There are many times when recording your Mac screen can come in handy. Maybe you want to create a screencast tutorial. Perhaps you're creating a business presentation. Or maybe you're interested in making video notes for yourself.
Whatever the reason, it's simple and easy. So here's how to start and stop recording your Mac screen with a few different methods.
How to Screen Record on a Mac Using the Screenshot Utility
The easiest method to record the screen on your Mac is by using the Screenshot Utility. This tool lets you capture screen recordings in addition to screenshots.
To open the utility, press Cmd + Shift + 5 on your keyboard. At the bottom of the window that appears, you'll see two options to Record Entire Screen and Record Selected Portion.
If you choose Record Entire Screen, a camera icon will appear. This is handy if you use more than one monitor. Just move the camera to the screen you want to record and click for the recording to begin.
If you choose Record Selected Portion, drag the corners of the box you see to adjust the frame size. You can also move the box to a different area on your screen.
Clicking Options allows you to select various options for your Mac screen recording. This includes choosing your desired microphone, the location where you want to save your recording, and more. Once you're ready, hit the Record button to start the recording.
How to Stop Screen Recording on Your Mac
Once you've completed the recording, you may be confused about how to stop it, as the screenshot utility window won't be visible in front of you. Instead, you should see a small Stop icon in the top-right of the macOS menu bar. Simply click on it to stop the screen recording on your Mac.
You can also hit Cmd + Control + Esc to stop recording. Or, hit Cmd + Shift + 5 and the screenshot bar will reappear with an option to stop recording.
The recording will automatically save to the Desktop, and you'll see a preview of it in the bottom-right corner of your screen (similar to when you take a screenshot). If you click on this preview, you'll be able to see the entire recording and trim it if needed.
Benefits of Screen Recording With the Screenshot Utility
- The screenshot utility has been a default feature of macOS since macOS Mojave, so it's free and requires no software installation.
- Additional features include a built-in microphone for audio, a timer for timed recordings, and the ability to show mouse clicks for tutorials.
- You can use AirPlay or sharing options immediately from your recorded video.
How to Screen Record on a Mac Using QuickTime Player
An alternative method to record your Mac screen is to use QuickTime player. QuickTime player uses the same Screenshot utility tool we described above, but the difference is that you control everything directly from the QuickTime Player instead. This may be useful for Macs running macOS versions earlier than macOS Mojave.
To record using the QuickTime Player, open the app, then select File > New Screen Recording from the menu bar.
This launches an overlay allowing you to select various options to record your screen. You can choose to either Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion, similar to the Screenshot utility.
Once everything's set up, simply start recording using the Record button. To stop screen recording on your Mac, click on the Stop icon in the top-right corner of the macOS menu bar.
The recorded video will open immediately. You can choose to edit it as required (using Trim or Rotate tools). Once you're done, simply select File > Save or hit Cmd + S on your keyboard to save the video to your desired location.
Benefits of Screen Recording With QuickTime Player
- QuickTime Player is installed on your Mac by default, so there are no extra costs or installations.
- QuickTime Player offers additional features, such as movie and audio recordings.
- You can use AirPlay or sharing options immediately from your recorded video.
- QuickTime Player is available on Mac's running older versions of macOS.
How to Record System Audio in Screen Recordings
Both of the options listed above only allow you to use a microphone to record the audio. This is handy if you want to record a voice-over or a podcast, but it's ineffective if you want to record the system audio. Fortunately, there is a workaround that involves installing a free audio driver on your Mac to be able to record system audio during screen recordings on your Mac.
How to Screen Record on a Mac With Third-Party Apps
With the above two options, there's no reason to seek a third-party app for recording your Mac screen unless you want or need more features. However, we've included our favorite third-party freeware software that you might find useful below, just in case you're unsatisfied with the built-in options.
OBS Studio
The consensus among both casual and hardcore users is that there's no freeware screen recording utility as good as OBS Studio. The app offers features for both novice and advanced users that allow you to customize every aspect of your screen recording. You can also use the app's built-in features to stream directly to multiple platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and more.
Download: OBS Studio (Free)
It's Just as Easy to Take Screenshots on a Mac
Starting and stopping a screen recording on your Mac used to be more complicated. But, as you can see, it's pretty easy to do these days. Hopefully, one of these methods is exactly what you need to record your Mac's screen.