How to record your screen on Mac

macOS has a solid built-in screen recorder — no third-party app needed for most use cases. Here's how to use it, from a quick full-screen capture to a narrated tutorial with microphone audio.

The quickest way: ⌘⇧5

Press ⌘⇧5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. The same toolbar you use for screenshots has two recording modes on the right side:

• Record Entire Screen — captures everything on the display you click.
• Record Selected Portion — drag a region, then click Record. Good for recording a single window or a specific area without distracting context.

Before you click Record, open Options to set:

• Microphone — pick your built-in mic or any connected audio device.
• Timer — a 5 or 10-second countdown so you can position your cursor before recording starts.
• Show Mouse Clicks — adds a subtle highlight around your cursor when you click, useful for tutorials.
• Save to — Desktop by default; change it to any folder.

Click Record. When you're done, press ⌘⇧5 again and click Stop Recording, or click the stop icon (⏹) that appears in the menu bar. The recording saves as a .mov file.

Record with QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player has its own screen recording path, which some people find more direct:

1. Open QuickTime Player (it's in Applications).
2. Go to File → New Screen Recording.
3. Click the arrow next to the record button to select a microphone.
4. Click the red record button, then click anywhere to record the full screen — or drag a region.
5. Click Stop in the menu bar when done.

QuickTime is also useful if you want to immediately play back and inspect the recording before saving — it opens the file in the player window as soon as you stop.

Record with microphone audio

Both methods support microphone audio, but it's easy to miss. In ⌘⇧5 → Options, the microphone is set to "None" by default — change it to your mic before you click Record or you'll get a silent video.

macOS records system audio separately if you have BlackHole or a similar virtual audio device installed. Otherwise, only your microphone voice is captured — not app sounds or music. For most tutorials and walkthroughs, the mic alone is enough.

Trim and share

Once you stop recording, a thumbnail appears in the corner (like screenshots). Click it to open the clip in QuickTime. From there:

• Edit → Trim (⌘T) — drag the yellow handles to cut the start and end.
• File → Export As — choose 4K, 1080p, 720p, or 480p for a smaller file.
• File → Share — send directly to AirDrop, Mail, or Messages.

Fix "permission denied" errors

If macOS blocks the recording with a permission error, the app needs Screen Recording access:

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.
2. Find the app in the list (QuickTime, Terminal, or whichever triggered the prompt).
3. Toggle it on. You may need to quit and reopen the app.

On macOS Sequoia (15) and later, you'll also see a permission indicator in the menu bar during any screen recording.