Does macOS Tahoe Have Per-App Volume Control?

Every year, Mac users hope the next macOS release will finally include a volume mixer. macOS Tahoe (macOS 26) is the latest release, so it's worth asking again: can you set Spotify to 30% and Zoom to 100% without third-party software?

The short answer: no

macOS Tahoe still has one output volume. There is no per-app volume mixer in System Settings, Control Center or the menu bar. The volume keys, the Control Center slider and the Sound settings all move the same single level, and every app on your Mac follows it.

So the everyday problem stays the same: turning down music also turns down your call, and turning up a quiet video also makes every notification louder.

What you can do with macOS alone

There's no mixer, but a few built-in settings get you part of the way:

• Turn down the app itself. Many apps (Spotify, Music, VLC, browsers' video players, Zoom, Teams) have their own volume slider. Lowering the app instead of the Mac is the closest native thing to per-app volume, though you have to open each app to do it.
• Separate alert volume. System Settings > Sound has an alert volume slider for macOS system sounds. It doesn't cover notification sounds from most third-party apps.
• Silence notification sounds per app. In System Settings > Notifications you can turn sounds on or off for each app. It's on or off only, not quieter.
• Focus modes. A Focus can silence notifications from chosen apps, but it doesn't change the volume of media that's already playing.

None of these give you a single place to see every app that's playing sound and set each one's level.

Will Apple add a volume mixer?

We can't predict Apple's plans. So far, every macOS release including Tahoe has kept the single output volume. If per-app volume matters to you today, waiting for a future update isn't a plan.

How to get per-app volume control on macOS Tahoe

Third-party apps fill the gap. SoundDial, a per-app volume mixer for Mac is a menu-bar app that gives each running app its own slider.

What it does:

• Per-app volume from 0% to 200%: lower Spotify, keep Zoom where it is
• Boost a quiet app above 100%: up to 200%, without raising anything else
• Per-app mute: one click silences an app while the others keep playing

It works per app, not per browser tab, so all tabs of one browser share a slider. It does not record anything.

A typical use: you're on a call and music is playing. Open SoundDial from the menu bar, drag the music app down to 20%, and leave your call app at full volume. SoundDial's auto-ducking (on by default, can be turned off) can also do this for you: it lowers other apps while a call app uses the microphone and restores them when the call ends. More on the idea in per-app volume control on Mac, and for the background on why macOS works this way, see why doesn't Mac have a volume mixer.

SoundDial needs macOS 14.2 or later, so it runs on macOS Tahoe. It costs €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, no subscription.

Get SoundDial on the Mac App Store.