Does macOS Have a Built-in Volume Mixer?
Understanding macOS audio architecture, why Apple doesn't include a per-app volume mixer, and how to get per-app volume controls on Mac.
Short Answer: No Built-in Per-App Mixer
macOS does not have a native per-application volume mixer built into System Settings or Control Center. While you can select different output devices (such as external speakers or headphones), macOS treats all audio from all apps as a single combined stream.
Why Doesn't macOS Include One?
Apple's design philosophy historically prioritized simplicity: one master volume slider that reliably controls hardware output. Under the hood, Core Audio is an exceptionally low-latency professional audio architecture, but until recently it did not expose an easy, consumer-facing per-process volume interface.
With macOS 14.2 Sonoma, Apple added the official AudioHardwareCreateProcessTap API, making it possible for independent utilities to provide per-app volume management cleanly without kernel extensions.
How to Add Volume Mixer Functionality to Mac
You can add native per-app volume management using lightweight utilities built on Apple's Core Audio APIs. Oddmac Volume Mixer provides a familiar, compact interface in your menu bar that lets you control or mute each app independently.
Looking for a driver-free Mac volume mixer?
Oddmac Volume Mixer gives you independent volume sliders and instant mute for every active Mac process.