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How to create a screen recording on Mac

Creating a screen recording on your Mac can be useful in a variety of situations. While there are some great third-party apps out there to help with this, Apple offers a free option built-in to macOS with QuickTime.

If you find yourself regularly creating screen recordings, you’ll likely be best served by software like ScreenFlow, which we’ve previously covered (video). But if you just need to capture videos of your Mac more infrequently, using the built-in QuickTime functionality may be a good fit.

How to create a screen recording on Mac

  1. Launch QuickTime Player on Mac (use Spotlight to search and open it)
  2. Or find it via Finder → Applications → QuickTime Player
  3. Click File and then New Screen Recording
  4. Follow along with the walkthrough below for more details

After clicking New Screen Recording, you can click on the down arrow next to the record button to customize your preferences as shown below.

Next, choose if you’d like to record your whole screen, or just a portion of it.

If you selected a portion, click the Start Recording button to begin.

Click the stop button in the menu bar to conclude your screen recording.

Now you’re all set to name, save, and/or share your recording! 😄👌🏼

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.


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