How to Screen Capture Video on Mac (Not Just Screenshots)

macOS lets you capture video of your screen — not just still screenshots. The built-in tools are already on your Mac. Third-party apps go further, adding system audio capture, auto-zoom, and GIF export.

This guide covers every way to screen capture video on a Mac, what each method can and can't do, and when to use each one.

Screenshot vs. screen recording#

macOS uses one keyboard shortcut prefix for both: Cmd+Shift+3, Cmd+Shift+4, and Cmd+Shift+5 all live in the same family, but they do different things.

Screenshots are PNG files. Screen recordings are video files (usually .mov). The Screenshot toolbar is where you access video recording without opening any other app.

For a full breakdown of every Mac screenshot shortcut, see our Mac screen capture shortcuts guide.

Method 1: Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5)#

The Screenshot toolbar is built into macOS 10.14 Mojave and later. It's the fastest way to start a screen recording.

How to use it:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+5. A small toolbar appears at the bottom of your screen.
2. The last two icons in the toolbar are for video: "Record Entire Screen" and "Record Selected Portion."
3. Click Options to set where the recording saves, a countdown timer (0, 3, or 10 seconds), and microphone input.
4. Click the record button to start.
5. To stop, click the stop button in the menu bar, or press Cmd+Ctrl+Esc.

The recording saves as a .mov file. By default it goes to your Desktop.

What it can do:

• Record the full screen or a selected area
• Record microphone audio
• Show or hide the mouse pointer in the recording
• Set a countdown before recording starts

What it can't do:

• Record system audio (what's playing through your speakers)
• Zoom into clicks
• Export as GIF or MP4 without converting
• Trim the recording (you need QuickTime or another app for that)

Method 2: QuickTime Player#

QuickTime Player has had a built-in screen recorder since macOS 10.10 Yosemite. It gives you slightly more control than the Screenshot toolbar and is useful if you prefer a dedicated recording window.

How to use it:

1. Open QuickTime Player (it's in Applications).
2. Go to File > New Screen Recording (or press Ctrl+Cmd+N).
3. A small recording window appears. Click the dropdown arrow next to the record button to choose your microphone.
4. Click the record button. You can then click to record the full screen, or drag to select an area.
5. Click the stop button in the menu bar when you're done.
6. QuickTime opens the recording in a player window. Go to File > Save to choose where to save it.

QuickTime saves in .mov format. You can trim the start and end with Edit > Trim, but that's the only editing available.

What it can do:

• Record the full screen or a selected area
• Record microphone audio
• Basic trim (start and end only)
• Show click circles during recording (when you click while recording, a circle appears around your cursor)

What it can't do:

• Record system audio
• Zoom into clicks
• Export as GIF or MP4 natively (you need Finder to convert via "Share" or another app)
• Multi-track recording or video editing

The system audio problem#

Both built-in methods have the same limitation: they can record your microphone, but not what's playing through your speakers — no app sounds, no music, no video audio.

macOS doesn't expose system audio to screen recorders by default. It's a privacy and security restriction in the OS.

To capture system audio, you have two options:

Option 1: Install BlackHole — BlackHole is a free, open-source virtual audio driver. After installation, you create a multi-output device in Audio MIDI Setup that routes system audio to your microphone input. It works, but takes about 15 minutes to set up and requires adjusting your system audio settings every time you want to record.

Option 2: Use an app that handles it natively — Rekort, Screen Studio, and OBS Studio all capture system audio without extra software. They handle the audio routing internally.

For a full guide on recording with audio, see how to record screen with audio on Mac.

When built-in is enough#

QuickTime and the Screenshot toolbar are the right choice when:

• You need a quick informal capture (bug report, Slack message, personal reference)
• You're recording something where audio doesn't matter
• You don't need zoom or GIF export
• You want zero setup

They're free, already installed, and fast to start. For internal notes or rough captures, they work fine.

When you need a third-party app#

Built-in recording falls short when:

• Viewers need to see what you're clicking. On a Retina display, a full-screen recording of a typical app is hard to follow. Buttons are small. Text is tiny. If you're making a product demo or tutorial, viewers need zoom. The built-in tools can't do that.
• You need system audio. For walkthroughs of anything with sound — product demos, software tutorials, game recordings — you need system audio capture.
• You want GIF export. Documentation, GitHub READMEs, and Slack messages often work better as GIFs. Neither QuickTime nor the Screenshot toolbar exports GIFs.
• You make recordings regularly. Setting up BlackHole every time, trimming in QuickTime, converting with Finder, then uploading — the friction adds up fast.

Third-party apps that add these capabilities include Rekort (auto-zoom on click, system audio, GIF and MP4 export), Screen Studio (auto-zoom, camera overlays, custom backgrounds), OBS Studio (free, multi-source, system audio on macOS 13+), and Kap (free, lightweight, excellent GIF export).

See our best screen recorder for Mac guide for a full comparison.

Quick comparison#

Giving permission to record#

If macOS asks for permission when you first try to record, or if the recording comes out blank, you may need to grant Screen Recording permission to the app.

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording and enable the toggle for QuickTime, your third-party app, or Terminal (if you're scripting). For a full walkthrough, see how to enable screen recording on Mac.

Where recordings save#

• QuickTime: Prompts you to choose a save location after stopping.
• Screenshot toolbar: Saves to Desktop by default as a .mov file. Change this in Cmd+Shift+5 > Options > Save to.
• Third-party apps: Varies. Rekort lets you choose format and destination at export. Screen Studio saves to Desktop by default.

If you can't find a recording after stopping, check your Desktop, then search Spotlight (Cmd+Space) for the filename or filter Finder by Kind: Movie.

Stopping a recording#

• QuickTime: Click the stop button in the menu bar (a circle with a square inside it).
• Screenshot toolbar: Same stop button appears in the menu bar during recording.
• Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+Ctrl+Esc stops a recording from either built-in method.

For more ways to stop a recording, including what to do if the button disappears, see how to stop screen recording on Mac.

---

The built-in tools are fast and free. For quick, informal captures they're the right choice. For demos, tutorials, or anything that needs zoom, system audio, or GIF export, a third-party app closes the gap.