Method 1: Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)

  1. 1

    Press Cmd + Shift + 5

    This opens the Screenshot and Screen Recording toolbar at the bottom of your screen. It works on macOS Mojave (2018) and later.

  2. 2

    Choose your recording type

    The toolbar shows five icons. The last two are for recording: Record Entire Screen (solid circle) or Record Selected Portion (dotted rectangle). Click whichever you need.

  3. 3

    Set options before recording

    Click Options in the toolbar to set: where the file saves, a timer delay, whether to show mouse clicks, and crucially — the microphone input for recording with audio.

  4. 4

    Click Record

    For full screen recording, click Record. For a selected portion, drag to select the area then click Record inside the selection.

  5. 5

    Stop the recording

    Click the Stop button (square icon) in the menu bar at the top right of your screen. Or press Cmd + Shift + 5 again and click Stop. The recording saves as a .mov file to your Desktop (or chosen location).

Record audio tooIn Options → Microphone, select your microphone to record your voice alongside the screen. Note: Mac screen recording does not capture internal audio (system sounds, music, videos) without a third-party app like BlackHole or Loopback.

Method 2: QuickTime Player

  1. 6

    Open QuickTime Player

    Find it in Applications or search with Spotlight (Cmd + Space).

  2. 7

    File → New Screen Recording

    A recording window appears. Click the dropdown arrow next to the record button to select a microphone. Click the red Record button. Click anywhere to record the full screen, or drag to select a portion.

  3. 8

    Stop and save

    Click the Stop button in the menu bar. QuickTime opens the recording automatically. File → Save to choose where to save it.

Where Do Screen Recordings Save?

By default, screen recordings save to your Desktop as .mov files. Change this in Cmd+Shift+5 → Options → Save To.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mac does not natively capture internal audio in screen recordings. Install the free BlackHole audio driver (from Existential Audio) which creates a virtual audio device. Route your system audio through BlackHole, then select it as your microphone input in screen recording options. It takes about 10 minutes to set up.
Screen recordings save as high-quality .mov files which are large by nature. Compress the file by opening in QuickTime → File → Export As → choose a smaller resolution (720p instead of full resolution). Or use HandBrake (free) for more compression control.
Yes — connect your iPhone with a USB cable, open QuickTime, File → New Movie Recording, click the dropdown arrow next to the record button and select your iPhone as the camera source. Your iPhone screen displays and records on your Mac.