How to Record Your Mac Screen
There are plenty of reasons you might want to record what’s happening on your Mac screen. Maybe you’re showing someone how to use an app, demonstrating a problem, creating a tutorial, or trying to explain something that would otherwise require six paragraphs and three phone calls.
These days, you don’t even need to open QuickTime first. Apple built screen recording right into macOS.
The Fastest Way: Use the Screenshot Toolbar
Press:
⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 5
That opens the Screenshot toolbar at the bottom of your screen.
From there, you can choose:
- Capture the Entire Screen
- Capture a Selected Window
- Capture a Selected Portion
- Record the Entire Screen
- Record a Selected Portion
For screen recording, you’ll use one of the two recording buttons on the right side of the toolbar.
Record the Entire Screen
Click the Record Entire Screen button, then click anywhere on the screen to begin recording.
You’ll see a small recording indicator appear in the menu bar while the recording is running.
When you’re finished, click the Stop button in the menu bar.
Your recording will normally appear on the Desktop unless you’ve chosen another save location.
Record Only Part of the Screen
If you don’t want your entire screen recorded, choose Record Selected Portion.
A box will appear around the area to be recorded. Drag the edges to resize it, or drag the whole box to move it.
Once the area looks right, click Record.
This is handy if you only want to show one app or one section of the screen and would rather not share the 47 unrelated windows lurking behind it.
Choose Your Microphone
Before you start recording, click Options in the Screenshot toolbar.
Under Microphone, you can choose:
- Your Mac’s built-in microphone
- An external microphone
- No microphone
If you’re making a tutorial, selecting a microphone lets you talk while the screen recording is being made.
Other Useful Options
The Options menu also lets you:
- Choose where the recording is saved
- Set a 5-second or 10-second timer
- Show mouse clicks
- Remember the last selected area
The timer is especially useful if you’d like a moment to arrange yourself before the recording starts instead of immediately fumbling with windows while your audience watches.
Where Did the Recording Go?
By default, recordings usually save to the Desktop.
If you changed the save location under Options, the file will appear there instead.
Screen recordings are normally saved as QuickTime movie files, which can be opened in QuickTime Player, Photos, iMovie, or most other video apps.
QuickTime Player Still Works Too
You can still use QuickTime Player if you prefer.
Open QuickTime Player, then choose:
File > New Screen Recording
On current versions of macOS, this brings up essentially the same recording controls as ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 5.
So QuickTime hasn’t disappeared. Apple has simply made the recording tools easier to reach without opening an application first.
A Few Handy Mac Screenshot Shortcuts
While we’re here, these are worth remembering:
- ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 3 — capture the entire screen
- ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 4 — capture a selected area
- ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 5 — open screenshot and screen recording controls
I use ⇧ Shift + ⌘ Command + 5 constantly. Once you know it’s there, opening QuickTime just to start a screen recording begins to feel like walking around the house to enter through the back door.
Need Help With Your Mac?
If screen recording, screenshots, video files or anything else on your Mac is giving you grief, we can help.
Contact Up Your Media for practical Apple and Mac support in Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Central Vancouver Island.