How to Record Your Screen on Mac (3 Methods)

TL;DR

Three ways to do screen recording on Mac: the built-in Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5), QuickTime Player, or a dedicated screen recorder like Vyds. The built-in tools are free and require zero setup, but they cannot capture system audio, add a webcam overlay, or generate a shareable link. Vyds handles all three and has a free tier with no watermark. If you just need a silent clip for yourself, use Cmd+Shift+5. If you are sharing with teammates or clients, use Vyds.

Table of Contents

• Three ways to record your screen on Mac
• Method 1: Vyds Desktop App
• Method 2: macOS Screenshot Toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5)
• Method 3: QuickTime Player
• Comparison
• Common Mac screen recording problems
• Which method should you use?
• FAQ

Three ways to record your screen on Mac

If you have searched for how to record screen on Mac, you have probably noticed that Apple gives you built-in tools, but they come with real limitations. No system audio. No webcam overlay. No way to share a link when the recording is done. For quick personal clips, the built-in options work. For anything you plan to share with colleagues or clients, you need a dedicated screen recorder.

This guide covers three methods, from simplest to most capable. Each section includes step-by-step instructions, pros, cons, and the specific situations where that method makes sense. Whether you are making product demos, recording bug reports, creating training videos, or documenting a workflow, one of these approaches will fit.

If you are also evaluating other tools, check out our list of free screen recorders and Mac screen recording apps for a broader comparison.

Method 1: Vyds Desktop App

Vyds is a dedicated screen recorder built for macOS and Windows. It captures system audio natively (no third-party audio driver needed), adds a webcam bubble overlay, and generates a shareable link the moment you stop recording.

The free plan gives you 5-minute recordings at 720p with no watermark. Recordings are stored on your own Google Drive or OneDrive, so you are not locked into proprietary storage. The Plus plan ($7/month) removes the time limit, adds 1080p, and includes web-based editing. The Pro plan ($12/seat/month) adds team features, branding, and analytics.

For comparison, Loom's free plan caps you at 25 total videos with a 5-minute limit, and Loom Business costs $18/seat/month. See our full Loom alternatives breakdown for details.

Steps

1. Download Vyds from vyds.io and install the macOS app. It is a standard .dmg install, takes about 30 seconds.
2. Open Vyds. macOS will prompt you to grant Screen Recording permission and Microphone access. You need to allow both in System Settings > Privacy & Security. Vyds will walk you through this on first launch.
3. Click the record button in the Vyds toolbar. Choose to capture your full screen or a selected area.
4. Toggle the camera bubble on or off. If it is on, drag it to any corner of your screen. You can resize it during the recording.
5. Click start. Vyds captures your screen, microphone audio, and system audio simultaneously. The system audio capture is native to the app. You do not need to install Soundflower, BlackHole, or any other audio routing tool.
6. Click stop when finished. Vyds automatically uploads the recording and generates a shareable link. If you are on the free tier, the file goes to your connected Google Drive or OneDrive.
7. Copy the link and send it. Open the web editor to trim, stitch clips together, or add chapters if you are on Plus or above.

Pros

• Captures system audio without a third-party audio driver. This is the biggest gap in the built-in tools.
• Camera bubble overlay with drag positioning and resizing
• Instant shareable link after recording. No manual upload needed.
• Trim and stitch editing in the web editor (Plus plan and above)
• Free for recordings up to 5 minutes at 720p, no watermark
• Free tier stores recordings on your own Google Drive or OneDrive. You own your files.
• Also available as a Chrome extension for in-browser recording

Cons

• Requires installing an app (about 60 MB)
• Recordings longer than 5 minutes and editing features need the Plus plan ($7/month)
• Newer product, so the editing features are still growing

When to use Vyds

Use Vyds when you need to record a product demo, walkthrough, or bug report that you plan to share. The system audio capture alone makes it worth it if you are recording anything that involves sound from your computer, like a presentation with embedded video, a Spotify playlist, or a browser-based app with notification sounds. It is also the fastest path from "recording done" to "link in Slack." If your team does async video communication, see our guide on screen recording tools for teams.

Method 2: macOS Screenshot Toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5)

Since macOS Mojave (10.14), every Mac has a built-in screen recording tool. No installation, no account, no cost. If you want to learn how to record screen on Mac without installing anything, this is where to start.

Steps

1. Press Cmd+Shift+5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. It appears at the bottom of your screen.
2. You will see several icons. The two on the right side of the toolbar are for screen recording: "Record Entire Screen" and "Record Selected Portion." Click the one you need.
3. Click Options to configure:
   • Save to: Choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, or a custom folder.
   • Timer: Set a 5- or 10-second delay before recording starts. Useful if you need to set up the screen first.
   • Microphone: Select your microphone input, or choose "None" for silent recording.
   • Show Floating Thumbnail: When enabled, a thumbnail appears briefly after recording so you can annotate or share immediately.
4. Click Record. If you chose "Record Entire Screen," the recording starts immediately. If you chose "Record Selected Portion," drag to select your area, then click Record.
5. A small stop icon appears in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click it when you are done.
6. The recording saves as a .mov file (H.264 codec) to your chosen location. Desktop is the default.

Pros

• Built into macOS, no installation needed. Works on every Mac running Mojave or later.
• Records full screen or a selected area
• Microphone audio capture
• Timer option for delayed start
• Zero setup time if you have already granted screen recording permissions

Cons

• No system audio capture. This is the biggest limitation. If you are recording a video call, a presentation with sound, or anything playing from your speakers, the built-in tool will not capture it. Your recording will be silent except for your microphone.
• No webcam overlay. You cannot add a face cam to your recording.
• Saves to a local file only. No sharing link, no cloud upload. You have to manually upload the file to Google Drive, Dropbox, or wherever you share files.
• Minimal editing. You can open the .mov in QuickTime to do a basic trim, but that is it. No stitching, no annotations.
• Large file sizes. The .mov output is not well-compressed. A 5-minute full-screen recording can be 500 MB or more, especially on a Retina display.
• No analytics. You have no way to know if someone watched your recording or how far they got.

When to use the Screenshot toolbar

Use it when you need a quick clip for your own reference. Filing a Jira ticket and want to show the bug? Cmd+Shift+5 is fine. Saving a snippet of a UI flow to review later? Fine. But the moment you need to share that recording with someone else, the lack of a sharing workflow becomes a real friction point. You end up uploading to Google Drive, generating a link, and pasting it somewhere. That is 2-3 extra steps compared to a tool with built-in sharing.

Method 3: QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is another built-in option. It has been on macOS since before the Screenshot toolbar existed and offers a slightly different interface for screen recording. On newer macOS versions, QuickTime actually launches the same Screenshot toolbar under the hood, but the menu-based workflow gives you a bit more control over audio input selection.

Steps

1. Open QuickTime Player from Applications (or use Spotlight: Cmd+Space, type "QuickTime").
2. Go to File > New Screen Recording. On macOS Catalina and later, this opens the Screenshot toolbar. On older versions, it opens a dedicated recording window.
3. On older macOS versions: click the dropdown arrow next to the record button to select your microphone. On newer versions, use the Options menu in the Screenshot toolbar.
4. Click the record button. Click anywhere to record the full screen, or drag to select an area, then click "Start Recording."
5. Click the stop button in the menu bar when finished.
6. The recording opens in a QuickTime window. Go to File > Save or File > Export As to save the .mov file. You can choose quality presets: 4K, 1080p, 720p, or 480p. The export step re-encodes the video, which takes time but produces a smaller file.

Pros

• Built into macOS, no installation or account needed
• Audio input selection gives slightly more control than the toolbar shortcut on older macOS versions
• Basic trim editing with Edit > Trim (Cmd+T). You can cut the beginning and end of a recording.
• Export options let you choose resolution, which helps manage file sizes
• Can also record iOS device screens connected via USB

Cons

• Same core limitations: no system audio, no webcam overlay, no sharing workflow
• Manual save required. If you forget to save and close QuickTime, you lose the recording.
• Exporting to a smaller file size takes additional time (re-encoding)
• On macOS Catalina and later, "New Screen Recording" just opens the Screenshot toolbar anyway, so there is little difference from Method 2

When to use QuickTime

Use QuickTime when you want to export at a specific resolution or when you are on an older macOS version (pre-Mojave) that does not have the Cmd+Shift+5 toolbar. The export presets are useful if you need to compress a recording before emailing it. Otherwise, the Screenshot toolbar is faster for the same result.

Comparison

Feature	Vyds	Screenshot Toolbar	QuickTime
System audio	Yes	No	No
Microphone	Yes	Yes	Yes
Webcam overlay	Yes	No	No
Instant sharing	Yes	No	No
Editing	Trim + stitch	Basic trim	Basic trim
Cloud upload	Yes	No	No
Price	Free (5 min, 720p)	Free	Free
Install required	Yes	No	No
Setup time	~1 min (install + permissions)	~10 sec (grant permission)	~10 sec (grant permission)

For a broader look at screen recorder options beyond these three, see our best screen recorders for 2026 roundup.

Common Mac screen recording problems

Knowing how to record screen on Mac is only half the battle. Here are the issues people run into most often and how to fix them.

No system audio

This is the number one complaint. macOS does not give built-in screen recording tools access to system audio output. The Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime can capture your microphone, but they cannot capture what is playing through your speakers or headphones. This means if you are recording a Zoom call, a YouTube video, or a presentation with embedded audio, the output will be silent.

Workarounds: Install a virtual audio driver like BlackHole or Loopback ($99) to route system audio to a virtual input. This works but adds complexity. Or use a screen recorder like Vyds that captures system audio natively without any audio routing setup.

Large file sizes

The built-in tools output .mov files with H.264 encoding, and they are not aggressively compressed. A 10-minute full-screen recording on a Retina MacBook can easily be 1-2 GB. This makes sharing via email impossible and even cloud uploads slow.

Workaround: Open the recording in QuickTime and use File > Export As to choose a lower resolution (720p instead of native). Or use HandBrake to re-encode to H.264 or H.265 with better compression settings. Vyds records in WebM (VP9), which produces files roughly 5-10x smaller at the same visual quality.

No sharing workflow

After recording with the built-in tools, you have a .mov file sitting on your Desktop. Getting it to someone else requires uploading to Google Drive, Dropbox, or a file-sharing service, generating a link, and pasting it into Slack, email, or wherever. That is 3-5 extra steps every single time.

Workaround: Use a dedicated screen recorder with built-in sharing. Vyds generates a link instantly when you stop recording. No upload step, no link generation, no friction.

Screen Recording permission issues

Starting with macOS Catalina, apps need explicit permission to record your screen. If you skip the permission prompt or deny it accidentally, the screen recording will either fail or capture a black screen.

How to fix it:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS).
2. Go to Privacy & Security > Screen Recording.
3. Find the app (Vyds, QuickTime, or your browser if using a Chrome extension) in the list.
4. Toggle it on. You may need to quit and reopen the app for the change to take effect.
5. If the app is not in the list, try starting a recording. macOS should prompt you to add it.

This permission also applies to Chrome extensions that do screen recording. If you use the Vyds Chrome extension, you will need to grant screen recording permission to Google Chrome itself.

Recording shows black screen

This is usually a permission issue (see above), but it can also happen with DRM-protected content. Apps like Netflix, Disney+, and other streaming services use DRM that prevents screen capture. There is no workaround for this. It is by design.

Which method should you use?

Use the Screenshot toolbar if you need a quick, silent screen capture and do not need audio from your computer or a shareable link. It is the fastest way to start with zero setup. Good for filing bug reports, saving UI references, or making a quick clip for your own notes.

Use QuickTime if you want to export at a specific resolution or are on a pre-Mojave Mac. The export presets help with file size management. Otherwise, it does the same thing as Cmd+Shift+5.

Use Vyds if you need system audio, a webcam overlay, or want to share a link immediately after recording. For product demos, team updates, client walkthroughs, and async communication, it fills the gaps that the built-in tools leave open. The free tier is enough for most individual use. Teams should look at the Plus or Pro plans for longer recordings and collaboration features.

If you want more tips on getting better results from any screen recorder, check out our screen recording tips guide.

The built-in tools are fine for quick personal captures. For anything you plan to share, a dedicated tool saves real time and produces better results. That is true whether you pick Vyds or another alternative.

FAQ

How do I record my screen on Mac with audio? If you mean microphone audio, all three methods support it. Select your microphone in the Options menu (Screenshot toolbar), the dropdown (QuickTime), or the settings panel (Vyds). If you mean system audio (sound from apps, browser, music), only a third-party screen recorder like Vyds can capture it natively on macOS. The built-in tools do not support system audio capture.

Is there a time limit on Mac screen recording? The built-in tools (Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime) have no time limit, but keep in mind that long recordings produce very large .mov files. A 30-minute recording can be 3+ GB. Vyds free tier has a 5-minute limit per recording. The Plus plan ($7/month) removes this limit.

How to record screen on Mac with system audio? macOS does not provide system audio capture in its built-in screen recording tools. You have two options: install a virtual audio driver like BlackHole (free) or Loopback (paid), or use a screen recorder that captures system audio natively. Vyds captures system audio out of the box without any additional driver installation.

Where do Mac screen recordings save? By default, recordings from the Screenshot toolbar save to your Desktop as .mov files. You can change this in the Options menu to save to Documents, Clipboard, or a custom folder. QuickTime recordings need to be manually saved via File > Save. Vyds uploads automatically and gives you a shareable link, with the file stored on your Google Drive, OneDrive, or Vyds cloud storage depending on your plan.

Can I record a specific window on Mac? The Screenshot toolbar lets you record the entire screen or a selected area, but not a specific window. You have to manually drag the selection to match the window boundaries. This is one area where third-party screen recorders sometimes offer a dedicated "record this window" option that snaps to window edges.

How do I fix the black screen when screen recording on Mac? A black screen usually means the app does not have screen recording permission. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording and make sure the app is listed and toggled on. Restart the app after granting permission. If you are trying to record DRM-protected content (Netflix, Disney+), the black screen is intentional and cannot be bypassed.

What format are Mac screen recordings in? The built-in tools save as .mov files using H.264 encoding. These files are compatible with most video players and editors but tend to be large. Vyds records in WebM (VP9 + Opus), which produces smaller files at comparable quality and is optimized for web playback and sharing.

Is Vyds better than Loom for Mac screen recording? They solve the same problem, but the pricing is very different. Loom's free plan limits you to 25 total videos at 5 minutes each. Loom Business costs $18/seat/month. Vyds free tier gives you unlimited videos at 5 minutes and 720p with no watermark. Vyds Plus is $7/month, and Pro is $12/seat/month. Both capture system audio on Mac, both offer instant sharing. For a detailed comparison, see our Loom alternatives guide.

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Now you know how to record screen on Mac - pick the method that fits your workflow and start recording. Try Vyds free →