How to Record Screen Mac

Would you like to make a screencast on your Mac , that is a screen recording, in order to show other users the execution of specific operations, but you don’t have the faintest idea how to do it? I would say then that, luckily for you, you came across the right tutorial, at the right time. In the following lines, in fact, you will find explained in detail how to record Mac screen . You can do this by taking advantage of the tools already included in macOS or by using third-party software. I also inform you that you can decide whether to “shoot” only the desk or even yourself via the webcam and whether or not to include audio, both internal and external. I am sure that at the end of the reading you will be able to say that you are very happy and satisfied.

Index

• How to Record Mac Screen for Free
• How to record screen Mac: keys
• How to record Mac screen with QuickTime
• How to record Mac screen with OBS
• Other solutions to record screen Mac

How to Record Mac Screen for Free

If you are using  macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later, you can record Mac screen for free with the Screenshot application , which is the default one of Apple’s operating system for screen capturing.

To recall Screeenshot, open the Launchpad by selecting its icon (the one with the colored squares ) found on the Dock bar , access the Other folder and select the application icon (the one with the camera inside the square open on the sides ).

A toolbar with various buttons will then open. Those dedicated to making videos are the fourth and fifth: one allows you to  capture the entire Mac screen , the other  a portion of it to be selected with the mouse.

If you want to record Mac screen with audio  coming from the microphone or to record Mac screen with headphones , first click on the Options button that you can always find on the application toolbar, click on the Microphone menu and select the name of the target device. Also after clicking the Options button you can also choose to make mouse clicks visible by selecting the Show Mouse Clicks option from the Options menu .

After configuring the screenshot operation, click on the Record button  and make your video. At the end of the recording, press on the Stop button   appeared on the Screenshot toolbar or by clicking on the one that in the meantime has been added to the macOS menu bar and the movie will be automatically saved in the location where the screenshots are also saved (the desktop, for default), in MOV format.

If you want, at the end of the recording you can cut your video, share it or trash it by clicking on its  thumbnail that appears in the lower right corner of the screen, choosing the operation you want to perform from the window that opens, using the toolbar located in top: the icon with the film and the two side indicators allows you to cut the video, the one with the  square with the arrow inside allows you to share it, while the one with the  trash can delete it. Once you have made the desired changes, to save the video, click on the Finish button  .

How to record screen Mac: keys

If you prefer the use of key combinations , you can also record Mac screen in this way, without necessarily having to recall the default macOS utility I mentioned in the previous step and its functions with “clicks” . Here are the key shortcuts you have at your disposal to do this.

• command + shift + 5 – allows you to invoke the Screenshot application.
• command + control + esc – stop screen recording.

How to record Mac screen with QuickTime

QuickTime Player needs no introduction. This is the video player included by default in macOS, but perhaps not everyone knows that it can also be used to create screencasts, possibly including the audio coming from the microphone or other input.

So, to be able to record Mac screen with QuickTime , call the program, opening the Launchpad , accessing the Other folder and selecting the Quick Time Player icon (the one with the “Q” and the black background ).

Next, click on the File menu at the top left and select New Screen Recording from the latter. At this point, if you are using macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or later versions, you will see the same screenshot controls appear, so you can continue following the same instructions I gave you in the step at the beginning of the guide .

If, on the other hand, you are using an older version of macOS, you will be shown the QuickTime Player window dedicated to screen recording. At this point, if you want the audio to be recorded as well, click on the down arrow and then on the item Integrated microphone: internal microphone that you find in the menu that appears.

If you deem it necessary, you can also decide to make the clicks made with the mouse visible, also select the item Show mouse clicks in the recording . Now, to start the acquisition of the entire desktop click anywhere on the screen (or press the Rec button attached to the QuickTime Player screen), while if you want to record only a portion of the same click in a defined point on the screen and holding down draw a square or a rectangle on it.

When you are done, click on the Stop button that appears in the Mac menu bar and wait for the captured video to be visible. By default, the file is saved in MOV format on the macOS desktop.

If you want, you can also view the video using the buttons attached to the player, while if you need to save the file in a different format you can do it by accessing the File menu , then the Export as one and making your choice from there.

How to record Mac screen with OBS

If you are not satisfied with the default macOS tools, I recommend that you try recording Mac screen with OBS . In case you have never heard of it, OBS  (acronym for Open Broadcaster Software ) is an excellent free and open source software that allows you to record (or broadcast “live”) your computer screen. Among its main features, there are the extreme ease of use and the ability to understand the footage of the webcam in the recordings. Also, you can use it to record Mac screen with internal audio and to record Mac screen without external audio .

To use OBS on your Mac, connect to  its official website and then follow the instructions on how to download, install and run the first program setup that I gave you in my specific guide on the subject .

Once the main window of the software is displayed, click on the Settings button located at the bottom right, select the item Exit from the sidebar and choose the item Simple from the Output mode drop-down menu .

Then indicate the folder in which to save the recordings, by clicking on the Browse button next to the Recording path field and set the option The same as the live one in the drop-down menu Recording quality , then the format of the video of the recording using the drop-down menu Recording format . To save the changes, press the Apply and OK buttons .

So worry about telling the program the sources to use to capture the videos, by pressing the (+) button under the Sources box , choosing the Capture the screen item from the menu that appears and clicking the OK button twice. Next, move and / or resize the desktop pane in the OBS window to include the area of ​​the screen that interests you.

If you want to add the webcam recording to the screen recording, click on the (+) button located under the Sources field , select the Video capture device item from the menu that appears and press the OK button twice. Then proceed to modify the preview of the screen to be captured by manually moving the webcam frame to the point you prefer.

If you want to record the screen a video of the screen including the audio, press the (+) button again in the Sources box and choose the option Capture audio in or the option Capture audio out .

When you want, you can start screen recording by clicking on the Start Recording button . To stop it, call up the main OBS screen again and press the Stop recording button . By default, OBS saves recordings in MOV format.

Other solutions to record screen Mac

None of the resources for recording Mac screens that I have already pointed out has convinced you in a particular way and would you like me to suggest other solutions that are part of the category? No sooner said than done! You can find them listed below.

• Screenflow  – is one of the best applications for recording Mac screens, as well as one of the most used in the world. It also includes a handy editor that allows you to edit your recordings, add special effects to them and edit them in a very simple way. The software is paid (costs $ 129), but is available in a free trial version that has no time limits and watermarks recordings.
• Camtasia Studio – it is an application that allows you to record the macOS desktop, the webcam, the computer audio, the microphone audio and which also integrates useful tools to edit the recordings made. In short, it is a truly complete solution. It is paid (costs 303.44 euros), but you can download it in a free trial version lasting 30 days. For further information read my tutorial on how to download Camtasia Studio .
• Screencast-o-matic  – is a very popular online desktop recording service. It works directly from the browser through the use of a small free app. It is free, but it has some limitations: it does not allow you to make recordings longer than 15 minutes, it produces videos with a maximum resolution of 720p and watermarks the recordings. To remove these limitations and also get more functions, many of which are dedicated to editing the video products, you need to subscribe to paid plans (starting at $ 4 / month). I told you about it in detail in my guide on how to download Screencast-o-matic .