BlackHole Audio Mac: What It Is and When to Use a Simpler Alternative

BlackHole is the most popular free Mac audio driver for routing audio between apps. If you’ve ever searched “how do I share my Mac’s audio in Zoom” or “record system audio on Mac,” you’ve almost certainly landed on a tutorial recommending it.

It’s powerful, it’s free, and it genuinely works. But it’s also notoriously difficult to set up — and for most people, there’s a much faster path to the same result.

This guide explains exactly what BlackHole does, who needs it, and when a simpler tool is a better fit.

What Is BlackHole Audio for Mac?

BlackHole is a free, open-source virtual audio driver by Existential Audio. It creates virtual audio channels on your Mac that apps can use to send and receive audio, effectively acting as invisible virtual cables between software.

It comes in two variants:

• BlackHole 2ch — a two-channel (stereo) virtual device, sufficient for most use cases
• BlackHole 16ch — a sixteen-channel device for professional multi-channel audio workflows

Unlike old tools like Soundflower (which used deprecated kernel extensions), BlackHole uses Apple’s modern audio driver APIs and works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Common uses for BlackHole:

• Recording system audio without external hardware
• Routing audio from one app to another (e.g., Spotify → OBS)
• Setting up multi-source streaming rigs
• Building complex audio graphs for production work

Who Should Use BlackHole?

BlackHole is the right tool for users who need fine-grained control over audio routing:

• Professional audio producers who need per-app routing and multi-channel audio
• OBS streamers building complex setups with multiple audio sources on different channels
• Developers and audio engineers who need precise control over the audio graph
• Anyone comfortable with Aggregate Device and Multi-Output Device setup in macOS Audio MIDI Setup

If that sounds like you, BlackHole is worth the setup time. If it doesn’t, keep reading.

How to Set Up BlackHole on Mac (Step-by-Step)

This section walks through a standard BlackHole setup for routing system audio to a recording or calling app. Follow carefully — there are several steps that are easy to miss.

1. Download BlackHole from existential.audio — use the official site, not third-party mirrors.
2. Run the .pkg installer. It will prompt you to approve a system extension in macOS Security & Privacy settings. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll down to approve the extension, then restart if prompted.
3. Open Audio MIDI Setup (search with Spotlight or find it in Applications → Utilities).
4. Create a Multi-Output Device by clicking the + button at the bottom-left. Add both BlackHole and your Built-in Output (speakers/headphones) to this device.
5. Set the Multi-Output Device as your system output — go to System Settings → Sound → Output and select it.
6. In your recording or calling app, select BlackHole as the audio input (microphone).
7. Test by playing audio and checking that your recording app picks up a signal.

That’s the basic flow — but most users run into at least one of the issues below.

Common BlackHole Problems on Mac

You can’t change the volume after setup. This is the most common frustration. macOS does not allow keyboard volume control for Multi-Output Devices. Your volume keys simply stop working once you’ve set a Multi-Output Device as your output. The workaround is to adjust volume inside each individual app.

System audio randomly stops routing. After a restart or macOS update, your output device sometimes resets to Built-in Output. You have to manually switch it back to your Multi-Output Device every time this happens.

Setup breaks after macOS updates. Major macOS updates occasionally require re-approving the system extension or recreating your Multi-Output Device.

App incompatibility with 16ch. Some apps don’t handle 16-channel audio correctly. If you’re having issues, try the 2ch variant.

Sample rate mismatches. If the sample rate of your Multi-Output Device doesn’t match the sample rate of the app you’re recording from, you’ll get distorted or crackling audio. You have to manually match them in Audio MIDI Setup.

When You Don’t Need BlackHole’s Full Power

Most people who search “blackhole audio mac” have one goal in mind: get their Mac’s system audio into a Zoom call, a Google Meet, a Discord voice channel, or a recording app like QuickTime.

For that use case — system audio to a virtual mic — BlackHole is significantly more complex than necessary. You’re setting up a professional audio routing graph to accomplish something that should take 30 seconds.

The volume control issue alone causes problems for nearly everyone: after the setup, your keyboard volume keys stop working. That’s a real daily annoyance for anyone who isn’t doing professional audio work.

Soundshine: 30-Second Setup vs. BlackHole’s 30 Steps

Soundshine takes a different approach. Instead of giving you raw audio plumbing to wire yourself, it installs a lightweight audio driver and handles the routing automatically. You flip one switch in the menu bar, and your system audio becomes a virtual microphone.

	BlackHole	Soundshine
Setup time	20–40 minutes	30 seconds
Volume control	Keyboard shortcuts break	Works normally
macOS updates	Often resets setup	Auto-compatible
Use case	Pro multi-app routing	System audio → virtual mic
Price	Free	Free trial / $7.99 one-time

How to Use Soundshine as a BlackHole Alternative

1. Download Soundshine from soundshine.app and run the guided installer. It takes about 30 seconds.
2. Click the menu bar icon and flip the Routing switch to “on.”
3. In Zoom, Meet, Discord, or QuickTime, select “Soundshine Microphone” as your microphone input.

That’s it. Your system audio — music, videos, game sounds, anything — is now going to the virtual mic. Your volume keys keep working. Your speakers keep playing normally.

Which Should You Choose?

Use BlackHole if:

• You need per-app audio routing (e.g., only route Spotify, not all system audio)
• You’re building a multi-channel streaming rig with 16 channels
• You’re doing professional audio production and need full control over the routing graph
• You’re comfortable with Audio MIDI Setup and don’t mind the manual configuration

Use Soundshine if:

• You want to share your Mac’s audio in a Zoom, Meet, Discord, or FaceTime call
• You want to record system audio in QuickTime, OBS, or Audacity
• You want a one-toggle solution that doesn’t break your volume keys
• You want something that still works after the next macOS update without reconfiguration

Download Soundshine free — all features included, no signup required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BlackHole audio safe to install on Mac?

Yes, BlackHole is open source and widely used. However, it installs a kernel extension (system audio driver) which requires approving a system extension in macOS Security settings.

Does BlackHole work on Apple Silicon Macs?

Yes, BlackHole supports M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs. Download the version from existential.audio — do not use old binaries from GitHub forks, which may not be notarized for Apple Silicon.

Why can’t I change volume after installing BlackHole?

BlackHole requires creating a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup. macOS doesn’t allow volume control for Multi-Output Devices via the keyboard. This is a known macOS limitation, not a BlackHole bug.

What’s the easiest BlackHole alternative for Mac?

If you only need to route system audio to a virtual microphone for video calls, Soundshine is the simplest solution — one toggle, 30-second setup, and your volume keys keep working.