How to Record Your Mac Screen

Capture high-quality screen recordings on your Mac using the built-in Screenshot utility. Follow these steps for clean, professional video output.

1. Open the Screen Capture Toolbar. Press Command + Shift + 5 simultaneously to trigger the system-level capture overlay. This menu provides options for both still screenshots and video screen recordings.
2. Define the recording area. Select Record Entire Screen to capture your full display or Record Selected Portion to draw a bounding box around a specific application window or region. The pointer will change to a camera icon when selecting a specific window.
3. Adjust recording preferences. Click the Options menu within the toolbar. Select the desired save location under Save to, set a timer delay if needed, and ensure the correct microphone input is selected under the Microphone heading if you intend to record audio narration.
4. Begin the capture process. Click the Record button on the toolbar or inside your selected region. Recording starts immediately if no timer is configured; otherwise, the timer counts down before capture begins.
5. End the recording session. Click the small stop icon located in the menu bar at the top right of your screen. The recording will automatically save to your designated location, typically the Desktop.