How to Record a Video on Mac (With Audio): 4 Ways

To record a video on a Mac, press ⌘ Command + ⇧ Shift + 5, choose what to record, click Options to pick a microphone, then click Record. Stop with ⌘ Command + ⌃ Control + Esc, and the video saves to your Desktop. To record yourself with the webcam instead, open QuickTime Player and choose File → New Movie Recording.

Those are the two built-in routes. This guide covers all four ways to record video on a Mac — your screen, your webcam, both at once, with your voice and your Mac's own sound — plus the settings that matter and how to trim and share the result.

Quick Comparison: 4 Ways to Record Video on Mac

Method 1: Record Your Screen with the Screenshot Toolbar

This is the fastest way to record your screen on any Mac running macOS Mojave or later.

1. Press Command + Shift + 5. A toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen.

2. Choose what to record:

   • Record Entire Screen for everything on your display.
   • Record Selected Window to record one app window (macOS Tahoe 26 and later).
   • Record Selected Portion to drag a box around part of the screen.

3. Click Options and pick a microphone if you want your voice in the video. It's set to None by default.

   

4. Click Record (or click the window, if you chose a window).

5. To stop, press Command + Control + Esc, or click the stop icon in the menu bar.

The video saves to your Desktop as a .mov file. Every shortcut and option is covered in our Mac screen recording shortcut guide, and if you can't find the file afterwards, see where screen recordings go on Mac.

Method 2: Record Your Screen with QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is the other built-in option. On macOS Mojave and later it opens the same toolbar, so the result is identical. It's handy if you already have QuickTime open, or want to trim right afterwards.

1. Open QuickTime Player from Applications or Spotlight.
2. Choose File → New Screen Recording.
3. Pick a recording mode and a microphone in Options, just like in Method 1.
4. Click Record, and stop with Command + Control + Esc.

Method 3: Record Yourself with the Webcam in QuickTime

To record a video of yourself — a message, an intro, a talking-head clip — use QuickTime's movie recording:

1. Open QuickTime Player and choose File → New Movie Recording.
2. Click the small arrow next to the record button to choose your camera and microphone.
3. Click the red Record button. Click it again to stop.
4. Choose File → Save and pick where to save the video.

Use your iPhone as the camera. With Continuity Camera, a nearby iPhone appears in the camera list and gives you a much sharper picture than most built-in webcams.

Record your iPhone's screen. Connect the iPhone with a cable, start a New Movie Recording, and pick the iPhone from the camera list. QuickTime shows and records the phone's screen — useful for app demos.

QuickTime records the camera or the screen, not both in one video. To record your screen with your face in a corner, you need a screen recorder that does both, like Method 4.

How to Record a Video with Sound on Mac

Your microphone works in every method above: pick it in Options, or in QuickTime's arrow menu, before you start.

Your Mac's own sound — a video, an app, the other people on a call — is different:

• macOS 27 and later: press Command + Shift + 5, click Options, and choose Include System Audio.
• macOS Tahoe 26 and earlier: the built-in tools can't record system audio. You need a virtual audio driver such as BlackHole (free, but fiddly to set up) or a recorder that captures system audio directly. Our guide to recording internal audio on Mac covers both.

If you record and get silence, check the microphone setting first, then these fixes for a Mac screen recording with no sound.

Tip: do a 30-second test recording and play it back before a long session. It catches the wrong mic or a silent input before you've lost an hour.

Method 4: Record a Polished Demo with Screen Charm

The built-in tools capture exactly what's on screen. That's fine for a quick clip, but for a tutorial or product demo, viewers usually struggle to see small buttons and follow your clicks, and you end up editing.

Screen Charm is a Mac screen recorder built for that kind of video:

• Screen, webcam, mic and system audio in one recording, with no BlackHole setup — on macOS versions before 27 too.
• Automatic zoom that follows your cursor and zooms in on each click, so viewers see what you're doing without manual keyframes.
• Click highlights and a smooth cursor, applied after recording.
• Camera layouts, including a split layout and vertical video for Shorts, Reels and TikTok, plus webcam background removal.
• Captions generated from your narration.
• A built-in editor to trim, cut and adjust zooms, then MP4 export up to 4K or a shareable link.

The workflow is short:

1. Open Screen Charm and choose what to record: your full screen or an area.
2. Turn on the camera, microphone and system audio you want.
3. Click record, do your walkthrough, and stop.
4. Review the automatic zooms in the editor, trim the start and end, and add captions if you want them.
5. Export an MP4 or share a link.

It's a one-time purchase of $99, with no subscription.

Recording Settings That Matter

A few choices decide whether your video looks sharp and how big the file gets.

Resolution. 1080p (1920×1080) is the standard for YouTube, courses and most tutorials, and keeps files manageable. Record in 4K when the video will be shown on large screens or has lots of small text. One pro technique is to record in 4K even when the final video will be 1080p. This is called oversampling, and it gives a noticeably sharper final image. Just be aware that 4K needs roughly 3–4 times the bitrate of 1080p, so files get much larger.

Frame rate. 30 fps is plenty for slides, webinars and most software walkthroughs. Use 60 fps for fast UI animations or gameplay, where 30 fps looks choppy.

Format. Mac recordings are MOV. MP4 plays everywhere — websites, Windows, phones, every upload form — so convert MOV files with our free MOV to MP4 converter when you need one, or use a recorder that exports MP4 directly.

Recommended Recording Settings for Common Mac Video Projects

A higher resolution or frame rate isn't always better — sometimes it just means a massive file that takes forever to upload.

Tips for a Better Recording

Record only what matters. Record a single window or an area instead of the whole desktop. The video looks cleaner and viewers focus on the app you're showing.

Silence notifications. Turn on Do Not Disturb so messages and calendar alerts don't pop up mid-take.

Use keyboard shortcuts. Starting and stopping with Command + Shift + 5 and Command + Control + Esc avoids the fumbling at the start and end of every clip.

Bring the Energy and Set the Pace

The technical setup is only half the story. Your delivery is what keeps people watching. Talking to a screen can feel strange at first, so try recording while standing up: it naturally puts more energy into your voice.

Pacing matters just as much. When you know a subject inside out, it's easy to talk a mile a minute, but your audience is probably hearing it for the first time. Pause after each big idea and let it land. Pretending you're explaining it to a friend sitting next to you keeps your tone natural and conversational.

Editing, Trimming and Sharing Your Recording

Trim right away. After a Command + Shift + 5 recording, click the thumbnail that appears in the corner, then use the trim handles to cut the start and end. For any MOV, QuickTime's Edit → Trim (Command + T) does the same.

Cut out mistakes. QuickTime's Edit → Split Clip lets you split a recording and delete the bad part. For anything more — zooms, captions, music — use iMovie or a recorder with a built-in editor. Our comparison of screen recording and editing software covers the options.

Shrink the file before sharing. Export from QuickTime at 1080p or 720p (File → Export As), or use a free video compressor. Trimming dead air helps too.

Share it. Upload the MP4 to YouTube, Google Drive or Slack, or send a share link so people don't have to download a large file.

FAQ: How to Record a Video on Mac

How do I record a video on my MacBook?

Press Command + Shift + 5, choose to record the entire screen, a window or an area, and click Record. To record yourself with the camera, open QuickTime Player and choose File → New Movie Recording. Both work the same on MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

How do I record a video of myself on a Mac?

Open QuickTime Player, choose File → New Movie Recording, select your camera and microphone from the arrow menu, and click Record. Photo Booth also records webcam video. To record yourself and your screen together, use a screen recorder with webcam support, such as Screen Charm.

How do I record a video with sound on my Mac?

Pick a microphone in the recording Options before you start. To also capture your Mac's own sound, choose Include System Audio on macOS 27 or later. On older versions, use BlackHole or a recorder that records system audio directly.

Where do Mac video recordings save?

Screen recordings save to your Desktop by default; change it in Command + Shift + 5 → Options → Save to. QuickTime movie recordings save wherever you choose with File → Save. More in where screen recordings go on Mac.

How do I stop a screen recording on Mac?

Press Command + Control + Esc, or click the stop icon in the menu bar. In QuickTime movie recording, click the red record button again.

How do I keep video file sizes from getting huge?

Stick with 1080p at 30 FPS for most recordings. It looks great on YouTube, social media and course platforms while keeping files manageable. Unless you have a specific reason to record in 4K, 1080p saves a lot of space and processing time, and you can move raw footage to an external drive once you're done editing.

Do I really need an expensive webcam?

For most people, no. A high-end webcam does a bit better in dim light, but the built-in FaceTime camera on any recent MacBook is surprisingly capable. The real secret is light: a well-lit shot from the built-in camera looks far better than a dark one from an expensive 4K webcam. An iPhone with Continuity Camera is an easy upgrade.

Related Guides

• How to screen record on a Mac
• How to screen record with audio on Mac
• How to make a video on Mac
• How to record video on a MacBook Air

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Want your Mac recordings to look edited without the editing? Screen Charm records your screen, webcam and system audio, zooms in on your clicks automatically, and exports MP4 up to 4K — for a one-time $99. Try it at screencharm.com.