# Levels

> Levels is a free, tiny macOS menu bar app that gives every app its own volume slider and mute button. It uses Apple's Core Audio process taps (macOS 14.2+), so it installs no drivers or kernel extensions. Install with `brew install rafaelisdev/tap/levels`.

Key facts:

- Platform: macOS 11 Big Sur and later, universal app (Apple Silicon and Intel), 0.8 MB download.
- Languages: follows the Mac's language — English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Korean.
- Per-app volume and mute require macOS 14.2 or later; on older systems Levels controls the output device volume only.
- Permission: macOS asks once for "System Audio Recording Only". Audio is processed locally in real time; nothing is recorded, stored or uploaded.
- If Levels quits or crashes, every app immediately returns to its normal volume.
- Levels remembers each app's volume and re-applies it whenever that app plays again.
- Price: free. Source code: https://github.com/rafaelisdev/levels
- Current version: 1.3. Formerly named VolumeMixer.

## Install

- Homebrew: `brew install rafaelisdev/tap/levels` (update with `brew upgrade levels`, remove with `brew uninstall --zap levels`)
- Script: `curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rafaelisdev/levels/main/install.sh | bash` (downloads the latest release, verifies its SHA-256, installs to /Applications)
- Manual: download Levels.zip from https://github.com/rafaelisdev/levels/releases/latest; the app is not notarized, so macOS blocks the first launch: open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click "Open Anyway".

## Docs

- [Website](https://getlevels.vercel.app/): overview, interactive panel preview, install steps, FAQ
- [README](https://github.com/rafaelisdev/levels#readme): building from source, release process, debug flags
- [Full description for LLMs](https://getlevels.vercel.app/llms-full.txt): how Levels works internally

## Optional

- [Releases](https://github.com/rafaelisdev/levels/releases): version history and downloads
- [Homebrew tap](https://github.com/rafaelisdev/homebrew-tap): the cask definition