Guide
How to record your screen on a Mac, with sound
Quick answer
Press Shift-Command-5, click Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window or Record Selected Portion, then click Record. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Control-Command-Esc. The recording is saved to your desktop. For your voice, choose a microphone under Options; for your Mac’s own sound, choose Include System Audio, on macOS 27 Golden Gate or later.
Levers clears your desktop files, Dock, other apps and notifications with one click before you press Record, and puts them back when you stop.
How to record your screen on a Mac
- 1
Press Shift-Command-5, or open Screenshot from the Utilities folder in Applications.
- 2
Click Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window or Record Selected Portion. For a portion, drag the frame’s edges to the size you want. Record Selected Window needs macOS Tahoe 26 or later.
- 3
Click Options to choose where the recording is saved, a timer before it starts, and a microphone if you want your voice in it.
- 4
Click Record. A Stop button appears in the menu bar.
- 5
To stop, click the Stop button, or press Control-Command-Esc. A thumbnail shows in the corner of the screen: click it to trim or share the recording, or leave it and it’s saved.
Every Mac with macOS Mojave or later has this recorder. Nothing to install, and no limit on how long a recording can run but the space on your disk.
The Screenshot toolbar is the quickest way, and QuickTime Player opens the same toolbar. What they can record depends on your macOS: one window from Tahoe 26, your Mac’s own sound from macOS 27. The table shows which way to use for what.
Which way to record
| Way to record | How to open it | Your Mac’s own sound | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Screenshot toolbar | Shift-Command-5 | macOS 27 or later | Most recordings, in a few seconds |
| QuickTime Player | File › New Screen Recording | macOS 27 or later | Trimming and exporting a smaller copy after |
| OBS | Its own window, free | Yes | Long recordings, several sources, live streams |
| CleanShot X | Its menu bar icon, paid | Yes | Quick clips with notes, and system sound before macOS 27 |
How to record your Mac’s screen with sound
There are two kinds of sound, and the Options menu in the toolbar has a setting for each. Your voice: choose a microphone, the Mac’s own, your AirPods or a USB microphone. Choose None to record without it.
Your Mac’s own sound, such as a video, a call or an app’s sounds: choose Include System Audio. It’s there on macOS 27 Golden Gate or later. On macOS Tahoe 26 or earlier, neither Screenshot nor QuickTime Player records the Mac’s own sound; update to macOS 27, or use a recording app that can, such as OBS, which is free, or CleanShot X.
How to record one window or part of the screen
On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, choose Record Selected Window and click the window. Only that window is recorded, even if you move others over it. On earlier versions, choose Record Selected Portion and draw the frame around the window; anything that moves into the frame is recorded too.
Recording one window is also the cleanest way to keep the rest of your screen out of a recording, the same idea as sharing one window in a call.
How to screen record with QuickTime Player
Open QuickTime Player from Applications, then choose File › New Screen Recording, or press Control-Command-N. The same toolbar opens, and everything above works the same way. QuickTime is handier afterwards, to trim the recording and to export a smaller copy.
Where screen recordings are saved on a Mac
On your desktop, unless you chose another place under Options › Save to. Each one is a .mov file named Screen Recording with the date and time. To save them somewhere else from now on, such as a Recordings folder in Documents, choose Other Location in the same menu.
How to stop a screen recording on a Mac
Click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Control-Command-Esc. If an app is full screen and the menu bar is hidden, move the pointer to the top of the screen to show it.
How to trim a screen recording and make it smaller
A full-screen recording on a Retina Mac is large. Two steps make it easier to send:
- Trim the start and the end: click the thumbnail when the recording stops, or open it in QuickTime Player and choose Edit › Trim.
- Export a smaller copy: in QuickTime Player, choose File › Export As › 1080p, or 720p for an email.
Why a screen recording has no sound, or a black window
No sound: no microphone was chosen under Options, or the sound came from the Mac itself and Include System Audio wasn’t on, or isn’t there before macOS 27.
A black window: video from apps and sites that protect what they play, such as the Apple TV app or a streaming service, records as black. That’s on purpose, and no setting changes it.
Before you press Record, clean up your screen
A recording keeps everything on the screen: the files on your desktop, the apps in the Dock, a notification that slides in halfway through. If you record now and then, tidy it by hand:
- Desktop files: System Settings › Desktop & Dock, turn off Show Items: On Desktop.
- Other apps: press Option-Command-H in the app you’re recording.
- The Dock: press Option-Command-D.
- Notifications: turn on Do Not Disturb in Control Center.
- Then turn each one back when you’re done.
Or let Levers do it, in one click
We make Levers.
Levers sits in your menu bar. One click before you press Record hides your desktop files, Dock, other apps, notifications and menu bar icons. Your recorder and the app you’re showing stay. When you stop, every one of them comes back.
- One click before you record, or by itself when you share in a call
- Sets the screen to a size made for recording, like 1920 × 1080, and back after
- Pointer Spotlight dims everything but a soft circle around the pointer, so viewers know where to look
Good to know
- Levers doesn’t record. It works alongside Screenshot, QuickTime Player or whichever recorder you use.
- Needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
- One payment, no subscription, with a 14-day refund.
Comparing apps that do this? See the best apps to clean up your Mac for screen recording.
Questions people ask
Can I record my screen on a Mac?
Yes. Every Mac with macOS Mojave or later has a screen recorder built in: press Shift-Command-5. QuickTime Player can record the screen too, with File › New Screen Recording.
How do I record my Mac’s screen with sound?
For your voice, click Options in the Screenshot toolbar and choose a microphone. For the sound your Mac plays, such as a video or a call, choose Include System Audio in the same menu. Include System Audio needs macOS 27 Golden Gate or later.
Why is there no sound in my screen recording?
Either no microphone was chosen under Options, or the sound came from the Mac itself. Screenshot records the Mac’s own sound only with Include System Audio, on macOS 27 Golden Gate or later. On macOS Tahoe 26 or earlier, use an app that records system sound, such as OBS or CleanShot X.
Where do screen recordings go on a Mac?
To your desktop, unless you chose another place under Options › Save to. Each one is a .mov file named Screen Recording with the date and time.
How do I stop a screen recording on a Mac?
Click the Stop button in the menu bar, or press Control-Command-Esc.
Can I record just one window?
Yes. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, choose Record Selected Window and click the window. On earlier versions, choose Record Selected Portion and draw the frame around it.
Is there an app that cleans up my screen before I record?
Yes. Levers hides your desktop files, Dock, other apps, notifications and menu bar icons with one click before you record, or by itself the moment a call starts sharing your screen, and puts every one of them back when you stop. It costs from $5, paid once.