How to screen record on a Mac

Press ⇧⌘5, choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion in the toolbar, and click Record. To stop, click the stop button in the menu bar or press ⌃⌘Esc. The video is saved to the desktop as a .mov file, which you can trim in QuickTime Player.

Updated November 2, 2026

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Record your screen with the built-in tool

Press ⇧⌘5. The Screenshot toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen.
Click Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window (macOS 26 or later), or Record Selected Portion and drag the frame around the part you want.
Optional: click Options to pick a microphone, Include System Audio for the Mac’s own sound (macOS 27 or later), a timer, the folder and whether to show mouse clicks.
Click Record. When you are done, click the stop button in the menu bar or press ⌃⌘Esc.
Click the thumbnail in the corner to trim the start and the end, or find the .mov file on the desktop.

QuickTime Player opens the same toolbar from File › New Screen Recording, and trims a recording with Edit › Trim (⌘T).

What the built-in recorder leaves to you

Large files: a few minutes can be too big for a messenger or an e-mail.
No GIF: it records video only.
No keystrokes on screen, which tutorials and bug reports often need.

Screen recording with SimpleShot

SimpleShot, a free capture app for Mac, records with ⌥⇧⌘R or from its All-in-One bar (⇧⌘5 with the standard keys):

Choose an area by dragging, a window (Space, then click) or the whole screen (Return).
Switch on what you need in the bar: show clicks, show keystrokes, computer audio, microphone, and Video or GIF.
Click Record. After a 3-second countdown a red border marks the area, and a small panel has Stop, Restart and Cancel. Press the shortcut again to stop.
The recording waits as a thumbnail: trim it, save it as MP4 or GIF, copy the file, or make a compact copy under 15 MB that plays in every messenger and mail app.

Videos are MP4 up to 4K at 30 or 60 frames a second. Recordings stay on your Mac and in its Library; one leaves it only if you make a link to it.

Questions

How do I screen record on a Mac?

Press ⇧⌘5, click Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion, then Record. Stop with the button in the menu bar or ⌃⌘Esc.

Where do screen recordings go on a Mac?

To the desktop, as .mov files named “Screen Recording” with the date and time, unless you chose another folder in ⇧⌘5 › Options.

How do I record my screen with sound?

In ⇧⌘5 › Options, choose a microphone for your voice, and on macOS 27 or later Include System Audio for the sound the Mac plays. More in screen recording with audio.

How do I stop a screen recording on a Mac?

Click the stop button in the menu bar, or press ⌃⌘Esc (Control, Command, Escape).

How do I make a screen recording smaller?

Record only the part of the screen you need, trim the ends, or let SimpleShot make a compact copy under 15 MB with one button.

Record it once,
send it anywhere.