mac version, the output formats are MP3, M4A, WMA, CAF, FLAC, OGG, and OPUS.

Step 4. Click "REC" to Start a Recording

To avoid missing a few seconds at the beginning of the audio, you'd better start the recording first by clicking the “REC” button and then turning on the audio playing on your computer.

Use the "Trim" feature to remove the unwanted part from the recorded audio track. Click the "Pause", "Stop", "Set record length", and "Option" buttons to control audio recording.

Step 5. Preview and Clip Computer Audio Recording

Once you stop recording, you enter a preview window. Click the Open Folder button, and you'll find the recorded audio file saved automatically on your computer.

How to Record Computer Audio with Microsoft Voice Recorder

Note: Microsoft Voice Recorder, the internal audio recorder for PCs, is the easiest way for Windows users to record computer microphone. All you need to do is to check your computer microphone accessibility and capture your voice.

This tool only works for microphone recording, and it doesn't capture any internal audio playing on your computer. Also, the default audio format is encoded in M4A with the inability to choose another preferred audio format.

Step 1. Check your Microphone

Before recording your audio, make sure that your microphone is turned on. Open System Settings and go to the Input tab. Choose your microphone from the drop-down menu and set the volume.

Step 2. Open Windows Voice Recorder

Click the Start menu and search for Windows Voice Recorder in the search bar. Then open the app.

Step 3. Start Audio Recording

The recording icon is in the middle center. Hit it and start recording. When you finish your recording, the file will be automatically saved in the Sound Recordings folder.

How to Record Computer Audio with QuickTime Player on Mac

Developed by Apple, QuickTime Player is not only a popular and free official Mac media player for any downloaded video or image, but also a powerful recorder. It can record your screen, record a movie with an inbuilt camera, or record computer audio with your internal or external microphone. Also, you can crop the audio file when done recording.

Note: The output format is set to M4A only, so you cannot export the audio to other formats, and the audio quality will be encoded at lossy 44.1 kHz AAC audio. Moreover, QuickTime Player cannot record sound from computer when you're playing a song or trying to record audio from a browser.

Step 1. Open QuickTime Player

QuickTime is a built-in software on your Mac device. You can search for it in your search bar and open it.

Step 2. Select “New Audio Recording”

Once you open the QuickTime Player, choose the “New Audio Recording” in the File list of the top-bar menu.

Step 3. Set Your Recording Volume

You can adjust the slider beneath your recording button to change the recording volume. QuickTime also allows you to adjust the recording quality by clicking the Drop Arrow next to the recording button.

Step 4. Click the Record Button and Begin Recording

After all the settings are done, you can click the red dot and begin the record. Once you're done, click the “Stop” icon. The file will be saved as an M4A file on your device.

Record Computer Audio Without Any Software [Online]

Except for an internal audio recorder for PC, Online Voice Recorder can also let you record computer audio online with no need to download any software. This online tool is available online and accessible with any browser on any device. Only by clicking on the button in the middle will it start recording the sound of your microphone and export the recording to an MP3 file.

Moreover, the site offers many audio tools to make it easy for you to trim audio, change volume, change speed, change pitch, reverse audio, merge audio, and equalize the audio. Though the Online Voice Recorder claims that it'll never upload your recording to its servers, you may still risk leaking privacy to record computer audio online.

Step 1. Open Online Voice Recorder

Search online voice recorder in your browser and open it.

Step 2. Microphone Settings

You can adjust your microphone settings by clicking the rightmost setting icon.

Step 3. Start Recording

After selecting the right microphone, you can begin your recording by hitting the red dot button. You can stop recording by hitting the Pause button. After you're recording done, hit the Red Square and finish recording.

Step 4. Trim and Save Your File

After recording, you can preview and trim your audio. The file will be directly saved to your device as an MP3 file.