How to Screen Record on a Mac without External Audio? [Detailed Guide]

Not all videos you make on your Mac have the same requirements – in some cases you might need to combine multiple audio and video sources, while in other situations a simple screen recording with no sound will do just fine. Understanding the requirements and using the most optimal tool is the right approach, so that you don’t waste time and resources on aspects of the video that you don’t need.

Since recording the screen is a basic function supported by a number of different tools, the range of options is quite broad. More skilled users who are already familiar with high-end recording apps might use those by default, but for people with limited technical skills it may be best to stick to simple recorders that require little to no training to use.

This article will show you how to screen record on a Mac without external audio using multiple software tools, and walk you through the procedure for each one.

Does Mac Screen Recording Include External Audio?

It’s important to understand exactly what will be recorded when you try capturing your screen on a Mac computer. Depending on your intentions, having internal and external audio included in the clip could be both an advantage and a hindrance. That’s why it’s advisable to use tools equipped with the appropriate functions and to always check whether audio recording is turned on before you start capturing for real.

A majority of applications that serve for recording your screen on a Mac have the capacity to capture input from an external microphone. That’s true for built-in applications approved by Apple as well as third-party products compatible with MacOS that you can pick up from the web. Of course, you actually need to have a functional microphone present on the computer and to manage the settings of the app in the right way for audio recording to be possible. Keep in mind that sound recording might be turned on by default in some apps, so if you specifically want to record with no sound you will need to manually deactivate this feature.

Why Would I Want to Record Screen without Audio?

More is not always better, and there are cases when including an audio stream can only detract from other qualities of the video you are working on. You shouldn’t automatically assume that including ambient sound or your voice will bring any additional value to your recording, and should always carefully examine the impact of the decision to do so. Here are some situations where going silent could be the better way than including an audio stream with your video:

How to Record Screen on Your Mac without External Audio?

Making a screen recording on your Mac is extremely simple and can be done by literally anyone. Regardless of which tool you ultimately decide to use, the procedure for recording the screen while excluding external sound is quite easy to master. We present you with three proven methods for recording screen content with no external sound, so that you can pick the tool that best suits your intended purpose and skill level.

Record with – Gemoo Recorder

Gemoo Recorder is a third-party screen recorder compatible with Mac that has the advantage of simplicity. This app lets you capture content with just a few clicks, and it supports high image resolutions so the video will be very sharp. With this software you can simply choose which video and audio sources to include in your clip, and the rest of the process is completely straightforward. Here are the steps you have to take to complete this task.

Step 2 – On the home screen, choose Screen only as your preferred input method

Step 3 – Find the microphone icon in More settings panel, and select None from the drop-down menu

Step 4 – Click on the blue Start recording button, then complete the actions you want to capture

Step 5 – Upon completion of the desired actions, click on the red Stop button in the sidebar

Using – QuickTime Player

A large portion of Mac users rely on QuickTime Player for media recording and playback every day, making this app a natural candidate for the task of recording the screen with no audio. While this software offers only basic features and may not be well-suited for high-end video making, it does a great job when you just need to make a simple video clip showing what you are doing on your Mac. Here is the correct procedure for this operation:

Step 2 – Go to File menu, and select the Start New Recording option from there

Step 3 – Open the drop down menu by clicking on the arrow next to the recording button

Step 5 – Click on the red Record button to instantly start capturing your screen

Capture via – ScreenFlow

As a well-established screen recording app designed specifically for MacOS, ScreenFlow is another option worth considering. This is a very practical app that allows easy screen capturing, basic editing, as well as saving the video in several different formats. If you would like to edit and share your recording and are already familiar with this software, you could use it instead of the methods discussed above. The sequence of steps you need to take is outlined here.

Step 1 – Start ScreenFlow on your computer and choose New Recording from the menu

Step 2 – Check the box next to Record Desktop from and specify the monitor you intend to use

Step 4 – When you are ready, press the red Record button and start your video recording

Frequently Asked Questions about Screen Recording on a Mac

1. Does Mac have built-in applications capable of recording the screen without external audio?

There are multiple native tools you could use to capture the content of the screen on your Mac laptop. The most important of them is the Screenshot toolbar, which also has the capacity to capture video. The other commonly used software is QuickTime Player, which we explained in more detail above.

2. Is it possible to remove background sound from an already made screen recording?

In general, this can be accomplished but you would need a more advanced editing software. If you are using basic tools like the ones described above, it makes more sense to exclude the audio during the recording stage than to try and fix it in post-production stage.

You have a wide choice of video formats that work on a Mac, but they may not afford the same benefits. QuickTime saves the files in .MOV format by default, but it also supports MP4, AVI, and several other options. MP4 is considered to be most widely supported format and the best for web sharing, so it could be a good choice for your recording.

Conclusion

You have full control over what you will record on your Mac and if you want to make a video without any external sound it won’t be hard to choose the appropriate settings. There are several tools that let you do that effortlessly, some of which are already installed on your computer. In either case, you can disable the microphone and direct the software to capture only the content of the screen. Which screen recording app is your first choice when you want to record on a Mac without sound? Let us know in the comments underneath this article.

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