How to screen record on a Mac

macOS can record your screen without any extra software. This guide covers the two built-in methods, what they can't do, and when a dedicated recorder is worth it.

Option 1. The Screenshot toolbar (built in)

1. Press Shift-Command-5.
2. In the toolbar, choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
3. To capture your voice, click Options and select a microphone.
4. Click Record.
5. 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.

Option 2. QuickTime Player (built in)

1. Open QuickTime Player.
2. Choose File > New Screen Recording.
3. The same Shift-Command-5 toolbar appears; pick a screen or region and click Record.

QuickTime is the same recorder with a different entry point, and it also handles simple trims. Edit > Trim cuts the start and end of a clip.

What the built-in recorder can't do

The Screenshot toolbar covers quick, silent captures well. Its limits show up as soon as you narrate or share.

• No system audio. It records your microphone, but not the sound your Mac plays. App audio, alerts, and video playback are silent in the recording.
• No editing beyond trim. Cutting a mistake out of the middle of a recording means exporting to a video editor.
• No camera. You can't include yourself in the recording.
• No captions or transcript. Accessibility and skimmability are up to you.
• Sharing is a file. You get a multi-hundred-megabyte .mov on your desktop, and delivering it is up to you.

Option 3. Screen Recording

Screen Recording is a native macOS recorder built for recordings you narrate and share.

1. Pick full screen, one window, or draw an area.
2. Record with microphone and system audio, on separate tracks, up to 4K at 60 fps. Add a camera bubble if you want to be on screen.
3. The recording is transcribed on your Mac as you record. Delete a sentence from the transcript to cut it from the video; remove filler words in one click.
4. Share an iCloud link anyone can watch in the browser, or export an MP4 with captions burned in.

Everything runs locally, with no account, no upload, no watermark, and no time limit. It's $29 once, with a 7-day free trial. macOS 26 or later.

Screen Recording is coming soon.

Which should you use?

• For a quick, silent clip of your screen, use Shift-Command-5. It's already installed.
• For anything with system audio, narration you'll want to edit, a camera, captions, or a share link, use a dedicated recorder. See Screen Recording vs. QuickTime for a direct comparison.