Mac has a built-in screen recording tool you don't need to read

macOS comes with Screenshot, a tool that records video of your screen without installing anything extra. You open it with Shift + Command + 5, choose whether to record the whole screen or just part of it, then click Record. The video saves to your desktop or clipboard, depending on what you choose. It works on any Mac running macOS 10.14 or later.

The tool is fast enough for most people — recording a Zoom call, a software tutorial, or a browser window. If you need something more powerful, like editing during the recording or adding a watermark, you'll need a separate program. But for a straightforward "show what's on my screen" video, Screenshot does the job.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot tool, then select Record to start capturing video.
  • You can record your entire screen or drag to select just the window or area you want to capture.
  • The video saves as an MP4 file to your desktop by default, but you can change where it goes in the options menu.
  • Screenshot records audio from your microphone and any sound playing on your Mac, so test your audio before you start.
  • If you need to stop recording before you finish, press Escape or click the stop button in the menu bar.

Opening Screenshot and choosing what to record

Press Shift + Command + 5 on your keyboard. A menu bar appears at the bottom of your screen with five icons on the left side. The fourth icon (a rectangle with a dot inside) is the video record button. Click it.

After you click Record, your cursor changes to a crosshair. You now have two choices: record the whole screen, or select just part of it. To record everything, move your cursor to any window and click. To record only a portion — say, one browser tab or a specific process window — click and drag to draw a rectangle around the area you want. Release the mouse when you've selected what you need.

Once you've made your selection, a floating window appears with a red Record button. Click it to start. A timer appears in the menu bar showing how long you've been recording.

Stopping the recording and finding your file

To stop recording, click the stop button in the menu bar (it looks like a filled square), or press Escape on your keyboard. A thumbnail appears in the bottom right corner of your screen for a few seconds. Click the thumbnail to open the video in Preview, or let it disappear — your file is already saved.

By default, Screenshot saves videos as MP4 files to your desktop with a name like "Screen Recording 2024-01-15 at 2.45.32 PM.mov". You can move the file anywhere you want after it's created, just like any other file on your Mac. If you want to change where videos save automatically, open Screenshot again with Shift + Command + 5, click Options at the bottom of the menu, and choose a different location under "Save to".

Changing where audio comes from

By default, Screenshot records sound from your Mac's microphone and any audio playing on your computer — Zoom calls, music, system sounds, everything. Before you start recording, check the Options menu (in the Screenshot tool) and look at "Microphone". If you don't want to record your voice, select "None". If you want only your microphone and not system sounds, that option isn't available in Screenshot — you'd need a separate program for that level of control.

Test your audio before you record anything important. Open Screenshot, click Options, and make sure the microphone is set to what you want. Then do a short test recording to hear how it sounds. Audio levels matter: if you're recording a Zoom call and your microphone is too quiet, people won't hear you clearly in the video.

Choosing what happens after you record

In the Screenshot Options menu, you can change what happens when you finish recording. The default is "Save to Desktop", which puts the file on your desktop where you can see it. Other options include "Save to Documents", "Save to Downloads", "Save to Clipboard" (which copies the video so you can paste it into an email or message), or "Save to Mail" (which opens a new email with the video attached).

If you choose "Save to Clipboard", the video doesn't appear on your desktop — it goes into your clipboard instead. You can then paste it directly into an process. This is useful if you're sending the video in a message or email and don't want to manage the file separately.

Recording part of your screen instead of all of it

When you press Shift + Command + 5 and click the Record button, you can drag to select just the area you want to capture. This is useful if you're recording a tutorial and only want to show one window, or if you want to hide something else on your screen. Drag from the top-left corner of the area you want to record to the bottom-right corner, then release.

If you make a mistake while dragging, start over — just click and drag again. Once you've selected the right area, the red Record button appears. You can also hover over a specific window and click it to record just that window, without having to drag.

Troubleshooting common recording problems

If Screenshot doesn't open when you press Shift + Command + 5, your Mac may be running an older version of macOS. Screenshot is built into macOS 10.14 and later. To check your version, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner, select "About This Mac", and look at the macOS version. If it's older than 10.14, you'll need to use a different tool or update your Mac.

If your video is silent, check the Microphone setting in Screenshot Options. If it's set to "None", no audio will record. If it's set to a microphone but you still hear nothing, test that microphone in System Preferences: click the Apple menu, go to System Preferences, then Sound, then Input. Make sure your microphone is selected and the input level shows sound when you speak.

If the video file is very large, that's normal — video takes up a lot of space. A one-hour recording can be several gigabytes. If you need to make the file smaller, you can compress it using QuickTime Player (which comes with your Mac) or a video editing program, but that's beyond what Screenshot itself can do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I record just one window without recording the rest of my screen?

Yes. Press Shift + Command + 5, click Record, then hover your cursor over the window you want to record and click it. The entire window will be selected. If you want to record a smaller area, click and drag to draw a rectangle instead of clicking a window.

Where do I find my recording after I finish?

By default, it saves to your desktop as an MP4 file with the date and time in the name. You can also check your Downloads folder or Documents folder if you changed the save location in Options. If you chose "Save to Clipboard", the file isn't on your desktop — it's in your clipboard and ready to paste.

Can I edit the video after I record it?

Screenshot doesn't have editing tools built in. You can open the video in QuickTime Player (which comes with your Mac) to trim the beginning or end, but for more detailed editing, you'll need a separate program like iMovie or Final Cut Pro.

What if I want to record my screen but not my voice?

In Screenshot Options, set Microphone to "None". This records any audio playing on your Mac (music, system sounds, video audio) but not your voice. If you want to record your voice but not system sounds, Screenshot doesn't have that option — you'd need a different tool.

Can I record multiple screens at once on a Mac with two monitors?

Screenshot records only the screen you're using. If you have two monitors, you can record the main screen or the second screen, but not both at the same time. You'd need a separate program to record multiple screens together.