How to control volume per app on a Mac

macOS gives you a single output volume. If a browser tab starts blasting while you’re listening to music, your only option is to turn everything down. Per-app volume fixes that, but you need an extra tool.

What macOS can do natively

• Mute a browser tab by clicking the speaker icon in the tab bar (Safari and Chrome both do this).
• Adjust volume inside apps that have their own slider, such as Music, Spotify and video players.
• Pick a different output device per app in some apps’ own settings.

There is no system-wide mixer for individual apps.

Tools that add per-app volume

• SoundSource from Rogue Amoeba is a full-featured paid audio control app. See SoundSource alternatives.
• Background Music is a free open-source option that adds per-app volume and auto-pausing.
• eqMac adds a system-wide equaliser and volume controls.
• Gardner includes per-app volume and mute as part of its menu-bar app.

Most of these work by routing audio through a virtual or system-level audio component. That’s why some ask for extra permissions, and why it is worth reading what each tool installs.

Setting it up in Gardner

Click the sprout in your menu bar. Sound sits at the top of the popover and lists every app that is currently making sound, each with its own volume slider and mute button. Because it is live, it only lists apps that are playing right now. Turn on Quiet while I talk to have other apps go quiet automatically whenever an app is listening to your microphone; see how to lower other apps while on a call.

Tips

• Keep calls and meeting apps at 100 percent and lower everything else.
• Mute chat and notification-heavy apps during recordings.
• If audio sounds distorted after installing a mixer, restart the Mac, which resets the audio system. Our guide on when to restart explains why that often works.