How to Screen Record on a Mac

macOS has a screen recorder built in — press Shift + Cmd + 5 and you're recording in seconds. For a quick capture, that's all you need. But if you want to zoom into the action, add captions, cut out mistakes, or export a clip that's ready to share, a dedicated recorder-and-editor will save you a second round of work. Below are three ways to record your Mac screen, from the fastest to the most capable.

Method 1 — The built-in shortcut (Shift + Cmd + 5)

Every Mac on macOS Mojave or later has a screen-recording toolbar built in. It's the quickest way to capture your screen.

1. Press Shift + Cmd + 5. A control bar appears near the bottom of the screen.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion. For a selection, drag to frame the area you want.
3. Click Options to pick your microphone, set a countdown timer, and choose where the file is saved.
4. Click Record. To stop, click the ■ button in the menu bar, or press Cmd + Ctrl + Esc.

By default your recording is saved to the Desktop as a .mov file.

Record your screen with audio

In the Options menu, choose your input under Microphone to narrate while you record. One thing worth knowing: macOS records your microphone, but it can't capture your Mac's internal (system) audio on its own — the sound coming from apps, browser tabs or video calls. That needs a separate virtual-audio setup. If you just need your own voice, the microphone option is all it takes.

Where recordings are saved, and how to stop

Recordings go to the Desktop by default; change this under Options → Save to. To stop, use the ■ button in the menu bar or press Cmd + Ctrl + Esc.

Method 2 — QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player comes preinstalled and can record your screen too — handy if you prefer a window-based workflow.

1. Open QuickTime Player.
2. Choose File → New Screen Recording.
3. Click the arrow next to the record button to select your microphone.
4. Click record, then click once for the whole screen or drag to record a portion.
5. When you're done, stop from the menu bar, then choose File → Export As to save.

QuickTime is dependable for a plain capture, but like the shortcut it doesn't add zoom, captions or effects, and editing is limited to basic trimming.

Method 3 — ScreenTailor (record and edit in one app)

The built-in tools are great at capturing. But most screen recordings need a second step — zooming into the important part, adding captions, cutting the dead air, redoing the bit where you fumbled. That's where a built-in editor pays off — capture and edit without switching apps.

ScreenTailor is a native macOS app that records and edits in one place:

• Region capture with aspect-ratio presets and pixel-exact sizing
• Zoom & emphasis — spotlight the cursor, magnify details, add arrows and glow to guide the eye
• Captions — five fonts with shadow, stroke and background, readable over any footage
• Effects — blur sensitive areas, plus fade, mosaic, glitch and more, baked into the export
• Checkpoint Recording — drop a checkpoint mid-take and re-record just the clip you flubbed, instead of starting over
• Clean MP4 export that plays and uploads everywhere — QuickTime, VLC, the web and social platforms
• Microphone narration with pause and resume any time

A typical flow: press the global shortcut, drag a region, record with pause/resume, then add zoom, captions and effects on the timeline and export.

Here's the part people like: every editing tool is free. ScreenTailor is free to use — record and edit as much as you want, up to 5 minutes per recording, with a small watermark on export. When you need longer recordings and a watermark-free export, start the 14-day Pro trial, then keep it with a one-time Lifetime license at $39 (Yearly and Monthly plans are available too).

Which method should you use?

Here's a quick recap of the three methods above, so you can pick the one that fits.

For a quick grab, Shift + Cmd + 5 is unbeatable. When the recording needs to look polished — a tutorial, a product demo, a bug report someone else will watch — record it in ScreenTailor so capturing and editing happen in one pass.

Frequently asked questions