How to Control Individual App Volume on Mac

The Built-in macOS Volume Limitation

If you have ever switched to macOS from Windows, you might have looked for a built-in Volume Mixer in the menu bar or System Settings, only to discover it doesn't exist.

By default, macOS provides only a single master volume control in the menu bar and Control Center. When you tap the volume keys on your keyboard or adjust the output slider, every sound on your Mac changes in lockstep—from conference calls and music to browser videos and system alerts.

Method 1: In-App Sound Sliders (Limited)

Some applications, such as Spotify, VLC, and video platforms like YouTube, include their own volume sliders inside their interface. You can manually drag the slider within the app to reduce its sound level relative to other sources.

However, this approach falls short for many common Mac apps: Slack, Zoom, browser notification tabs, games, and native macOS utilities often lack dedicated audio sliders. Adjusting levels across multiple open windows quickly becomes cumbersome.

Method 2: Per-App Volume Mixers for macOS

Historically, controlling audio on a per-app basis required installing complex third-party kernel extensions or virtual audio drivers like Soundflower or BlackHole. These drivers often added latency, required disabling macOS security features, or broke whenever Apple updated the OS.

Starting with macOS Sonoma 14.2, Apple introduced native Core Audio Process Tap APIs. This allows modern Mac software to tap directly into an application's audio output stream in real time without installing any third-party drivers or altering system integrity.

Dedicated utilities like Oddmac Volume Mixer use these native APIs to give every running app its own independent slider and one-click mute button right from your menu bar.

Summary

If you only need to adjust one media player, its internal slider might suffice. But if you frequently balance video meetings, music, browser audio, and gaming on your Mac, a dedicated native utility like Volume Mixer is the cleanest, driver-free solution.