How to record screen on Mac (3 ways, with audio)

Before you start: what each method can do

All three need Screen Recording permission. The first time you record, macOS asks you to allow the app in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.

• Shift-Command-5 (screenshot toolbar): built in, fastest, records screen and microphone. No internal audio, no webcam, basic trimming.
• QuickTime Player: built in, same capture abilities, plus a simple trim and the familiar QuickTime window.
• Skrimo: free app, records screen, internal audio, microphone and webcam, then adds automatic zoom and exports MP4 up to 4K or GIF.

Method 1: How to screen record on Mac with Shift-Command-5

Good for: quick captures. Limits: no internal audio, no webcam overlay, and only trimming.

1. Press Shift-Command-5. The screenshot toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen.
2. Click Record Entire Screen, or Record Selected Portion and drag to choose an area.
3. Click Options to pick where to save, a timer, and a microphone if you want to narrate.
4. Click Record (or click the screen when recording the entire screen).
5. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Command-Control-Esc.
6. A thumbnail appears in the corner. Click it to trim, or wait and the video saves to your Desktop (or the folder you chose).

Method 2: How do you screen record on a Mac with QuickTime Player

QuickTime is handy if you already have it open or want to trim before saving. It has the same audio limitation as Method 1: it can record your microphone but not the sound your Mac plays.

1. Open QuickTime Player from Applications.
2. Choose File → New Screen Recording. On current macOS this opens the same toolbar as Shift-Command-5.
3. Pick the entire screen or a portion, choose a microphone under Options, and click Record.
4. Stop from the menu bar. The recording opens in QuickTime, where you can trim it (Edit → Trim) and save it.

The limitation: no internal audio on Mac by default

Here’s where most people get stuck when they try to screen record on Mac with audio. Methods 1 and 2 record the microphone only. If you’re recording a video that plays sound, a call, a game or an app with audio cues, that sound won’t be in your recording. You’ll hear it while recording, then play the file back and find silence.

The traditional fix is installing a virtual audio driver such as BlackHole and rerouting your Mac’s output through it, which takes about ten steps in Audio MIDI Setup and has to be undone afterwards. Since macOS 13 Ventura, apps can capture internal audio directly, which is what Method 3 uses.

Method 3: How to screen record on Mac with audio, including internal audio (Skrimo)

Because Skrimo is a mac screen recorder built around internal audio, there’s no driver to install and nothing to undo afterwards. Your speakers and volume keys keep working normally.

1. Download Skrimo, move it to Applications and open it. Its icon appears in your menu bar.
2. Click Allow next to Screen Recording and switch Skrimo on in System Settings. You only do this once.
3. Click the menu bar icon and choose Screen, Window or Area.
4. Switch on System audio to capture your Mac’s sound, Microphone to narrate, and Camera if you want your face in a bubble.
5. Press Start recording. A small floating bar shows the timer and a Stop button.
6. Press Stop. The editor opens with automatic zoom, a smooth cursor and a background already applied.
7. Trim the start and end, cut any mistakes, balance system audio against your voice, and click Export for MP4 (1080p or 4K) or GIF.

How to record only part of the screen or one window

With Shift-Command-5 or QuickTime, choose Record Selected Portion and drag a rectangle. In Skrimo, choose Area to draw a region, or Window to record a single app window, which keeps notifications and other apps out of the video. Recording one window is the easiest way to get a clean tutorial.

Tips for better Mac screen recordings

• Turn on Do Not Disturb so notifications don’t pop up mid-recording.
• Close unrelated tabs and apps, or record a single window.
• Use headphones when recording internal audio and your voice, so the microphone doesn’t pick up your speakers.
• Speak a little slower than normal and pause briefly after each click.
• Record in short takes; it’s easier to cut than to re-record a long video.
• For social media, export a vertical 9:16 version; for docs, a short GIF.

How to record your Mac screen with your webcam

Showing your face makes tutorials and demos more personal, but the built-in tools can’t overlay a camera on a screen recording. People often work around this by opening Photo Booth in a corner of the screen, which looks improvised and gets in the way of the content.

In Skrimo, switch on Camera before you record. A round webcam bubble appears in a corner of the screen while you record so you can see yourself, and it’s recorded as a separate track. In the editor you can move it, resize it, switch between a circle and a rounded square, or hide it, without recording again.

How to trim, cut and share your recording

With Shift-Command-5, click the thumbnail that appears after recording and use the trim handles. In QuickTime, choose Edit → Trim. Both only remove time from the start and end.

In Skrimo, drag the ends of the clip on the timeline to trim, select any part in the middle and press Delete to cut it, and drag zoom blocks to adjust the automatic zooms. Then export MP4 or GIF and share the file anywhere: Slack, email, Google Drive, YouTube or your website. Recordings never leave your Mac unless you share them.

Keyboard shortcuts for screen recording on Mac

• Shift-Command-5: open the screenshot and recording toolbar
• Command-Control-Esc: stop a recording made with the toolbar
• Shift-Command-3 and Shift-Command-4: screenshots of the whole screen or an area
• Skrimo: set your own global shortcut in Settings to open the panel or stop recording

Where your recordings are saved

Shift-Command-5 saves to your Desktop by default; change it under Options → Save to. QuickTime asks where to save when you close the recording. Skrimo keeps each recording as a project in Movies → Skrimo and exports the finished video wherever you choose.

Troubleshooting Mac screen recording

• Record button missing or black video: allow the app under System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, then quit and reopen it.
• No sound: Methods 1 and 2 need a microphone selected under Options; for the Mac’s own sound use Method 3.
• Video is huge: record a window or area instead of a full Retina display, or export at 1080p.
• Choppy playback: close heavy apps while recording and keep enough free disk space.

Frequently asked questions

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