How to Share Spotify on a Zoom Call on Mac

You want to play a song for someone on a Zoom call. You pull up Spotify, hit play, and the other person hears nothing. Or you share your screen, Zoom offers to share computer sound, you check the box, and the audio cuts out or degrades the call quality.

There is a reason this is confusing. Zoom on Mac separates system audio from microphone audio by design, and most search results assume you want to share your screen. Here is how to do it without.

Why Zoom Does Not Share Spotify by Default

When you join a Zoom call, you select a microphone. That is the only audio input Zoom listens to. Spotify plays through your Mac’s system audio output, which goes to your speakers or headphones. Zoom never touches that signal.

The only built-in exception is screen sharing with the “Share Computer Sound” checkbox. That routes system audio through Zoom, but it requires sharing your screen, and it adds the video encoding overhead of a screen share even if you do not want anyone to see your desktop.

To share Spotify without screen sharing, you need to redirect Spotify’s audio into something Zoom treats as a microphone input.

Method 1: Soundshine (30 Seconds, $7.99)

Soundshine is a Mac menu bar app that installs a virtual audio driver. When it is on, your Mac’s system audio becomes available as a microphone input called “Soundshine Microphone.”

How to set it up:

1. Download and install Soundshine
2. Click the menu bar icon and toggle Soundshine on
3. In Zoom, open Settings and go to Audio
4. Under Microphone, select “Soundshine Microphone”
5. Play Spotify. Everyone on the call hears it.

That is the complete setup. Volume control still works normally. Toggle Soundshine off when you want Zoom to use your real microphone again, or configure it to route both your voice and system audio simultaneously.

One setting worth checking: if Zoom’s noise suppression is on, it may filter out music. In Zoom Audio settings, set noise suppression to “Low” when sharing Spotify.

Method 2: BlackHole (Free, More Steps)

BlackHole is a free, open-source virtual audio driver. It works the same way as Soundshine but requires more manual setup.

The short version:

1. Install BlackHole 2ch from existential.audio
2. Open Audio MIDI Setup in macOS (Applications, Utilities)
3. Create a Multi-Output Device combining BlackHole and your regular speakers
4. Set your Mac’s system audio output to that Multi-Output Device
5. In Zoom, select BlackHole 2ch as your microphone

One known limitation: with a Multi-Output Device as your system output, your volume keys stop controlling speaker volume. This is a macOS limitation, not a BlackHole bug. You adjust volume through the Sound panel in System Settings instead.

For occasional use and a zero budget, BlackHole is a solid option. For something you toggle on and off regularly, the extra steps add up.

Method 3: Zoom Screen Share With Sound (No Extra Software)

If showing your screen is fine, this requires nothing additional.

1. Click Share Screen in Zoom
2. Check “Share computer sound” at the bottom of the share dialog
3. Play Spotify

Limitations: your screen is visible, audio quality is inconsistent, and the screen share encoding adds latency. It works, but it is not the cleanest approach.

Which to Use

If you share audio on calls more than occasionally, Soundshine is worth $7.99. The toggle is fast enough to flip on for a song and flip off when you want to speak.

If you need this once and want to spend nothing, BlackHole works.

If screen sharing is fine, Zoom’s built-in option needs no extra software at all.

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Download Soundshine free and try it before buying. Setup takes about 30 seconds. If it works for your situation, the full version is $7.99 one-time.

The same approach works in Discord, Google Meet, and FaceTime.