No. The volume keys on a Mac keyboard control a single master output level that sits in front of every app, so pressing them turns everything up or down at once. There's no built-in way to point the volume keys at one app. To raise, lower, or mute a single app from your keyboard, you need a per-app mixer that sits at the system audio layer — and then a keystroke can move just that app while the rest stay put.
It's one of the first things people notice when they want music low and a call loud, or a game down and voice chat up. You tap the volume-down key expecting it to touch the noisy app, and instead the whole mix drops together. That isn't a bug or a setting you missed. It's how macOS is wired.
What the volume keys actually do
On a Mac, the brightness and volume keys along the top row (F10, F11, F12, or the equivalent media keys on an external keyboard) are mapped to the system's output volume. macOS mixes every running app down to one shared output device — your speakers, AirPods, or a headset — and the volume keys adjust that one final level. There is a single slider in the chain, so moving it scales all apps by the same amount at the same moment.
That's why F11 quiets your music, your browser, Slack pings, and the call you're on, all together. The keys were never per-app; they're a master fader with a key on it. If you want the full reasoning behind the one-output design, see why turning down your Mac volume lowers everything at once.
Why macOS doesn't offer a per-app volume key
Windows has had a Volume Mixer — one panel, one slider per app — since Vista, and many Windows keyboards let you ride that. macOS took the simpler path: one output, one level, one set of keys. Core Audio, the engine underneath, can track audio per process, but Apple never surfaced a per-app control in the Sound settings or bound the volume keys to anything but the master. So out of the box there's no toggle, no hidden preference, and no Terminal command that makes the volume key target a single app.
The workarounds that don't really solve it
Before reaching for software, it's worth knowing the free moves and where they stop:
| Approach | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| System volume keys | Move the master output | Always changes every app together |
| An app's own slider | Sets that one app's level | Only apps that have a slider; not on a key; scattered |
| Mute key (F10) | Silences all output | All-or-nothing, never one app |
| Lower master, raise the app | Rebalances by hand | Fiddly, breaks the next time you touch the keys |
People also try remapping the keys themselves with a tool like Karabiner-Elements. That can change what a key sends, but it can't invent a per-app volume the system doesn't expose — a remapped key still ends up moving the one master output, just from a different key. The limit isn't the keyboard; it's that macOS only offers one level to point a key at.
These get you through a one-off. What none of them give you is a key you can press to move one specific app and leave the rest exactly where they are. For that, the volume has to be split per app before it reaches the shared output — which is precisely what a per-app mixer does.
The fix: bind keys to individual apps
A per-app mixer inserts itself at the system audio layer and gives every running app its own level. Once each app has a separate fader, you can assign keys to those faders — and that's the part the built-in keys can't do. Now "turn the browser down" or "mute Discord" is a single keystroke that ignores whatever window you're in and touches only the app you mean.
This is the niche Fader is built for. You hit a toggle hotkey and your keyboard becomes a mixer: the Q/A/Z column rides one app, W/S/X the next, and so on, with a per-app mute key on each. The system volume keys still do their master job; Fader adds the per-app layer on top, reachable without leaving your hands on the keyboard. If a dedicated per-app mute key is all you're after, the steps are in how to set a keyboard shortcut to mute an app on Mac.
How the per-app mixers compare
Several apps add per-app volume to macOS. They all clear the bar the built-in keys can't; they differ in how fast you reach the control and what you pay. Prices below are one-time unless noted, and current as of June 2026 — check each maker's site before buying.
| App | Per-app volume | Keyboard control | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background Music | Yes | No (menu-bar list) | Free, open source |
| SoundSource | Yes | Limited | $49 one-time |
| eqMac | Yes (Pro) | Limited | Free EQ; paid Pro tier |
| Fader | Yes | Yes — keys per app | $19.99 one-time |
Background Music is genuinely free and good if you don't mind reaching for the menu bar each time. SoundSource is the deep, polished option with EQ and routing built in. eqMac leads with a free equalizer and puts per-app volume behind its Pro tier. Fader's angle is narrower on purpose: it makes the keyboard the mixer, so the per-app volume key you wished macOS had is the thing you actually get.
Bottom line
The Mac volume keys do not control individual apps, and there's no built-in setting that changes that — they move one master output that every app shares. The free workarounds rebalance things by hand and fall apart the moment you tap the keys again. If you want a key that raises, lowers, or mutes a single app and leaves the rest alone, you need a per-app mixer sitting under the system audio. That's exactly the gap Fader fills, and it does it from the keyboard you're already typing on.
Give every app its own volume key
Fader turns letter keys into per-app faders, each with a mute. $19.99 one-time, 3-day free trial, no account. macOS 14.4+.