MixBar

Check these in order — the first two cover most cases:

1. Permission. Open the settings and look at the Permissions tab. If it does not show System Audio Recording granted, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Audio Recording and enable MixBar. If it already looks on, switch it off and on again, then quit and reopen MixBar from the menu bar.
2. macOS is playing to the device you are listening to. Check System Settings → Sound → Output: if your speakers or headphones are not the system output, nothing MixBar does will be audible there.
3. The trial or unlock state. After the 7-day trial ends, per-app volume control pauses by design until the one-time unlock. The About tab shows your current state.
4. The app's own volume. The app may be muted or low in its own settings — MixBar multiplies what the app itself produces.

The entry appears only after the app first asks for access. If the prompt was dismissed, quit MixBar from the menu bar and launch it again from Applications, then accept the system prompt. If the list still does not show it, click the + button under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Audio Recording and add MixBar from your Applications folder.

MixBar lists apps that are running and are eligible to play audio. If an app has not made a sound yet, toggle the panel's filter to show all apps instead of only acoustically active ones.

A few apps play through helper processes that carry a different name than the app itself — the entry appears under that name. If an app never appears at all, email us the app's name and we'll look at how it outputs audio.

• Make sure auto-ducking is enabled and check which apps trigger it — common call apps are recognized automatically; a lesser-known app may need to be added.
• The call app must be running and actually in a call; joining screens or ringing tones may not count.
• The ducking depth is a setting — if it's near zero, the dip will be inaudible.

1. Open the settings' About tab and choose Restore Purchases.
2. Make sure you are signed in to the same Apple Account that made the purchase (System Settings → Apple Account).
3. Purchases are tied to your Apple Account, not to a single Mac — the same unlock works on all your Macs with that account.

If restoring still fails, email cardinalys81@gmail.com with the date of purchase. We cannot see your Apple Account or payment details, so a receipt from Apple helps.

• Bluetooth headphones add their own delay that no app can remove; wired headphones or built-in speakers feel tighter.
• Heavy CPU load can cause dropouts. Quitting the load usually clears them — if it persists, email us your Mac model and the apps involved.
• If a specific output device misbehaves, try switching the app (or the system) to another device to isolate whether the device is at fault.

• Check that the hotkeys are enabled in settings — each action has its own switch.
• Another app may have claimed the same combination — quit or reconfigure it to test.
• The default shortcuts are ⌃ ⌥ M (mute frontmost), ⌃ ⌥ ↑/↓ (frontmost volume), ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ M (mute background), ⌃ ⌥ F (fader) and ⌃ ⌥ P (next profile). All of them can be remapped.

Open the MIDI tab in settings — the Status section shows whether CoreMIDI sees your device. If it does not appear there, the device is not visible to macOS itself; reconnect it or check it with Audio MIDI Setup (/Applications/Utilities). Once it appears, add a binding for the control you want to drive.

Settings include a Reset all settings action that returns every slider, EQ curve, routing rule and profile to its factory state. Your unlock is untouched — it belongs to your Apple Account, not to the settings.

Quit MixBar from the menu bar and switch off its login item under System Settings → General → Login Items. Launch it manually from Applications whenever you want it back.

1. Quit MixBar from the menu bar.
2. Drag MixBar from Applications to the Bin.
3. Optionally turn its switch off under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Audio Recording.

MixBar stores only your own preferences on the Mac and nothing on any server, so removing the app removes everything there is to remove. Your purchase stays on your Apple Account and can be restored later at no extra cost.

Yes — requests shape what gets built next. Email the app, output device or behavior you have in mind, with a sentence about the setup you want to achieve. Headphone EQ additions are limited to models with published measurements in the AutoEq project.

No. Each app's output is tapped through Apple's public per-app audio API, adjusted in real time, and played straight back to your speakers. Audio is never written to disk, logged or transmitted. There is no network code in the app other than Apple's App Store purchase check. See the privacy policy for the full statement.

It is the only way macOS lets an app read and adjust another app's audio output. The permission gives MixBar a real-time view of app audio solely to control its level — it is not a microphone monitor, and nothing it sees leaves your Mac.

No. The 7-day trial is free and the full unlock is a single one-time in-app purchase of $14.99. There is nothing to cancel and no recurring charge.

Per-app volume control pauses until you unlock. Your profiles, EQ curves, routing rules and every other setting are preserved, and everything returns the moment you purchase. Nothing is deleted.

Yes — any output device macOS recognizes can be an app's output, including AirPlay receivers on your network. Outputs can also be grouped, and priority devices can take over automatically when they connect.

Apple handles all App Store billing and refunds. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com using the Apple Account that made the purchase. If something in the app caused the problem, email us as well — we would rather fix it.

There is no account and no sign-up. MixBar collects no personal data, so there is nothing on our side to export or delete. Your settings live only on your Mac and are removed with the app. Purchase records belong to your Apple Account and are managed by Apple.

macOS 14.2 Sonoma and later — the per-app audio API MixBar is built on arrived in macOS 14.2. Both Apple silicon and Intel Macs are supported.