Loopback 2.5.0 — macOS

If you already reach for Audio Hijack to capture system audio or microphone feeds, Loopback is the companion that handles the routing side of the equation — the virtual patch bay that sends sound where you need it without plugging in extra cables. Version 2.5.0 adds macOS 27 compatibility and ships an updated ARK plugin (now 13.5), the audio engine underneath the routing. The wired interface lets you build virtual devices by connecting app outputs and hardware inputs into a single channel strip, then make that combined signal available anywhere on your Mac — QuickTime, Zoom, OBS, or recording software. You can combine multiple physical microphones into one virtual mic for podcast setups, or send both microphone audio and game audio into a screen recording without a mixer. For Elgato Game Capture hardware, Loopback merges microphone and game sound so you get clean, separate tracks inside the capture software. It’s a practical tool for anyone who needs more than macOS’s built-in audio routing offers, and the current download runs on macOS 11 through 27 on both Intel and Apple Silicon machines.

For podcasters recording remote guests over Zoom or FaceTime

Loopback isn't a tool everyone needs, but for a few specific groups it becomes something close to essential. Podcasters who record with remote guests over Zoom or FaceTime benefit directly: you can route your microphone and the other person's audio into one virtual device, then record that single feed in your podcasting app without dealing with separate tracks or sync issues later. Streamers on Twitch or YouTube who want game audio plus their commentary mixed into one clean signal for OBS or Streamlabs find the same approach useful. Screen recorders — whether for tutorials, software demos, or client walkthroughs — can capture their own voice from a mic alongside system audio from a browser or app, all in one take, without post-production merging.

Anyone using Elgato Game Capture hardware for console recording gets a straightforward way to combine their commentary microphone with the console's game audio inside the Elgato software. Instead of messing with analog mixers or external audio interfaces, Loopback handles the combination inside the Mac. Audio editors and music producers who need to feed output from one DAW into another, or route a synthesizer app into a recording channel, can build those connections without extra hardware. Even office workers who join video calls from multiple apps at once — say, a presentation tool and a conferencing app — can combine audio sources so both are heard clearly without switching inputs manually.

What to check before your first install

Does loopback work with apple silicon macs

Yes. The current download supports both Intel and Apple Silicon architectures, and it runs natively on M-series Macs. There is no emulation layer or translation needed. Version 2.5.0 was tested against macOS 27 on Apple Silicon hardware, and the app no longer warns at launch on that version, so the compatibility path is clean.

Can i use loopback without audio hijack

Absolutely. Loopback works as a standalone audio routing app. Audio Hijack is a separate product from Rogue Amoeba that focuses on recording and processing audio; Loopback focuses on routing. They pair well together — you can send Loopback's virtual device output into Audio Hijack for further processing or recording — but neither requires the other. Many users start with Loopback alone and add Audio Hijack later if they need effects or timed recordings.

No extra drivers or kernel extensions needed

No. Loopback installs as a standard macOS app and uses its own audio engine, the ARK plugin (version 13.5 in the current release), which runs at user level. There are no kernel extensions to load, no system-level kexts, and no need to disable System Integrity Protection. It shows up as a virtual audio device in macOS Sound Settings, the same way a USB microphone or audio interface would.

Works with QuickTime Player, OBS, ScreenFlow, and most screen recorders

If the recording app can select an audio input from macOS's list of sound devices, it will see Loopback's virtual device. QuickTime Player, OBS Studio, ScreenFlow, Elgato Game Capture, and most other screen recorders work this way. Set the app's audio input to the Loopback virtual device, and whatever you've routed inside Loopback — mic plus system audio, or multiple mics — becomes the recording's audio source.

Appears as a standard input and output device in macOS Sound Settings

Loopback integrates at the system audio level rather than through plug-ins or scripting. Once you create a virtual device in Loopback, it appears in macOS's Sound Settings as an input and output device, just like any physical hardware. This means any app that respects macOS's audio device list can use it. QuickTime Player, for instance, can record video with audio from a Loopback device, combining microphone and system sound without additional software. Zoom and other conferencing apps can select a Loopback device as their microphone, letting you feed pre-mixed audio into a call.

For screen recording with Elgato Game Capture hardware, Loopback acts as the audio bridge: the game audio comes into the Mac through the capture hardware, your microphone is a separate USB or built-in input, and Loopback combines them into one virtual device that the Elgato software sees as its audio source. No need for a hardware mixer or splitter.

With Audio Hijack, the connection is straightforward: you can set Audio Hijack to record from a Loopback virtual device, or you can use Loopback to route Audio Hijack's processed output into another app. The two tools share the same audio engine (the ARK plugin), so they handle latency and timing consistently. For podcasters who want to record clean local audio while sending a mixed feed to a remote guest, this combination is especially useful: Audio Hijack records the local mic, Loopback mixes it with system audio for the guest, and the guest's return audio comes back through a separate channel.

Recording a tutorial: combine USB mic, browser audio, and send to QuickTime

Let's say you're recording a tutorial video for a client. You want your voice from a USB microphone, the system audio from a web browser playing a demo video, and a clean combined signal going into QuickTime Player for screen recording. Here's how a session with Loopback might go.

You open Loopback and see the wired interface — a blank canvas with a row of input sources on the left and a virtual device output on the right. You click the plus button to add a new virtual device and name it "Tutorial Feed." Then you add two input sources: one is your USB microphone, the other is "System Audio" from the dropdown. For each source, you can adjust the volume level independently so your voice sits at a comfortable level above the demo video's audio. The virtual device now shows a combined channel that merges both inputs.

You open QuickTime Player, choose File > New Screen Recording, and in the recording options you select "Tutorial Feed" as the microphone input. You start recording, talk through the demo, and QuickTime captures both your voice and the browser audio in a single track. When you stop, the resulting video file has the audio already mixed — no need to sync separate audio files in post-production.

If you were streaming instead, you'd set OBS to use the same Loopback virtual device as its audio input. The stream would carry your mic and game or desktop audio without additional routing inside OBS. For a podcast with a remote guest, you might create a second virtual device that sends only your mic to the conferencing app, while the first device captures both sides of the conversation for recording. The wired interface makes it easy to see exactly what is connected to what, and you can save the configuration as a preset to reload next time.

Full macOS 27 support without compatibility warnings since version 2.5.0

The jump to version 2.5.0 brought two practical changes for anyone running macOS 27. First, Loopback now supports macOS 27 fully — the app runs without any compatibility warnings at launch. Earlier versions displayed a dialog noting that the operating system was not yet tested, which meant a click-through every time you opened the app. That dialog is gone now, so launching Loopback on macOS 27 is as quiet as launching it on macOS 14 or 15.

Second, the ARK plugin was updated to version 13.5. This plugin is the core audio engine that handles all the internal audio routing, mixing, and device creation. Users won't see a visible difference in the interface, but the update ensures that audio timing and device detection stay reliable on newer macOS releases. For anyone who had been running a previous version on macOS 27 with the compatibility warning, the update removes that annoyance and brings the audio engine up to date. No new features were added to the user interface in 2.5.0, but the underlying compatibility work matters more for daily use than a new button would.

• Support for macOS 27 was added.
• The app no longer warns on launch when run on macOS 27.
• The ARK plugin for audio handling was updated to version 13.5.

• macOS 11 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon