How-to

How to screen record on Mac.

Updated October 10, 2026 · macOS Sonoma 14 to macOS 27

The quick answer: press Shift-Command-5, choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion, then click Record. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command-Control-Esc. The video is saved to your desktop as a .mov file.

That’s the built-in way, and it’s all most people need. Below are three ways to screen record on a Mac, step by step: the Screenshot toolbar, QuickTime Player, and Framecast, an app for recordings that look edited. You’ll also find the shortcuts, how sound works, and fixes for the usual problems.

Method 1: the Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5)

This is the quickest way to record your screen on a Mac. It’s built into macOS, so there’s nothing to install.

1. Press Shift-Command-5. The Screenshot toolbar appears on your screen.
2. Choose what to record: Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion. For a portion, drag the frame’s borders around what you want. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later there’s also Record Selected Window.
3. If you like, click Options to pick a microphone, a timer or where to save. More on these below.
4. Click Record. If you chose Record Selected Window, click the window you want to record.
5. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc.
6. A thumbnail of the recording appears in the corner of the screen. Click it to trim or share the video, or wait, and it’s saved to your desktop.

Changed your mind before you start? Press Esc to cancel.

What’s in the Options menu

Before you click Record, Options on the toolbar changes how the recording is made:

• Save to: where the file goes. Recordings are saved to your desktop unless you pick another place here, or Other Location for any folder.
• Timer: how many seconds to wait after you click Record.
• Microphone: pick one to record your voice with the video. Choose None to turn it off.
• Include System Audio: records the sound your Mac plays. It’s there in macOS 27 Golden Gate or later.
• Show Mouse Clicks: draws a black circle around the pointer each time you click.
• Show Floating Thumbnail: the preview that appears after you stop.
• Remember Last Selection: keeps the area you selected ready for next time.
• Capture format: on supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, choose SDR (most compatible, H.264) or HDR (HEVC).

Method 2: QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player has its own New Screen Recording command. On current versions of macOS, it opens the same Screenshot toolbar, so you get the same video.

1. Open QuickTime Player from your Applications folder.
2. Choose File › New Screen Recording, or press Control-Command-N.
3. The Screenshot toolbar appears. Pick what to record, set any Options, then click Record.
4. Stop with the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc.

If your Mac shows a QuickTime window called Screen Recording instead of the toolbar, QuickTime is doing the recording itself. Click the arrow next to the Record button to choose a microphone or Show Mouse Clicks in Recording. Then click Record, and either click anywhere to record the whole screen, or drag to select an area and click Start Recording. When you stop, QuickTime opens the recording so you can play, edit or share it.

Method 3: Framecast, for recordings that look edited

The built-in tools give you a plain video of your screen. If you’re making a tutorial, a product demo or a walkthrough for someone else, Framecast records your screen and then does the editing for you: it zooms in where you click and type, smooths the cursor and puts the recording on a background. It’s a native Mac app for macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and it’s free to try with every feature.

1. Download Framecast, drag it to Applications and open it. When macOS asks, allow Screen Recording.
2. Press Option-Command-Return in any app. The recording bar appears.
3. Pick Display, Window or Area, or Device for an iPhone or iPad. On the row below, pick a camera, a microphone and whether to record your Mac’s sound.
4. Click Record or press Return. A 3-second countdown starts.
5. To stop, press Option-Command-Return again or click the red stop button. The editor opens with zooms, a smooth cursor and a background already added.
6. Press Command-E to export an MP4, MOV or GIF.

Recording and editing are free to try for as long as you like. Exporting needs a license: $79 once for up to 3 Macs with lifetime updates, or $15 a month. See pricing, or follow Your first video in the guide.

Which way should you use?

• Screenshot toolbar: built in and quick. Records the whole screen, a portion, or a single window on macOS Tahoe 26 or later. Adds your microphone, and the sound your Mac plays on macOS 27 or later. You can trim from the thumbnail. Best for a quick clip.
• QuickTime Player: the same toolbar, opened from QuickTime’s File menu. Handy if you already use QuickTime to play and trim your videos.
• Framecast: for videos other people will watch. Automatic zooms, a cursor you can resize and smooth, backgrounds, captions, your camera, and your Mac’s sound from every app or only the apps you pick. Exports MP4, MOV or GIF, up to 4K. Free to try; exporting needs a license.

How to screen record on a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro

The steps are the same on every Mac laptop: press Shift-Command-5, pick what to record and click Record. A few things are specific to MacBooks:

• The built-in microphone. In Options, under Microphone, it’s listed as MacBook Air Microphone or MacBook Pro Microphone. Pick it to record your voice without a headset.
• The Stop button and the notch. On a MacBook with a camera notch, a crowded menu bar can hide the Stop button behind the notch. Command-Control-Esc stops the recording anyway.
• Battery and storage. Long recordings make big files and use more power. Plug in for anything over a few minutes, and check you have free space.

Screen record shortcuts on Mac

• Shift-Command-5: open the Screenshot toolbar to record your screen.
• Command-Control-Esc: stop the recording.
• Esc: cancel before you click Record.
• Control-Command-N: New Screen Recording in QuickTime Player.
• Shift-Command-3 and Shift-Command-4: still screenshots of the screen or a part of it, not video.
• Option-Command-Return: open Framecast’s recording bar, and stop a Framecast recording.

To change Apple’s shortcuts, choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Keyboard, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then click Screenshots.

Troubleshooting

The recording has no sound

The toolbar only records the audio you choose. Open Options and make sure a microphone is picked under Microphone, not None. The sound your Mac plays, like a video in your browser, needs Include System Audio, which is in macOS 27 or later. On macOS Tahoe 26 and earlier, the built-in toolbar can add your microphone, but it doesn’t capture the sound playing on your Mac. Our guide to screen recording on Mac with audio covers every option.

An app can’t record, or asks for permission

Screen recording apps need your permission first. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Privacy & Security, click Screen & System Audio Recording, and turn the app on. Microphone access is in the same place, under Microphone. After you allow it, macOS may ask you to quit and reopen the app.

Part of the recording is black

Some apps, such as the Apple TV app, might not let you record their windows.

Where did my screen recording go?

Unless you changed Save to in Options, it’s on your desktop, named “Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov”. With the floating thumbnail on, the file is saved a few seconds after you stop, once the thumbnail goes away. Swipe the thumbnail to the right to save it straight away. Still missing? See where screen recordings go on Mac.

How do I stop a screen recording?

Click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc. In Framecast, press Option-Command-Return or click the red stop button on the recording controls. Can’t see the button? See how to stop a screen recording on Mac.

Make your screen recording look polished

A raw screen recording shows the whole screen at once: small text, a tiny pointer, and nothing to tell viewers where to look. A few edits fix that, and Framecast makes them for you:

• Automatic zoom. Framecast zooms in where you click and type, and follows your pointer while it’s zoomed. You don’t have to place a single zoom yourself. See Automatic zoom.
• A cursor people can follow. The pointer is drawn again after you record, so you can make it bigger, smooth out shaky movement and show each click with a circle or a ripple. See Cursor and Click effects.
• Captions. Written from your voice on your Mac and drawn into the video, or saved as SRT or VTT subtitle files. See Captions.
• A cleaner voice. Voice enhancement takes out keyboard, fan and room noise and evens out your volume, without changing the original recording. See Voice enhancement.
• A background. Your recording sits on a wallpaper, a gradient or a color, instead of filling the frame edge to edge. See Background.

Recording, transcription and voice cleanup all happen on your Mac. Download Framecast and try it with every feature; you only need a license when you export.

Questions