Mac Volume Hotkeys Per App: Control Individual App Volume Like a Pro

The Problem with Mac Volume Control Mac users coming from Windows often miss having dedicated volume hotkeys for individual applications. On macOS, the volume keys only control system-wide audio, which means turning down a loud Chrome tab also affects your music, video calls, and notification sounds. While macOS has excellent global volume controls, it lacks the granular per-application hotkey support that many productivity-focused users need. Here's how to get proper per-app volume hotkeys on your Mac. Why macOS Doesn't Have Built-in Per-App Volume Hotkeys Apple designed macOS audio around the concept of unified system control. The reasoning was that users should manage audio at the source (within each app) rather than through system-level mixers. This philosophy works well for casual use, but breaks down when you're juggling multiple audio sources throughout the day. Unlike Windows, which has included a volume mixer with per-app hotkey support since Vista, macOS requires third-party