Newer versions of macOS show a per-app volume list inside Control Center's Sound module, but coverage is inconsistent: some apps appear there and can be adjusted individually, while many others, including most browser tabs, do not show up at all and stay tied to the one system-wide slider.
The system volume key on your keyboard changes one number for everything at once, which is fine right up until a video call and a music app need to be different volumes in the same moment. Here is what macOS itself offers, where it stops, and how to get a volume that actually holds per app rather than per system.
What macOS's own per-app volume covers
Click the volume icon in Control Center and, on a Mac running a recent version of macOS, apps that currently have audio playing may appear in a short list underneath the main slider, each with its own level. Where it appears, it works exactly as you would hope: dragging that app's slider changes only that app.
The gap is which apps show up. Coverage depends on whether an app has adopted the system's audio session APIs, and plenty have not. Most browsers list tabs rather than the browser as a whole, many call apps do not appear individually at all, and the list only shows apps that are actively making sound right now rather than a persistent set of saved levels you can rely on returning to.
Why one app can seem stuck at full volume
An app that does not show its own slider is not broken, it is simply not participating in the system's per-app volume feature. Its audio still respects the master system volume, but there is no second control layered on top of that for macOS to expose. The practical effect is the same either way: you cannot turn that one app down without also turning down everything else.
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Download for MacA consistent volume slider for every app
Chorus lists every app currently playing sound in its own menu-bar panel and gives each one a slider, regardless of whether that app supports macOS's own per-app volume feature or not. A quiet podcast and a loud game can sit at whatever levels suit them, independently of the system volume and independently of each other, and the level is remembered the next time that app plays audio rather than resetting.
Mute works the same way: silence one app entirely, whether it is a notification sound, a background download chime, or a call you have stepped away from, without touching anything else that happens to be playing at the same time.
What a saved per-app level actually solves
- A game and a call at the same time. Keep the game loud enough to matter while a voice chat app stays at a level where teammates are not shouting over explosions, without touching the game's own in-app volume setting.
- Background music while you work. Set a quiet level once for a music app and leave it there, rather than nudging the system volume up and down every time something else needs to be heard clearly.
- Notification sounds that are too loud or too quiet. Pin an app's alert sound to a sensible level independently of whatever else is currently playing.
None of these need the app itself to support macOS's own per-app volume feature. Chorus sits outside the app and adjusts its output directly, so it works the same way whether the app in question has built proper support for it or not.
Volume and output are two separate settings
It is worth being precise about what "per-app volume" actually changes, because it is easy to conflate with a related but different feature. Volume controls how loud an app plays through whichever output it is already using. Sending that app to a different speaker or headset entirely is a separate setting, covered in our guide to sending one app to a different output. Chorus does both from the same list, but they are two controls, not one.
Frequently asked questions
Does macOS let you set a different volume for each app?
Partially. Newer versions of macOS show a per-app volume list in Control Center's Sound module, but only for apps that have adopted the feature, and the level is not remembered once the app quits. Many everyday apps, including most browser tabs, do not appear in the list at all.
Why doesn't a specific app show up in Control Center's volume list?
It only lists apps that support macOS's per-app audio session feature, and plenty of apps have not built that in. An app missing from the list still plays audio, it just shares the one system-wide volume rather than having a control of its own.
Does Chorus give every app its own volume?
Yes. Chorus lists every app currently playing audio and gives each one an independent slider, regardless of whether that app supports macOS's own per-app volume feature, and the level is remembered the next time it plays.
Is per-app volume the same as sending an app to a different speaker?
No, they are separate settings. Volume controls how loud an app plays through whatever output it is already using; choosing a different output entirely, such as sending one app to headphones while another stays on speakers, is a separate control covered in our guide to per-app output routing.
Can I mute one app without muting everything else on a Mac?
With Chorus, yes: mute any single app in its list and everything else keeps playing normally. Without a dedicated per-app control, muting on a Mac only applies to the whole system at once.
