How to Record Your Screen With Audio (Mic + System Sound)

Most people can record their screen just fine. Where it falls apart is audio. You finish a five-minute walkthrough, go to play it back, and — silence. Or you captured your voice but not the video you were reacting to. Or the app’s sound is there but your narration isn’t.

Audio doesn’t have to be the hard part. Here’s how to capture exactly the sound you want.

The two audio sources

When you record your screen, there are two completely separate audio streams:

• Microphone audio — your voice, captured through your mic. This is what you want for narration and tutorials.
• System audio — the sound coming out of your computer: video playback, app notifications, music, a call.

The trick is that you can record either one, or both at the same time. Which you choose depends on what you’re making.

Which combination do you need?

Narrated tutorial or walkthrough → Microphone only. You’re explaining what’s on screen; you don’t need the app’s beeps and clicks.

Reaction or review of a video → System audio only, or both. If you’re reviewing footage or a demo, you want the source sound. Add your mic if you’re also talking over it.

Product demo with commentary → Both. Your voice narrates while the app’s sounds play naturally.

Silent screenshot-style clip → Neither. Sometimes a quick visual needs no audio at all.

How to record screen with audio

With a tool like ScreenKit, it’s just a couple of toggles:

1. Click the extension icon and choose your source (tab, window, desktop, or camera).
2. Toggle Microphone on if you’re narrating.
3. Toggle System audio on if you need the computer’s sound.
4. Hit record.

Both streams are captured together and mixed into your final video, so you don’t have to sync anything afterward.

Getting clean narration

A few habits make a big difference to how professional your recording sounds:

• Use a headset mic if you have one. Even a cheap one beats laptop speakers picking up room echo.
• Record somewhere quiet. Background noise is the number-one thing that makes a recording feel amateur.
• Do a five-second test. Record a sentence, play it back, and check levels before committing to the whole thing.
• Say the point first. Lead with what you’re about to show so listeners know why they’re watching.

Troubleshooting silent recordings

If you end up with no sound, it’s almost always one of these:

• The mic toggle was off — the most common culprit.
• The browser doesn’t have microphone permission — check your browser’s site settings.
• You captured a tab but didn’t enable “share tab audio” — system audio has its own switch.

Because ScreenKit processes everything locally, your narration and any captured audio never leave your device — useful when you’re recording a private call or an internal demo.

Then export

Once you’ve got video and audio together, export as WebM and share it anywhere, or copy a still to your clipboard. No render queue, no re-syncing, no watermark.

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Ready to record with crisp audio? Add ScreenKit to Chrome — free, no account, and audio toggles built right in.