How-to

QuickTime screen recording on Mac.

Updated October 9, 2026 · macOS Sonoma 14 to macOS 27

The quick answer: open QuickTime Player, choose File › New Screen Recording or press Control-Command-N, 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 recording is saved to your desktop as a .mov file.

On current versions of macOS, QuickTime’s New Screen Recording opens the Screenshot toolbar, the same one you get with Shift-Command-5. That’s where you choose what to record and whether to include sound. Below: the steps, sound on each macOS version, trimming and exporting in QuickTime, and fixes.

How to screen record with QuickTime Player

1. Open QuickTime Player from your Applications folder.
2. Choose File › New Screen Recording, or press Control-Command-N. The Screenshot toolbar appears.
3. Choose 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, you can also choose Record Selected Window.
4. Click Options to pick a microphone, a timer, where to save, and whether to show your clicks. More on sound below.
5. Click Record. If you chose Record Selected Window, click the window you want.
6. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc.
7. A thumbnail appears in the corner of the screen. Click it to trim or share the recording, or wait, and it’s saved.

Changed your mind before you start? Press Esc to cancel. Depending on where you chose to save the recording, an app may open when you stop.

The options worth knowing

• Save to: recordings go to your desktop unless you pick another place, or Other Location for any folder.
• Timer: how many seconds to wait after you click Record.
• Microphone: the microphone for your voice, or None.
• Include System Audio: the sound your Mac plays, in macOS 27 Golden Gate or later.
• Show Mouse Clicks: a black circle around the pointer each time you click.
• Capture format: on supported Macs with macOS Tahoe 26 or later, SDR (Most Compatible, H.264) or HDR (HEVC).

If QuickTime opens its own Screen Recording window

If you see a window called Screen Recording instead of the toolbar, QuickTime Player is doing the recording itself. Click the arrow next to the Record button to choose a microphone or Show Mouse Clicks in Recording. Click Record, then click anywhere to record the whole screen, or drag to select an area and click Start Recording. Stop the same way: the Stop button in the menu bar, or Command-Control-Esc. QuickTime then opens the recording so you can play, edit or share it. To keep it, choose File › Save and pick a name and a place.

QuickTime screen recording with audio

Sound in a screen recording means two different things: your microphone, for your voice, and system audio, the sound your Mac plays, like a video in your browser. What QuickTime can record depends on your version of macOS.

macOS Sonoma 14, Sequoia 15 and Tahoe 26: your voice only

1. In QuickTime Player, press Control-Command-N.
2. Click Options. Under Microphone, choose the microphone you want, so a checkmark appears next to it.
3. Click Record and talk as you go.

On these versions, the toolbar doesn’t have Include System Audio, so the sound playing on your Mac isn’t recorded. To capture it, you need an app that records system audio itself. Framecast does, on macOS 14 Sonoma or later; see below.

macOS 27 Golden Gate or later: your voice and your Mac’s sound

1. In QuickTime Player, press Control-Command-N and pick what to record.
2. Click Options and choose Include System Audio.
3. For your voice too, choose a microphone under Microphone in the same menu.
4. Click Record. Stop with the Stop button in the menu bar, or Command-Control-Esc.

In QuickTime’s own Screen Recording window

Click the arrow next to the Record button and choose a microphone. The volume slider there lets you hear that audio while you record. If you get feedback, lower the volume or use headphones with a microphone.

For every audio option on a Mac, including recording your voice and your Mac’s sound at once, see how to screen record on Mac with audio.

How to trim and export a QuickTime screen recording

Trim the start and end

The quickest trim is right after you stop: click the thumbnail in the corner of the screen to open a window where you can trim the recording. Or open the file in QuickTime Player:

1. Choose Edit › Trim, or press Command-T.
2. Drag the yellow handles in the trimming bar. Everything outside the handles is cut. To be precise, click and hold a handle to see individual frames.
3. Click Trim.

Cut something out of the middle

Choose View › Show Clips, move the playhead to where you want a cut, and choose Edit › Split Clip (Command-Y). Split again at the end of the part you don’t want, delete that clip, click Done, then choose File › Save. To take the sound out of a recording entirely, choose Edit › Remove Audio.

Export a copy

1. Choose File › Export As, then pick 4K, 1080p, 720p, 480p or Audio Only. Sizes bigger than your recording are dimmed.
2. For 4K or 1080p, use the Format menu: Smaller File Size exports HEVC, and Greater Compatibility exports H.264.
3. Enter a name, choose a place and click Save. To watch a long export, choose Window › Show Export Progress.

One catch: QuickTime Player exports a QuickTime movie (.mov), using H.264 or HEVC. Apple says it doesn’t export MP4 videos. Need an MP4? The free MOV to MP4 converter does it in your browser, with no upload.

Troubleshooting QuickTime screen recording

The recording has no sound

The toolbar records only the audio you choose. Click Options and make sure a microphone is picked under Microphone, not None. The sound your Mac plays needs Include System Audio, which is in macOS 27 or later; on macOS Tahoe 26 and earlier, QuickTime can’t record it. In QuickTime’s own Screen Recording window, choose the microphone from the arrow next to the Record button.

Some apps can’t be recorded

If an app’s window is missing from your recording, that app may be blocking it. Apple notes that some apps, such as the Apple TV app, might not let you record their windows.

Where did my QuickTime screen recording go?

Unless you chose another place under Save to in Options, it’s on your desktop, named “Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov”. With Show Floating Thumbnail on, the thumbnail stays in the corner for a few seconds before the file is saved; swipe it to the right to save it straight away. If QuickTime recorded in its own window, the recording is open in QuickTime Player until you choose File › Save. More places to look: where screen recordings go on Mac.

I can’t stop the recording

Click the Stop button in the menu bar, at the top right of your screen, or press Command-Control-Esc. Esc on its own only cancels before you click Record. If the button is hidden, see how to stop a screen recording on Mac.

Another recording app isn’t allowed to record

Recording apps such as Framecast need your permission to record your screen and audio. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Privacy & Security, click Screen & System Audio Recording, and turn the app on.

When QuickTime isn’t enough

QuickTime gives you a faithful copy of your screen, and for a quick clip that’s all you need. For a tutorial or product demo other people will watch, a plain recording has small text, a tiny pointer and nothing that shows where to look. That’s what Framecast is for. It’s a native Mac app for macOS 14 Sonoma or later:

• Automatic zoom. Framecast zooms in where you click and type, and follows your pointer while it’s zoomed. See Automatic zoom.
• A cursor you can fix later. The pointer is drawn again after you record, so you can make it bigger and smooth out shaky movement. See Cursor.
• Captions. Written from your voice on your Mac with Apple’s speech models, drawn into the video or saved as SRT and VTT files. See Captions.
• Your Mac’s sound on macOS 14 or later. System audio from every app or only the apps you choose, kept apart from your microphone with its own volume. No need to wait for macOS 27. See System audio.
• MP4, MOV or GIF. Export up to 4K at up to 60 fps, as H.264, HEVC or ProRes 422. See Export a video.

Framecast is free to try, with every feature. Exporting needs a license: $79 $39 once for up to 3 Macs with lifetime updates, or $15 a month. See pricing, or download Framecast. New to recording your screen? Start with how to screen record on Mac.

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