To screen record on a Mac, you have two main built-in options: the Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime Player.
Using the Screenshot Toolbar (macOS Mojave 10.14 or later)
- Press Shift + Command + 5 simultaneously. This opens the Screenshot toolbar with screen capture and recording options.
- Choose either:
- Record Entire Screen or
- Record Selected Portion (drag to select the area).
- Click Options to:
- Select a microphone if you want to record audio.
- Show mouse clicks.
- Set a timer before recording starts.
- Choose where to save the recording (default is Desktop).
- Click the Record button to start.
- To stop recording, click the stop icon in the menu bar or press Command + Control + Escape.
- A thumbnail appears; click it to edit or wait for the file to save automatically
Using QuickTime Player
- Open QuickTime Player from the Applications folder.
- Go to the menu bar and select File > New Screen Recording or press Control + Command + N.
- In the screen recording window, click the arrow next to the record button to select audio input if desired.
- Click the red Record button.
- Click anywhere to record the entire screen or drag to record a portion.
- To stop, click the stop button in the menu bar.
- The recording opens automatically; save it via File > Save
Both methods allow recording with or without audio and are straightforward to use without additional software. The Screenshot toolbar is more modern and integrated, while QuickTime Player offers a classic alternative