--- title: "How to translate any audio on a Mac in real time | VoxisLive" description: "Three steps to hear any video, stream or game on your Mac in your language, spoken aloud with live captions. Apple Silicon, macOS 15 or later." url: https://voxislive.com/translate-system-audio-mac language: "en" source_html: https://voxislive.com/translate-system-audio-mac site: "Voxis — real-time voice translation" og_image: https://voxislive.com/assets/og.png generated_by: voxislive-markdown-pipeline --- [Home](https://voxislive.com/) · / · How to translate the audio playing on your Mac, live HOW TO # How to translate the audio playing on your Mac, live Voxis for Mac translates whatever your Mac is playing, in any app, and says it in your language while you watch. Here is how to set it up, what you will hear, and what to check if you hear nothing. [Download for Mac](https://voxislive.com/download#mac) Apple silicon, macOS 15 or later. You can start for free. On Windows? See [how to translate system audio on Windows](https://voxislive.com/translate-system-audio-windows). for Mac ## What is the short answer? Install Voxis for Mac, allow it to record system audio, choose your language and press Start. Voxis then translates whatever your Mac is playing, in any app, and says it in your language a few seconds behind the original, with live captions. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later. 1. **Download Voxis for Mac and open it.** Get it from [the download page](https://voxislive.com/download#mac). 2. **Allow Voxis to record system audio.** macOS asks once. 3. **Choose your language and press Start.** Voxis translates what is playing. ## Why is this hard on a Mac? macOS does not let one app listen to the sound of other apps unless you allow it. That protects you, and it is also why translating whatever is playing used to mean installing a virtual audio device and sending your sound through it. Voxis uses the system audio capture built into macOS, so you install the app and nothing else. That is the reason for the one permission Voxis asks for. Without it, an app on a Mac can only hear your microphone, which is not what you want to translate when you are watching something. ## What are the steps, one by one? There are three steps: download and open Voxis, allow it to record system audio, then choose your language and press Start. You sign in once along the way. Nothing else has to be installed or set up, and you do not have to change any sound setting on your Mac yourself. 1. **Download Voxis and open it.** Download the disk image from [the download page](https://voxislive.com/download#mac) and open it. Drag Voxis into Applications and open it from there. macOS may ask you to confirm that you want to open an app downloaded from the internet. Then sign in with your Voxis account, or create one in the app. 2. **Allow system audio recording.** The first time you press Start, macOS asks whether Voxis may record system audio. Click Allow: without it Voxis hears nothing. If you clicked Don't Allow, turn Voxis on under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit Voxis and open it again. 3. **Choose your language and press Start.** Pick Video & Game, choose the language you want to hear, and press Start. Now play your video, stream or game. The translation starts a few seconds after someone speaks. If macOS asks whether Voxis may find devices on your local network, you can choose Don't Allow. Voxis doesn't use your local network. ## What will I hear and see? You hear a voice speaking the translation in your language, a few seconds behind the person on screen. The original sound keeps playing quietly underneath, so the music, the effects and the speaker's tone are still there. In the Voxis window you see the same translation as live captions, line by line. Voxis translates into [79 languages](https://voxislive.com/languages). When you stop, the original sound returns to its normal level. ## Why a voice and not only subtitles? Reading subtitles keeps your eyes at the bottom of the screen. With a spoken translation you can watch the picture, follow a game, take notes or look away, and still understand what is being said. Voxis gives you both at once: the voice in your ears and the captions in its window, so you can use whichever suits the moment. We compare the two in [voice translation vs subtitles](https://voxislive.com/voice-translation-vs-subtitles). For the idea behind a translated voice over the original, see [live dubbing](https://voxislive.com/live-dubbing). ## Can it translate a call in both directions? Yes. Meeting mode translates the other person into your language and translates you into theirs. Your translation reaches the call through a virtual microphone named Voxis Microphone, which you select inside your call app. Wear headphones, and try a short call with someone you know before one that matters. The details are on the Mac page: [calls on a Mac](https://voxislive.com/mac#calls). ## What if I hear nothing? First make sure something with speech is actually playing. If it is and Voxis stays silent, macOS is most likely not letting Voxis hear it. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, allow Voxis, then quit Voxis and open it again. The permission only takes effect after a restart of the app. - When this happens, Voxis shows a card with a button that opens System Settings for you. - Quit means quit: press Command and Q, open Voxis again, then press Start. - Check that the language you chose is not the language already being spoken. Back to the overview: [Voxis for Mac](https://voxislive.com/mac). Last updated: 10 November 2026 · The Voxis team FAQ ## Common questions ### How do I translate a video on my Mac in real time? Install Voxis for Mac, allow it to record system audio, choose your language and press Start. Then play the video. Voxis says the translation in your language a few seconds behind the original and shows live captions. ### Does it work with any app on my Mac? Voxis for Mac translates any audio playing on your Mac, so it does not matter which app the sound comes from. A browser, a video player and a game are all translated the same way. ### Do I need extra audio software on my Mac? No. Voxis for Mac does not install an audio driver or a virtual cable. macOS asks once for permission to record system audio. ### Which Macs can do this? Macs with Apple silicon, which means an M1 chip or later, running macOS 15 or later. Intel Macs are not supported. There the Voxis extension for Chrome translates the audio of a browser tab. ### Do I still hear the original sound? Yes. The original keeps playing quietly under the translated voice, so you still hear music, effects and the speaker's tone. It returns to its normal level when you stop. ### Can I try it without paying? You can start for free. 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Voxis says the translation in your language a few seconds behind the original and shows live captions." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does it work with any app on my Mac?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Voxis for Mac translates any audio playing on your Mac, so it does not matter which app the sound comes from. A browser, a video player and a game are all translated the same way." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do I need extra audio software on my Mac?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. Voxis for Mac does not install an audio driver or a virtual cable. macOS asks once for permission to record system audio." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which Macs can do this?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Macs with Apple silicon, which means an M1 chip or later, running macOS 15 or later. Intel Macs are not supported. There the Voxis extension for Chrome translates the audio of a browser tab." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do I still hear the original sound?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. The original keeps playing quietly under the translated voice, so you still hear music, effects and the speaker's tone. It returns to its normal level when you stop." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can I try it without paying?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "You can start for free. What Voxis costs is on the pricing page at voxislive.com/pricing." } } ] }, { "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to translate the audio playing on your Mac, live", "description": "Three steps to hear any video, stream or game on your Mac in your language, spoken aloud with live captions. Apple Silicon, macOS 15 or later.", "inLanguage": "en", "step": [ { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 1, "name": "Download Voxis for Mac and open it", "text": "Download the disk image from voxislive.com/download, drag Voxis into Applications and open it from there. Sign in with your Voxis account, or create one in the app.", "url": "https://voxislive.com/translate-system-audio-mac#steps" }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 2, "name": "Allow Voxis to record system audio", "text": "The first time you press Start, macOS asks whether Voxis may record system audio. Click Allow. If you clicked Don't Allow, turn Voxis on under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit Voxis and open it again.", "url": "https://voxislive.com/translate-system-audio-mac#steps" }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 3, "name": "Choose your language and press Start", "text": "Pick Video & Game, choose the language you want to hear and press Start. Play your video, stream or game. Voxis says the translation in your language a few seconds behind the original and shows live captions.", "url": "https://voxislive.com/translate-system-audio-mac#steps" } ] } ] } ] ```