How to Automatically Lower Music During Zoom Calls on Mac

The call starts. You're sharing your screen. Your music is still playing. You switch to Spotify, hit pause, switch back to Zoom, and everyone has already heard ten seconds of your playlist. It happens because macOS has no link between "a call just started" and "maybe lower the music".

On some phones this is automatic. On a Mac, you need to set it up.

What is audio ducking?

Audio ducking means automatically lowering background audio while something more important is happening, like a call. The term comes from broadcasting, where the music "ducks under" the announcer's voice.

In practice:

1. You're listening to music at 50%.
2. You join a Zoom call.
3. The music drops to a low background level.
4. You hear the call clearly without touching anything.
5. The call ends.
6. The music goes back to 50%.

Does macOS have built-in audio ducking?

No. There's nothing in System Settings, Accessibility or Focus that connects "I'm on a call" with "lower the other apps". If your music already drops during Zoom calls, that's usually Zoom's audio processing or Bluetooth headset mode, not a Mac setting; see stop Zoom from lowering your music.

The manual alternatives

Pause the music before every call

This is what most people do. It works until you forget, or until a call comes in unexpectedly, or until you have back-to-back meetings. It also means no background music at all, even when you'd like it quietly in the background.

Use a Focus mode

A "Meeting" Focus can hold back notifications. It doesn't change playback volume, though: your music keeps playing at the same level.

Lower everything by hand

You can turn the Mac down, but macOS has one volume for everything, so Zoom gets quieter too. To lower only the music you need per-app volume.

Auto-ducking with SoundDial

SoundDial is a per-app volume mixer that lives in the menu bar, and it includes auto-ducking. It's on by default, so after the one-time setup there's nothing else to switch on.

How it detects a call

Once a second, SoundDial checks whether a supported call app has audio input running, meaning the app is using your microphone. SoundDial never opens or records the microphone itself.

Supported call apps:

• Zoom
• Microsoft Teams
• FaceTime
• Discord
• Slack (huddles and calls)
• Webex
• Skype
• Google Meet in Chrome

Browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge and Arc) also count as call apps whenever they use the microphone, so a meeting in a browser tab starts ducking as well. Calls in WhatsApp and Telegram are not detected.

Detection follows the microphone input, not the meeting window. If Zoom isn't using the mic, SoundDial doesn't see a call.

What happens when a call starts

The other apps drop to 30% of their own level (you can change that). Zoom stays where it is, and so do other call apps and browsers, which are never lowered. While a call is detected, SoundDial's panel header shows "Call active".

One thing to know: because browsers are never lowered, music playing in a browser tab keeps its level during the call. A desktop music app such as Spotify or Apple Music is lowered.

What happens when the call ends

When Zoom stops using the microphone, SoundDial restores every lowered app to its slider level. The sliders never moved, so your music comes back to exactly where you had it.

Adjusting the duck level

In SoundDial's Settings, open the Auto-Duck tab. The Duck to slider runs from 10% (barely audible) to 80% (only slightly quieter) in 5% steps. The default of 30% suits most people: the music is noticeable but doesn't get in the way of the conversation.

There's no list for excluding single apps. If ducking doesn't suit you, turn off Enable auto-ducking in the same tab.

Why auto-ducking beats pausing

• You don't have to remember. An unexpected call is handled the same way as a scheduled one.
• You can keep background music. Many people like quiet music during calls rather than silence.
• It restores exactly. Each app returns to its own slider level.
• Back-to-back calls just work. Each call lowers the music, each hang-up brings it back.

Setup in about a minute

1. Install SoundDial from the Mac App Store.
2. Click its menu bar icon and move any app's slider. The first time, SoundDial walks you through the macOS System Audio Recording Only permission it needs to change app volumes.
3. Open Settings > Auto-Duck and check that Enable auto-ducking is on.
4. Set Duck to where you like it.

Join your next Zoom, Teams or FaceTime call and the music drops; hang up and it comes back. For WhatsApp or Telegram calls, lower or mute the music app with its own slider before you answer.

More on the call setup: lower music during calls on Mac. How ducking works in general: automatic audio ducking on Mac.

SoundDial, a per-app volume mixer for Mac needs macOS 14.2 or later and costs €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, no subscription.

Get SoundDial on the Mac App Store.