How to Screen Record on Mac

Apple’s macOS offers a handy Screenshot tool to capture a specific part of the screen. That is useful for creating online content for classes, lectures, webinars, tutorials, etc. That’s where the Screenshot tool is useful for screen recording. Here’s how you can use the Screenshot’s native screen recording capability or take the help of a third-party app to record the screen on your Mac.

The Screen Record tool packs basic features and offers a bunch of customization options and features for recording. Read on how to record screen on Mac.

1. Use Screenshot Tool

Apple’s native Screenshot tool offers three ways to use it on Mac. To start, you can use any of the tricks below to summon the tool.

• Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot too.

• Open Launchpad and you shall find the Screenshot under the Other menu. By default, macOS keeps the Screenshot there. You can pin it on the macOS dock for easy access.

• Press the Command + Space and open Spotlight Search. Type screenshot, and hit Enter to open the tool.

Now that you have opened it, let’s understand how to screen record on Mac.

Step 1: macOS will open a capture area and a control bar at the bottom with functions to play with.

Step 2: The first two functions on the left side are related to the Screenshot. The third option allows you to capture the selected area. Move your focus to the fourth and fifth tab that carries a little record icon.

Step 3: You can click on the Record icon and start recording the content on the screen.

Before you hit the record button, you should consider using the Options menu to make relevant changes for a flawless screen recording experience.

The Options menu allows you to select the export video location, set the timer, select the default microphone, and showcase/hide mouse clicks.

Selecting the default microphone is an important step for those working with an external microphone. If you don’t select the right microphone, the final video won’t have the audio you want.

To stop the recording, simply click on the record option in the menu bar. macOS will offer a thumbnail of the video at the bottom right corner.

You can click on it and trim the video using the crop option and even directly delete the video.

While the default screenshot tool gets the job done, you should invest in a third-party screen recording tool such as CleanShot X or Snagit. They offer more features and customization options for a price.

2. Use CleanShot X

CleanShot X is a native macOS app to capture screenshots, record videos, create gifs, and more.

Using CleanShot X, you can also annotate videos, share your thoughts during recording with a small thumbnail at the corner and edit the videos before exporting. The app asks for $29 as a one-time payment.

Follow the steps below to use CleanShot X on Mac.

Step 1: Visit the official CleanShot X website, purchase, and download the software.

Download CleanShot X

Step 2: Download the app and add the license key.

Step 3: During startup, CleanShot X will ask to remap the native screenshot shortcuts to the app to take the screenshot and start screen recording.

Make necessary changes to the keys combination and you are all set to record screen on the Mac.

The app stays in the macOS menu bar. Click on the app icon and select Record Screen.

You can change display resolution to keep the video file size small, select a microphone, create a gif, showcase mouse clicks, adjust the presenter thumbnail, and set the timer to start recording.

After recording the video, users can play with the audio settings to make relevant changes to the voice output. CleanShot X allows you to edit the microphone and Mac speaker volume for the desired output.

If your workflow requires taking several screenshots and screen recordings, CleanShot X is definitely worth every buck. The only issue is, it’s available on macOS only.

Those looking for a cross-platform screen recording solution should checkout SnagIt.

Download Snagit

Record Screen on Mac

macOS continues to deliver better value with native tools such as Screenshot. Using the Screenshot tool, you can easily record the screen on the Mac. Power users might be left wanting more. They should check out third-party apps like CleanShot X and Snagit.