Record one app in OBS without capturing the rest of Windows

Give the chosen app its own audio source

Before changing audio settings, stop any live stream and note the current devices. Disabling desktop capture can also remove wanted music, alerts, or a call. List what the recording must include, then account for each sound separately.

Select the app that is making sound

In Sources, select + > Application Audio Capture (BETA), name the source clearly, and choose the application's window. If its title changes, inspect Window Match Priority and prefer a suitable executable-based match. The official application-audio guide explains these options and their compatibility limits.

OBS 30.1 and later can instead capture audio through the Capture Audio (BETA) option in Window Capture or Game Capture properties. Use one route for the same app, not both.

In Settings > Audio, set the active global Desktop Audio devices to Disabled when your goal is to exclude the rest of the desktop. Leave unrelated microphone choices alone unless you also intend to remove your voice.

Test inclusion and exclusion separately

Watch the Audio Mixer while the chosen app produces a recognizable sound. Its meter should respond. OBS's Quick Start Guide recommends checking meters and making a test recording before a real session.

For this setup, use a short local recording with three distinct moments:

1. Play sound in the chosen app with everything else quiet.
2. Pause that sound and play a harmless sound in an app you want excluded.
3. Speak into the microphone only if your voice should be included.

Play back the saved file. The first moment should be audible, the second silent, and the third should match your microphone choice. Use headphones for the check so a speaker playing an unwanted sound is not picked up acoustically by your microphone.

If the unwanted app is still audible, inspect the remaining mixer sources for another broad output capture or monitoring path. If the wanted source has a moving meter but the recording is silent, check recording-track assignments. Doubled sound calls for the duplicate-capture checks.

When the chosen application stays silent

Reopen the capture properties and confirm the selected window belongs to the app currently playing sound. Repeat after restarting that app. Some applications are incompatible with application capture; changing video sources repeatedly may not help.

Use the Help Portal linked from OBS's Quick Start Guide with your OBS version, Windows version, app name, and which test moment failed. Remove private titles and addresses from screenshots or logs before posting them publicly.