Mac Microphone and Screen Recording Permissions

Hedy on Mac needs two permissions to work fully: Microphone (captures your voice) and Screen Recording (captures the audio of other apps like Zoom, Teams, or Meet during virtual meetings). Both live under System Settings > Privacy & Security, and both can reset after major macOS updates.

What Each Permission Enables

Permission	What It Captures	Without It
Microphone	Your voice through your selected mic	Hedy can’t record any audio at all
Screen Recording	The audio of other apps playing on your Mac (the other participants in a video call)	Hedy records only your voice — the other side of virtual meetings is missing

Screen Recording sounds like an unrelated permission — Hedy doesn’t take screenshots or record your screen. This is just the umbrella permission Apple uses for any app that captures audio from other apps on macOS. Hedy implements this with a CoreAudio process tap, but the user-facing permission is still labeled “Screen Recording.”

Granting Microphone Permission

Open System Settings
Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar
Click Microphone
Find Hedy in the list and turn the toggle on

If Hedy isn’t in the list, open Hedy and try to start a session — macOS will prompt you the first time Hedy tries to use the microphone. If no prompt appears, force-quit and relaunch Hedy.

When microphone permission is missing, Hedy shows: “Microphone permission denied. Please grant Microphone permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security.” with an Open Settings button that takes you directly there.

Granting Screen Recording Permission

Open System Settings
Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar
Click Screen Recording
Find Hedy in the list and turn the toggle on

Hedy will detect the permission grant automatically — you don’t need to restart the app for it to take effect. If capture still fails after granting permission, quitting and reopening Hedy is a reasonable next step.

When screen recording permission is missing at session start, Hedy shows: “Screen Recording permission denied. Please grant Screen Recording permission in System Settings > Privacy & Security.” with a button that opens the right Settings pane directly.

If Hedy isn’t in the list yet, start a session — Hedy requests the permission at session start, and macOS will surface the prompt then.

What Happens If Permissions Are Denied

Hedy degrades gracefully rather than refusing to run:

Microphone only, no Screen Recording: Hedy will show the Screen Recording permission dialog and offer to continue with microphone only. Sessions work, but only your voice is captured. This is fine for solo work or in-person meetings — but for video calls, you’ll miss the other side.
No Microphone: Sessions can’t start. Hedy will direct you to grant the permission.
No microphone hardware detected at all: Hedy shows “No Microphone Detected” with the message “Please connect a microphone or headset to your Mac and try again.” This usually means the Mac’s built-in microphone is disabled or a removable mic disconnected.
Capture failure even with permissions granted: If the macOS audio plugin can’t start the capture (rare), Hedy shows “Failed to start audio capture on macOS” with a follow-up note “System audio unavailable - only your microphone will be recorded.” This is distinct from a permission denial.

When Permissions Reset

Apple resets app permissions periodically. The most common triggers are:

Major macOS upgrades (e.g., going from Sonoma to Sequoia)
Reinstalling Hedy or moving it between volumes
Some macOS security audits (rare, but happens — Apple introduced weekly Screen Recording prompts in Sequoia)

If Hedy was capturing virtual meetings perfectly yesterday and isn’t today, re-check both toggles before troubleshooting anything else.

Other macOS Permissions Hedy May Request

Depending on which features you use, Hedy may also ask for:

Camera — only when you’re sharing diagnostic screenshots with support
Photo Library — only when sharing media files in support tickets
Local Network — for some connectivity features

These are optional. You can leave them off without affecting recording or transcription.

Hedy Isn’t Capturing Other Participants in Virtual Meetings — the most common reason to revisit Screen Recording permission
Hedy System Requirements — Hedy on Mac requires macOS 14.2 or later
Fix App Permissions on iPhone & Android — for the mobile equivalent

Still having trouble? Contact us through the chat widget — include your macOS version (Apple menu > About This Mac) and any error messages Hedy is showing.