How to Stop Screen Recording on Mac (All Methods)

To stop a screen recording on Mac, click the stop button (square icon) in the menu bar, or press Cmd+Ctrl+Esc. The recording saves automatically. That's the short answer.

Below are step-by-step instructions for every method: QuickTime Player, the Screenshot toolbar, third-party apps, and what to do when the stop button has disappeared.

Stopping a QuickTime screen recording#

QuickTime shows a stop button in the menu bar while recording is active. It looks like a small square inside a circle.

To stop:

1. Click the square stop icon in the menu bar (right side, near the clock)
2. QuickTime opens a save dialog — choose a location and filename
3. Click Save

Keyboard shortcut: Press Cmd+Ctrl+Esc to stop without touching the mouse. The save dialog appears automatically.

After you stop, QuickTime opens the recording in a preview window. You can trim the start and end here before saving the final file. For a full walkthrough of QuickTime's recording options, see our QuickTime screen recording guide.

Stopping a Screenshot toolbar recording#

The Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5) shows the same stop button in the menu bar while recording. The process is identical to QuickTime.

To stop:

1. Click the square stop icon in the menu bar
2. The recording saves automatically to the Desktop (or your configured save location)

The file saves as a .mov in real time — you don't get a save dialog. To change where recordings save, open the Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5), click Options, and choose a different folder under Save to.

Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Ctrl+Esc works here too. Press it, and the file saves immediately to your default location.

After saving, a small thumbnail preview appears in the corner of your screen for a few seconds (like after taking a screenshot). Click it to open the recording in QuickTime for trimming.

The stop button in the menu bar#

Both QuickTime and the Screenshot toolbar place the same stop button in the menu bar while recording. Here's what to look for:

• A small square icon, usually gray or white
• Located in the menu bar, to the left of your other menu bar icons (Wi-Fi, battery, clock)
• Only visible while a recording is active

If you have many menu bar icons, it can get crowded. Cmd+Ctrl+Esc is more reliable than hunting for the icon.

Where does the recording go?#

QuickTime: Prompts you to choose a save location when you stop. If you dismiss the dialog without saving, the recording is discarded.

Screenshot toolbar: Saves automatically to the Desktop as Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov. To change this, open the Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5) → Options → Save to → pick a folder.

For a full explanation of where recordings end up and how to organize them, see where do screen recordings go on Mac.

Stopping a third-party recorder#

Third-party apps like Rekort follow the same pattern: a stop button in their UI or in the menu bar.

Rekort: Click the stop button in the recording indicator, or use the keyboard shortcut shown in the app. After stopping, the preview opens automatically with your zoom effects applied. From there you can adjust zoom settings and export as MP4 or GIF.

Screen Studio: Has a dedicated stop button in the recording overlay. After stopping, it renders the recording with auto-zoom and opens the export panel.

OBS Studio: Has a "Stop Recording" button in the Controls panel, or you can use the default shortcut (configurable in Settings → Hotkeys).

Loom: Stops via the Loom toolbar that floats over your screen during recording. Click the stop (square) button. The recording uploads automatically.

What to do if the stop button is missing#

Occasionally the stop icon doesn't appear in the menu bar, or it gets pushed off screen by other icons.

Try these in order:

1. Press Cmd+Ctrl+Esc. This is the universal keyboard shortcut and works even when the icon isn't visible.

2. Click on QuickTime in the Dock. Sometimes the menu bar icon hides behind other apps' menus. Clicking QuickTime in the Dock brings its menu back, and the stop icon reappears.

3. Check for a floating toolbar. On some macOS versions (Ventura and later), a small floating recording indicator appears near the top of the screen. Click it to stop.

4. Force quit as a last resort. Press Cmd+Option+Esc, select QuickTime Player (or your recorder), and click Force Quit. This terminates the recording immediately. The file may be partially saved, partially corrupted, or lost entirely depending on how far it got. Try opening it in QuickTime anyway — sometimes the file is intact.

Stopping a recording that's stuck#

If your Mac is recording and nothing responds, the app may have frozen.

1. Press Cmd+Option+Esc to open Force Quit
2. Select the recording app
3. Click Force Quit
4. Check the Desktop and any recent save locations for a partial .mov file

A frozen recording is usually caused by insufficient disk space (the recording file ran out of room to grow), a permission conflict, or the app crashing mid-session. Check available disk space in Apple Menu → About This Mac → Storage before long recording sessions.

Summary: every method at a glance#

The shortcut Cmd+Ctrl+Esc is worth memorizing. It works across QuickTime and the Screenshot toolbar, it doesn't require you to find a menu bar icon, and it saves the file immediately.

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For related guides: how to enable screen recording on Mac covers the permission setup, and every Mac screen capture shortcut has a complete reference for all recording and screenshot keyboard shortcuts. For choosing a recorder in the first place, see how to record screen with audio on Mac.