About MixDesk
A native menu-bar volume mixer for macOS, made by a small team that got tired of one master slider trying to control everything.
Who makes MixDesk
MixDesk is built and sold by Gopher Tech, LLC, a small software company registered in Wyoming, United States. We make one thing and try to make it well: a per-app volume mixer that feels like it should have shipped with the Mac. There's no venture money, no sprawling product line, and no growth team dreaming up ways to upsell you. Just the app.
You can reach a real person at support@mixdesk.app. That address goes to the people who wrote the code.
Why MixDesk exists
Windows has had a per-app volume mixer since 2007. The Mac still doesn't — not because it can't, but because Apple decided a single system slider was enough. It usually isn't. The moment you have music, a call, a game, and six browser tabs all making noise, one slider can't sort that out. We wrote more about why macOS never shipped a volume mixer if you're curious about the history.
When Apple added a public Core Audio process-tap API in macOS 14.2, the hard part of building a proper mixer finally became possible without a kernel extension or virtual audio driver. So we built the mixer on top of it.
What we believe about the product
A few principles shape every decision we make.
- Native, no driver. MixDesk uses Apple's own process-tap API. There's nothing to install into the system, no virtual audio device to route through, and nothing left behind if you delete the app.
- Privacy-first, on-device. Your audio is read locally, in real time, only to draw meters and set volumes. It's never recorded, never uploaded, and never reaches us. There's no account and no sign-in. See our privacy policy for the full picture.
- A one-time price, not a subscription. MixDesk is $9 once, with a 14-day free trial first. Buy it, own it. We'd rather earn your recommendation than your recurring credit-card charge.
- Honest about the limits. MixDesk shows live levels for every app and mutes any app instantly. It offers a true volume slider and transport controls for scriptable music apps like Spotify and Apple Music, but it can't set an arbitrary app like Chrome to 40% — for browsers and most apps, it's mute-only. It has no equalizer and no audio-device routing. If you need those, SoundSource is the honest recommendation, and we'll tell you so.
Why it isn't on the Mac App Store
Reading and controlling another app's audio needs access that Apple's App Store sandbox doesn't allow. That's the same reason none of the serious Mac audio tools are on the App Store. So, like the others, MixDesk is sold directly from mixdesk.app. It requires macOS 14.2 or later · Apple silicon or Intel.
Get in touch
Questions, bug reports, refund requests, or just want to tell us what's missing? Email support@mixdesk.app. If you'd like to try MixDesk first, the free trial runs for 14 days with no card required.