Guides / Record a Discord call on Mac
DISCORD · MACOS · 4 MIN READ

How to record a Discord call on a Mac

Discord has never had a Record button. Bots can record server voice channels, but not direct calls. Here’s what works on a Mac when you want everyone’s voice in one file.

The short answer

Discord has no built-in call recording. To record a Discord call on a Mac with everyone’s audio, record it on your own machine. MeetingRecorder is a free menu-bar app for Mac that records your microphone and the Discord audio together and saves an audio file on your Mac. No bot joins the call, and it works for server voice channels, direct calls and group calls. It records the voices, not the video.

Consent first. Recording laws vary by country and state, and many are “all-party consent.” Tell everyone in the call that you’re recording and get their OK. With a local recorder nothing joins the call, so disclosure is your responsibility — not the tool’s.

Option 1 — a recording bot (Craig)

Craig is the best-known Discord recording bot. You invite it to your server, it joins the voice channel, and it records each speaker on a separate track.

  • Good: free for basic use, and separate tracks are great for podcasts.
  • Annoying: you need permission to add a bot to the server, and the bot is a visible participant in the channel.
  • Doesn’t help with direct calls and group calls — bots work in server voice channels only.

Option 2 — OBS or macOS screen recording

OBS Studio is free and can record a Discord window with its audio. On macOS 13 and later it can capture a single application. It is a streaming tool, so expect some setup: sources, audio routing, output format.

The built-in ⌘⇧5 recorder is simpler. On macOS 15 and 26 it records only your microphone, so the other people are silent. On macOS 27, open Options in the ⌘⇧5 toolbar and turn on Include System Audio. Both tools give you a video file and no transcript. More on this in recording system audio on macOS.

Option 3 — a local recorder (everyone’s voice, no bot)

A menu-bar app records your mic and the call’s audio together and saves the file to a folder on your Mac. Nothing joins the call, so it does not matter whether you are in a server, a direct call or a group call.

With MeetingRecorder the flow is:

  • Click Start Recording in the menu bar before or during the call.
  • It captures both sides of the call — your mic and everyone else — as one mix, or as separate mic and system tracks.
  • When the call ends, one click gives you a transcript with speaker labels and a short summary.

You get an audio file (M4A), not a video. Everything stays local unless you choose to transcribe, and there’s no account to set up.

Rule of thumb: a podcast in your own server — use Craig for per-speaker tracks. A direct or group call, or a server where you can’t add bots — record locally.

Which should you use?

  • Your own server, and you want one track per speaker: Craig.
  • You need the video or a stream: OBS, or ⌘⇧5 on macOS 27.
  • Direct or group call, or you just want the conversation saved with a transcript: a local recorder.

Common questions

Does Discord have a built-in call recorder?
No. Discord cannot record voice or video calls on its own. You need a bot such as Craig for server voice channels, a screen recorder such as OBS, or a local recorder that captures the audio on your computer. On a Mac, MeetingRecorder records your microphone and the Discord audio together and saves an audio file.
Can I record a Discord direct call or group call?
Not with a bot: recording bots such as Craig work in server voice channels only. For a direct call or a group call, record on your own computer. A local recorder captures whatever Discord is playing, so it works the same for direct calls, group calls and voice channels.
Will people in the call see that I am recording?
A bot is visible: it joins the voice channel as a participant. A local recorder or screen recorder is not visible, because nothing joins the call. That makes telling everyone your responsibility. Say that you are recording and get their OK first.

Record your next call in one click.

Mic + system audio, saved locally, transcript included. No bot, no host toggle, free.

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Keep reading
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