Mac volume mixer: control the volume of individual apps

A Mac volume mixer lets you turn down one source without touching the rest. macOS has one main output-volume control, so you need an app’s own slider or a per-app audio tool to make that distinction. That is the difference between muting a noisy tab and accidentally lowering the call you are trying to hear.

Why app volume is different from Mac volume

In System Settings → Sound → Output, the volume slider controls the device your Mac is using. It is the right control when your speakers or headphones are generally too loud, but it is not a shared mixer for every app.

Some apps include their own slider. The problem is that those controls are scattered, and many sources, including browser tabs, utilities, or games, do not put a useful one in front of you when the sound starts playing.

What to try first in macOS

First check the app itself: music, video-call, and game apps often have their own volume slider. For a whole-Mac adjustment, use the Output slider in System Settings. Those options are simple and correct when they fit the job.

The gap appears when you need to balance several sources at once. A video starts louder than music, a call needs to stay clear, and the main Mac slider can only move them all together. That is the moment a shared per-app mixer saves the most friction.

Use a per-app volume mixer

A per-app volume mixer groups active audio sources in one place. In SOUND, every app currently playing audio gets its own slider in the menu bar. Pull down the one that is distracting, leave music or a call where it is, and return to the same control whenever the mix changes.

This is especially useful when a browser video begins louder than your music, when a meeting app needs a quick adjustment, or when you want a game lower without turning every other sound down with it.

Set it up in a few seconds

1. Start playback in the apps you want to balance.
2. Open SOUND from the menu bar.
3. Find the app that is currently too loud or too quiet.
4. Adjust only its volume slider.
5. Leave the System level alone unless you want a whole-Mac change.

Keep the adjustment intentional

Per-app volume is a small control with an outsized effect on focus. It lets you make the exact correction you mean, instead of moving the one global slider and then compensating somewhere else. If the problem is where an app plays rather than how loud it is, use per-app audio routing instead.

If an app is not showing in the mixer

Start playback in that app first. SOUND lists apps that are actively playing audio, so a paused player or a silent browser tab will not give you a useful source to adjust yet. Once it is playing, choose the app and leave the System level for sources you have not customized.