Background Music for MAC
Free, open-source Mac audio utility: set the volume of each app, auto-pause your music when other sound plays, and record system audio.
Background Music Overview
Background Music is a free audio utility for macOS that adds what the Mac is missing. It gives every app its own volume slider and mute button, so you can turn a noisy browser tab down without touching your music, and even boost quiet apps above their normal maximum. It also pauses your music player automatically when another app starts playing sound, such as a video or a call, and resumes the music when the other sound stops. Auto-pause works with music players such as Spotify, VLC and the Music app.
Background Music can also record the sound your Mac plays: select Background Music as the input device in QuickTime Player or another recording app. It is made by Kyle Neideck and contributors and released under the GPL-2.0 license; the developers still describe it as alpha software. Version 0.5.0 needs macOS 10.13 or later, runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and installs without a restart.
Key Features
Background Music gives you control over your Mac's sound.
- Per-app volume: a volume slider for every app that plays sound.
- Per-app mute: silence any app with one click.
- Volume boost: raise quiet apps above their normal maximum.
- Auto-pause music: your music pauses when other audio plays and resumes after.
- Adjustable delays: choose how quickly auto-pause reacts.
- Record system audio: capture your Mac's sound in QuickTime Player and other apps.
- Lives in the menu bar: all controls are one click away.
- No restart: install and start using it straight away.
What’s New in Version 0.5.0
Background Music 0.5.0 adds per-app mute and many fixes.
- New mute button for each app
- Configurable auto-pause delays, for better YouTube compatibility
- Better per-app volume for Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc and Discord
- Stops processing audio when nothing is playing, so the microphone indicator is not shown then
- Installs without needing Rosetta 2
- Several crash fixes
Background Music FAQ
Is Background Music free?
Yes. Background Music is free and open source under the GPL-2.0 license.
Which macOS version does Background Music need?
Background Music 0.5.0 needs macOS 10.13 or later.
Does Background Music run on Apple Silicon?
Yes. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and version 0.5.0 installs without needing Rosetta 2.
Can I change the volume of each app?
Yes. Background Music shows a volume slider and a mute button for every app that plays sound, and can boost quiet apps above their maximum.
How does auto-pause work?
When another app starts playing sound, Background Music pauses your music player, and it resumes the music when that sound stops. You can adjust the delays.
Which music players does auto-pause support?
Players such as Spotify, VLC and the Music app (iTunes), among others listed on the project page.
Can I record my Mac's audio with Background Music?
Yes. With Background Music running, choose Background Music as the input device in QuickTime Player's new audio or screen recording.
Why does the microphone indicator appear?
macOS shows it because Background Music works as an audio device. Since version 0.5.0 it only appears while audio is playing.
Can I install Background Music with Homebrew?
Yes. Run brew install --cask background-music.
Where does the Background Music download on background-music.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to the official releases on GitHub at https://github.com/kyleneideck/BackgroundMusic/releases/latest. Choose the BackgroundMusic .pkg file. background-music.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the app.
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FULLMAC.app does not host this app. Download buttons lead to the developer’s own pages.