Green Room

Fix · OBS Studio on a Mac

OBS mic not working? Get your voice in the mix.

OBS only records a mic it's been given, has permission for, and isn't muted in the mixer. Check all three.

Quick check first: Try the free mic test. If the meter moves, your mic works and the fix is in OBS (steps 1 to 4). If not, start with the Mac checks.

Fix it in OBS

  1. Set the mic in OBS.Open Settings › Audio. Under Global Audio Devices, set Mic/Auxiliary Audio to your mic. Or add an Audio Input Capture source to a scene instead, but not both for the same mic.
  2. Unmute it in the Audio Mixer.Find your mic in the Audio Mixer. If the speaker icon is crossed out, click it. Talk and watch the meter move.
  3. Raise the fader.A fader pulled all the way down sends nothing. Drag it up until your voice peaks well below the red.
  4. Hear yourself, if you need to.OBS doesn't play your mic back by default. To listen, open Edit › Advanced Audio Properties and set Audio Monitoring for the mic to Monitor and Output.

Mic shows up but is silent

If the mixer shows the mic with no movement at all, the Mac permission is the usual cause. Turn on OBS under Privacy & Security › Microphone and restart OBS.

Desktop audio is a separate job

Capturing your Mac's own sound in OBS is a different setup from your mic. This page covers the mic only.

Then check your Mac

If OBS looks right and the microphone still doesn't work, go through these in order.

  1. Allow OBS Studio on your Mac.Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, and turn on OBS. If it's already on, turn it off and on again. Quit and reopen OBS after.
  2. Check your Mac's input.Open System Settings › Sound and click Input. Select your mic, make sure the Input volume slider isn't at zero, and watch the level move when you talk.
  3. Check the mic itself.Look for a mute button, a mute light, or a gain knob turned all the way down. Unplug a USB mic and plug it back in, try another port, and skip the hub if you can.
  4. Watch for Bluetooth call mode.When OBS turns on the mic in AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, the headset switches to call mode and your voice drops to phone quality. If you sound muffled, use your Mac's mic or a USB mic, and keep the headset for listening.

Test it outside OBS

The free microphone test runs in your browser, with nothing to install. If your microphone works there, your Mac and the hardware are fine, and the fix is in OBS's settings above.

Microphone testLive meter, then hear yourself back. Webcam testLive preview, resolution, frame rate, and lighting. Speaker testLeft, right, and a sweep to check every speaker.

On a Mac? See which mic OBS is really using.

OBS keeps its own mic choice, so your Mac can look right while the call uses the wrong one. Green Room shows which app has each mic open, and warns you when OBS isn't using your setup. One click switches your Mac back, and it flags a mic that's muted, at zero, or silent. When OBS starts recording, Green Room also checks your camera's resolution and frame rate, your mic, disk space, and power, and speaks up only if something would spoil the take. Free, with no account.

Download free See how it works

Questions

Why isn't OBS picking up my mic on a Mac?

Turn on OBS under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, restart OBS, then set Mic/Auxiliary Audio in Settings › Audio.

Why can't I hear my mic in OBS?

OBS doesn't monitor your mic unless you ask. Set Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output in Edit › Advanced Audio Properties.

Should I use Mic/Auxiliary Audio or Audio Input Capture?

Either works. Use one, not both, for the same mic, or you'll record it twice.

Other fixes

OBS camera not workingOn a Mac, OBS needs the Camera permission before a Video Capture Device shows anything. Zoom microphone not workingWhen nobody can hear you, it's usually one of four things: Zoom never joined audio, it's using the wrong mic, you're muted, or macOS is blocking zoom.us. Teams microphone not workingTeams can be muted in three places at once: the meeting, your headset, and macOS. Google Meet mic not workingMeet hears your mic only if the site, the browser, and your Mac all allow it. Discord mic not workingDiscord's mic can pass its own test and still send nothing, because Push to Talk or input sensitivity decides when you're heard. FaceTime microphone not workingFaceTime has its own mic choice and its own Mic Mode.

See every app and device