Why Can't You Share App Audio in Discord on Mac by Default?
On Windows, applications like VoiceMeeter let you route audio between programs through virtual cables. macOS has no built-in equivalent. The operating system treats each app's audio as a private stream sent directly to the system output device, and no other app can intercept it. Discord's input device selector only lists microphones and audio interfaces, not other applications.
The solution is a free virtual audio driver called LitLink that creates a bridge device between any application and Discord. LitLink installs in under a minute, requires no Terminal commands, and works on every Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, including Apple Silicon models.
How Does System Audio Passthrough Work for Discord?
System Audio Passthrough is the free method and the fastest way to get started. Open the LitLink app, toggle on System Audio Passthrough, and toggle on Mic Passthrough so Discord also hears your voice. LitLink creates a multi-output device behind the scenes and sets it as your default output, so all system audio flows through automatically.
- Download and install LitLink free, signed and notarized by Apple, under 300 KB
- Open the LitLink app search Spotlight or find it in Applications
- Toggle on System Audio Passthrough all Mac audio now mirrors to LitLink Audio Bridge
- Toggle on Mic Passthrough combines your microphone with app audio into one stream
- In Discord, set Input Device to LitLink Audio Bridge Settings > Voice & Video > Input Device
- Disable Krisp noise suppression Krisp filters out non-voice audio and will block app sounds
The trade-off with system-wide passthrough is that Discord hears everything on your Mac, including notification sounds and other app audio you may not want to share. The Discord soundboard setup guide covers how to configure Discord's voice settings to get the cleanest audio through this method.
How Do You Route a Single App to Discord Without Sharing Everything?
Per-app routing solves the biggest limitation of system-wide passthrough. Instead of Discord hearing every sound on your Mac, it only receives audio from the apps you choose. This is essential when you want to play a YouTube video for your Discord call but keep your Spotify playlist or game sound effects to yourself.
- Open the LitLink app make sure you are on the Pro version
- Navigate to per-app routing each running app appears in a list with its own routing toggle
- Enable routing for the target app for example, toggle on Chrome or Safari
- Leave other apps untouched only selected apps send audio to LitLink Audio Bridge
- In Discord, set Input Device to LitLink Audio Bridge same as the free method
Per-app routing is a core feature of per-app audio routing on Mac, and LitLink Pro is one of the few tools that provides it without requiring manual aggregate device configuration in Audio MIDI Setup. The routing persists across reboots, so you set it once and forget it.
How Do You Send Chrome or Safari Audio to Discord?
Sending browser audio to Discord is the most common use case for this setup. Teachers share educational videos during class calls. Gaming groups play YouTube clips or soundboards during voice chat. Music listeners share tracks with friends in real time. The browser does not need any special configuration because LitLink intercepts its audio at the system level.
One detail to keep in mind: if you use per-app routing for Chrome, all Chrome tabs route to Discord, not just the one playing audio. There is no way to route individual tabs because macOS treats Chrome as a single audio source. If you need to isolate a specific tab, open it in a separate browser (use Safari for the tab you want to share and Chrome for private browsing, or vice versa) and route only that browser.
How Do You Play YouTube Audio in a Discord Voice Channel?
This method is better than Discord's screen share audio for several reasons. Screen sharing compresses video and audio together, often reducing audio quality. It also forces everyone to watch your screen. Routing audio through LitLink sends only the sound, at the full quality your browser receives it, while leaving your screen private.
YouTube music, tutorials, podcasts, and live streams all work. The audio plays through your headphones simultaneously, so you hear what everyone else hears. Volume control works normally through both the YouTube player and your Mac's system volume. Discord members hear the audio as if it were coming from a high-quality microphone feed.
How Do You Route Game Audio to Discord on Mac?
Gaming is where per-app routing matters most. Competitive players want teammates to hear callouts and game sounds but not their background music. Streamers need game audio in Discord for co-commentary but route it separately to OBS for the stream mix. LitLink Pro handles both scenarios by letting you select exactly which audio sources reach each destination.
macOS games, Steam titles, and emulators all produce standard system audio that LitLink can capture. There is no special configuration per game. If the game plays sound through your speakers or headphones, LitLink can route it. The only requirement is that the game uses the default system output device, which nearly all Mac games do.
What Discord Settings Should You Change for App Audio?
Krisp is the most common culprit when app audio does not reach Discord. It is designed to remove non-voice sounds, which means it actively suppresses music, game audio, YouTube playback, and every other type of routed app audio. Disabling it is mandatory for this setup to work.
Echo cancellation can also cause problems, especially with music. It detects the routed audio as an echo of something playing locally and tries to cancel it out. Turning it off ensures the full audio signal passes through to the voice channel without processing artifacts.
What Are Common Problems When Routing App Audio to Discord?
If you are transitioning from a manual setup using Audio MIDI Setup aggregate devices, LitLink replaces that entire workflow. The LitLink Pro upgrade adds per-app granularity that aggregate devices cannot provide, since macOS aggregate devices operate at the system level and cannot isolate individual applications.
The same LitLink Audio Bridge device also works in reverse for recording Discord audio on Mac, capturing voice calls and music bots into Audacity, OBS, or any recording application.
Marcel Iseli is an indie developer, DJ, and music producer with over 20 years behind the decks and in the studio. Rooted in hip hop culture, he collects drum machines, samplers, and vintage audio gear. LitPads grew out of that obsession: decades of triggering samples on hardware led him to build the software equivalent he always wanted.