Mixbar

Per-app volume for Mac

Turn down the music, not the meeting

Mixbar gives every app on your Mac its own volume, right from the menu bar. Your system volume stays put.

Download for Mac Buy a license · $14.99

macOS 26 or later · $14.99 one-time purchase · No subscription

The real app, recorded on a Mac. One row per app, each with its own slider.
Not the app, just a fun way to picture it: one channel strip per app, each at its own level. Go on, drag a fader ;)

Under the hood

  • Driver None. Mixbar uses the audio taps built into macOS, so there’s nothing to install and nothing to restart.
  • System volume Untouched. Mixbar never changes your Mac’s volume or its output device.
  • Output Per app. Send a call to your headphones and keep the music on your speakers.
  • Rec Never. Sound gets played straight back at your level. It’s never recorded or saved.
  • Mic Never used. Mixbar doesn’t touch your microphone.
  • Network License check only. No analytics, no tracking.

Read the privacy policy

How it works

Set it once, then forget it’s there

Mixbar uses the audio taps built into macOS 26, so there’s no audio driver or system extension to install. You set each app’s level once, and Mixbar remembers it.

  1. A one-minute setup

    Enter your license key and give Mixbar system audio access once. A quick sound check makes sure it all works.

  2. Click, then drag

    Open Mixbar from the menu bar and drag an app’s slider. Only that app changes, nothing else.

  3. Get back to work

    Mixbar keeps your levels. Slide an app back to 100% or quit Mixbar, and it sounds exactly like it did before.

Requires
macOS 26 or later
Permission
System audio access (never the microphone)
Installs
Just the app. No drivers or extensions
License
One key, up to 2 Macs

Frequently asked questions

Nope. An app left at 100% isn’t touched at all, so there’s no extra processing and no added delay. When you turn an app down, Mixbar runs its sound through a small real-time audio path that adds roughly 10 to 30 milliseconds of delay. With music or video, you’re unlikely to notice.

Yes. Mixbar works with any app that plays through your Mac’s current output, including Spotify, Music, Chrome, Zoom, Slack and games. There’s nothing to set up per app. Two things worth knowing:

  • Safari, Mail and other apps built on WebKit share a single audio process in macOS, so they show up together as one row: “Safari & other web views”.
  • If an app’s own settings send its sound to a specific device (say, a headset you picked in Zoom’s audio settings), Mixbar shows it but leaves it alone.

Your audio never leaves your Mac. Mixbar reads each app’s sound only to play it straight back at the level you picked. Nothing is recorded or saved, and there are no analytics or tracking. The only thing Mixbar sends over the internet is your license key, to check that it’s valid.

macOS lists the permission under Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, because that’s the system feature Mixbar is built on. Mixbar never uses your microphone.

macOS 26 or later.

The download is free, but Mixbar needs a license key to work. There’s no trial and no free tier, so Mixbar stays locked until you enter a key. Keys are sold right here on this website, not on the Mac App Store.

One license key works on up to 2 Macs.

Every app plays at its normal volume, exactly as if Mixbar weren’t there. Nothing lingers. Whether you quit Mixbar, pause it, or it crashes, its audio changes go away with it. Mixbar also never changes your system volume or your Mac’s output device.

No. Mixbar turns apps down or mutes them. It doesn’t boost them above their normal level, and it doesn’t control macOS system sounds.

Download Mixbar and open it. A short setup asks for your license key (buy one here if you don’t have one yet) and for system audio access. There’s no driver to install and nothing to restart :)

From the Mixbar notebook

Practical audio control for Mac

Short guides for quieter calls, cleaner streams and a calmer menu bar.

Get Mixbar for your Mac

Download for Mac Buy a license

macOS 26 or later · No trial, license key required