To see which apps can use the microphone, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone, and turn off any app you don't need. A switch that's on is permission, not use: when an app is using the mic, macOS shows an orange dot next to Control Center, and Control Center names the app.
Last reviewed · 3 sources
Where to find it
System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone
Microphone access allows an app to capture audio through your Mac's built-in microphone or any connected external microphone. Unlike the camera, the microphone has no hardware light. Instead, macOS shows an orange dot next to the Control Center icon in the menu bar while an app is using it, and Control Center names the app.
Click the Apple menu and select System Settings.
Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
Click Microphone in the privacy list. You'll see every app that has requested microphone access.
Review each app in the list. Pay special attention to apps you don't remember granting access to, or apps that shouldn't need a microphone (like a calculator or file manager).
Navigate to the Microphone permission list.
Click the toggle next to any app to revoke its microphone access immediately.
The app may need to be restarted for the change to take effect. Quit it fully (Command+Q) and reopen it.
With Full Disk Access, CoreLock's free Privacy report lists the apps macOS has granted the microphone and flags any still held by apps you've deleted; a grant is not proof of recording. Separately, CoreLock's menu bar shows when the microphone is in use and by which app, from the in-use state macOS keeps. It doesn't record anything.
Camera access lets an app take photos and video with your Mac's built-in camera or a connected webca...
Screen Recording lets an app capture what's on your screen, including other apps' windows, documents...
Input Monitoring lets an app watch your keyboard, mouse and trackpad even while another app is in fr...
Banshee Stealer appeared in mid-2024 and was rented out for $3,000 a month through Telegram and the ...
EvilQuest, also named ThiefQuest, was found in 2020 in trojanized pirated Mac apps, such as an unsig...
KeRanger was hidden in two installers of Transmission 2.90 that were posted on Transmission's own we...
Silver Sparrow is an activity cluster Red Canary reported in February 2021. Its installer packages u...
Unlike the camera's green LED, there is no hardware indicator for the microphone. Instead, an orange dot appears next to the Control Center icon in the menu bar when an app is using the microphone, and Control Center shows which app. It's a software indicator, so it's worth knowing which apps hold the permission too. CoreLock's Privacy screen lists which apps hold microphone permission, which adds a layer of visibility.
Yes. Once an app has microphone permission, it can record audio even when it's not the active window. This is by design for apps like voice recorders or meeting tools, but it means a compromised app could eavesdrop silently. Check System Settings regularly or use CoreLock to audit which apps hold this permission.
If you use web-based video calling (Google Meet, Zoom Web), your browser needs microphone access at the system level. Rather than revoking it entirely, manage per-site microphone permissions within your browser's settings for more granular control.
Not on recent Mac laptops. On Mac laptops with Apple silicon, and on MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with the T2 chip (all 13-inch ones, and all from 2019 on), Apple disconnects the microphone in hardware when the lid closes, so no software, even with root or kernel privileges, can use it.
The Privacy report and the scan are free, with no account, on macOS 13 or later.
Apple silicon build 2.0.7 · Intel Mac?
For your Mac, not this phone ·
Count the apps with Screen Recording, Accessibility, Full Disk Access, Microphone and Camera access in System Settings, and get a free 0–100 estimate in your browser.
Estimate your Security ScoreFree · Calculated in your browser