> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://snagitpro.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Screen Record on a Mac, With Sound - URL: https://snagitpro.com/how-to-screen-record-on-mac/ - Published: 2026-10-25T05:34:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T05:33:59.000Z - Description: Shift + Command + 5 records the whole screen, a window or a portion. The Options worth changing, system audio on macOS 27 and older versions, QuickTime, trimming, file size and permission fixes. - Author: Adrian Foster - Tags: Guides, Mac, Captures Press `Shift + Command + 5`, pick Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window or Record Selected Portion in the toolbar, and click Record. Stop with `Command + Control + Esc` or the Stop button in the menu bar, and the video saves to your desktop as a .mov file by default. On macOS 27 Golden Gate you can record the Mac's own sound too by choosing Include System Audio under Options; earlier versions of the built-in tool record only a microphone. [Download](https://dropload.surf/c/DluzdtzerFlT?ref=snagitpro.com) The steps are the same on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac or Mac mini, because the recorder is part of macOS. I'd start with it for any one-off recording and reach for another app only when you need system audio on an older macOS, smaller files, or recording features the toolbar doesn't have. Below are the steps, the Options worth changing, sound on every macOS version, QuickTime, trimming, file size and the permission problems that block a recording. ## How do you screen record on a Mac with Shift-Command-5? [Apple's screen recording article](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102618?ref=snagitpro.com) describes the whole flow, and it takes four steps: 1. Press `Shift + Command + 5` to open the Screenshot toolbar. 2. Choose Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Window or Record Selected Portion. Window recording needs macOS Tahoe 26 or later. For a portion, drag the frame's edges to fit the area. 3. Open Options and set the save location, timer, microphone and, on macOS 27, Include System Audio. 4. Click Record. If you chose Record Selected Window, click the window you want instead. Press `Esc` before this point to cancel. The toolbar disappears and a Stop button appears in the menu bar. Click it or press `Command + Control + Esc` when you're done. A thumbnail slides into the bottom-right corner for a few seconds; click it to trim the clip, or leave it and the file saves on its own. ![Diagram headed Shift + Command + 5 with three steps: 1. Pick what to record, with Entire screen, One window and Part of the screen; 2. Check options, listing Save to, Timer, Microphone, Include System Audio highlighted in amber, Show Mouse Clicks and SDR or HDR; 3. Record, with Stop: Command + Control + Esc underneath](https://storage.ghost.io/c/32/ae/32ae67dc-03a1-4a24-abcb-b731d79fd904/content/images/2026/10/mac-screen-recording-map.webp) Pick an area, check Options, then record. One-window recording and the SDR or HDR choice need macOS Tahoe 26 or later; Include System Audio needs macOS 27. ## Which Options should you set before you press Record? The Options menu changes with the tool you picked, so open it after choosing a Record button. Apple's recording article and its [Mac User Guide page on screenshots and recordings](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/take-a-screenshot-mh26782/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) list these settings; here's how I'd set each one. | Option | What it does | How I'd set it | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Save to | Picks the folder or app; the Desktop is the default, and Other Location lets you choose any folder | A dedicated folder, because a few long .mov files clutter the desktop fast | | Timer | Waits a set number of seconds after you click Record | On when I need a moment to switch to the right window first | | Microphone | Records your voice or another input; None turns it off | Choose your mic before you narrate, because with None selected the clip has no voice track | | Include System Audio | Records sound playing on the Mac (macOS 27 or later) | On for anything with app sounds, video or a call | | Show Mouse Clicks | Draws a black circle around the pointer when you click | On for tutorials, because viewers can't see clicks otherwise | | Show Floating Thumbnail | Shows the finished clip in the corner for a few seconds | On, because it's the quickest way into the trim window | | Remember Last Selection | Reuses the last portion you drew | On when I record the same area repeatedly | | Capture Format: SDR or HDR | SDR (Most Compatible) records H.264; HDR records HEVC with more brightness and color (supported Macs, macOS Tahoe 26 or later) | SDR, because it plays everywhere and HDR only looks better on an HDR display | If `Shift + Command + 5` clashes with another app, change it in `System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Screenshots`. The other capture shortcuts are in my guide to [taking a screenshot on a Mac](https://snagitpro.com/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-mac/). ## How do you screen record on a Mac with sound? Your own voice is easy on any version: choose a microphone under Options. Sound coming from the Mac itself depends on your macOS version, and this is where most guides are out of date. Apple added Include System Audio to the Screenshot toolbar in macOS 27 Golden Gate, so on that version you tick it in Options and record. You can use the microphone and system audio together. ![Decision chart headed Recording sound from your Mac: macOS 27 or later leads to Options > Include System Audio, highlighted in amber; macOS 13 to 26 leads to OBS 30 audio capture or Snagit System Audio; macOS 12 or earlier leads to Virtual audio device, then any recorder; a footer line reads Your voice: pick a microphone in Options on any version](https://storage.ghost.io/c/32/ae/32ae67dc-03a1-4a24-abcb-b731d79fd904/content/images/2026/10/mac-screen-recording-audio.webp) System audio in the built-in recorder starts with macOS 27\. On earlier versions, another recorder or a virtual audio device fills the gap; current Snagit needs macOS 15 or later. On macOS 13 Ventura through macOS Tahoe 26, I'd use the free OBS Studio. [OBS's macOS audio guide](https://obsproject.com/kb/macos-desktop-audio-capture-guide?ref=snagitpro.com) says OBS Studio 30 and later can add a macOS Audio Capture source that records all desktop audio or a single app. Snagit records system audio as well, through a toggle on its Video tab, and Snagit 2026 runs on macOS 15 Sequoia or later. On macOS 12 Monterey and earlier, the same OBS guide says you need extra software: the free VB-CABLE, which you route through a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup, or Loopback or Sound Siphon, which can capture single apps. Once the virtual device exists, any recorder can use it as its audio input. If the audio comes out silent or doubled in Snagit, my guide to [fixing Snagit when it isn't recording audio](https://snagitpro.com/snagit-not-recording-audio/) walks through the settings. ## How do you screen record with QuickTime Player instead? Open QuickTime Player and choose `File → New Screen Recording`, or press `Control + Command + N`. On current macOS this opens the same Screenshot toolbar, so nothing changes. On older versions of macOS you get QuickTime's own Screen Recording window instead: 1. Open the arrow menu next to the Record button to choose a microphone, set the monitoring volume and turn on Show Mouse Clicks in Recording. 2. Click Record. 3. For the whole screen, click anywhere; for part of it, drag an area and click Start Recording inside it. 4. Stop with the menu bar Stop button or `Command + Control + Esc`. QuickTime opens the recording right away. Apple notes that if you hear feedback while monitoring the microphone, you should lower the volume or wear headphones. I'd keep QuickTime for what comes after the recording, because it trims and exports any .mov file. ## How do you stop, find and trim the recording? Use `Command + Control + Esc` or the Stop button in the menu bar. If neither responds, or you started from QuickTime, my guide to [stopping a screen recording on a Mac](https://snagitpro.com/stop-screen-recording-on-mac/) covers every case, including an app recording your screen without you. The file is named "Screen Recording \[date\] at \[time\].mov" and saves to the desktop unless you changed Save to. Recordings use the same Save to setting as screenshots, which I cover in my guide to [where screenshots go on a Mac](https://snagitpro.com/where-do-screenshots-go-on-mac/). To trim, click the floating thumbnail before it disappears and use the trim control in the window that opens. For a file that's already saved, open it in QuickTime Player, choose `Edit → Trim` and drag the yellow handles, as [Apple's QuickTime trim steps](https://support.apple.com/guide/quicktime-player/trim-a-movie-or-clip-qtpf2115f6fd/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) show. ## How big is a Mac screen recording, and how do you make it smaller? Big. The built-in recorder writes high-bitrate video at your display's full pixel count, so a few minutes of a Retina screen can run to hundreds of megabytes. Across six published test results and estimates, the median is about 175 MB per minute of recording, with a range from roughly 20 MB to 800 MB per minute. Resolution and how much moves on screen account for most of that spread. | Source | Setup | Published size | Per minute | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | -------------- | | [Sipsip's recording guide](https://sipsip.ai/blog/how-to-screen-record-on-mac?ref=snagitpro.com) | Screenshot toolbar, MacBook Pro M4, 1440p, 10 minutes | 200–400 MB | about 20–40 MB | | [MacMost's side-by-side recording](https://macmost.com/creating-smaller-screen-capture-recordings-on-a-mac.html?ref=snagitpro.com) | Shift + Command + 5, full screen at 2560 × 1440, 46 seconds, no microphone | 105 MB | about 137 MB | | [SmoothCapture's Mac guide](https://www.smoothcapture.app/blog/how-to-record-screen-on-mac?ref=snagitpro.com) | Typical 1080p recording | 100–200 MB per minute | 100–200 MB | | [Airtime's Mac guide](https://www.airtime.com/blog/how-to-screen-record-on-mac?ref=snagitpro.com) | 1080p recording | about 1 GB per 5 minutes | about 200 MB | | [Screenify's iMac guide](https://www.screenify.studio/blog/2026-04-10-screen-record-imac?ref=snagitpro.com) | Screenshot toolbar, iMac at native 4.5K | 150–300 MB per minute | 150–300 MB | | [NovaCapture's compression guide](https://novacapture.app/blog/how-to-compress-mac-screen-recordings/?ref=snagitpro.com) | Built-in recorder or QuickTime on a Retina display | 300–800 MB per minute | 300–800 MB | MacMost's figure is the only one in the table read off an actual recording on screen; the other five are estimates the publishers give in their own guides. Screenify adds a detail that explains the high end: the toolbar captures every physical pixel, 4480 × 2520 on a 4.5K iMac, even when the display is scaled to look like 2560 × 1440. My rule is to record a window or a selected portion whenever the whole screen isn't needed, because fewer pixels means a smaller file before you do anything else. After that, QuickTime does the shrinking. [Apple's export instructions](https://support.apple.com/guide/quicktime-player/export-movies-qtp20e395859/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) list the steps: 1. Open the recording in QuickTime Player. 2. Choose `File → Export As` and pick 1080p, or 720p for a chat app or email. 3. For 1080p, set Format to Smaller File Size, which uses HEVC. Greater Compatibility keeps H.264 if the person you're sending to has an old player. 4. Name the file and click Save. NovaCapture's worked example took a 1.2 GB recording down to 140 MB with a 1080p HEVC export. If you record long sessions often, a recorder with a bitrate setting is the better fix: in MacMost's comparison, OBS set to 2,500 kbps H.264 produced about 13.7 MB for a slightly shorter take of the same content and resolution, against 105 MB from the built-in tool. ## Why won't a Mac screen recording work? When a third-party recorder shows a black screen, records no sound, or never asks for access, check `Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording`. [Apple's privacy guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/control-access-screen-system-audio-recording-mchld6aa7d23/mac?ref=snagitpro.com) explains that this pane controls which apps can record your screen and system audio, and an app that's switched off there can't capture either. For Snagit specifically, my guide to [Snagit's Mac permissions](https://snagitpro.com/snagit-mac-permissions/) lists every switch it needs. A black rectangle where a movie should be is usually copy protection. Apple says some apps, such as the Apple TV app, might not let you record their windows, and the Mac User Guide names DVD Player as another app whose windows you may not be able to capture. TechSmith's own notes say HDCP-protected content can block Snagit too. No setting changes that, and it's there on purpose. If `Shift + Command + 5` does nothing at all, the shortcut may have been turned off or reassigned. My list of fixes for [Mac screenshots that aren't working](https://snagitpro.com/mac-screenshot-not-working/) covers that and the other reasons the toolbar won't open. ## When is Snagit worth it for recording a Mac screen? For a quick clip to show a colleague, the built-in recorder is enough, especially on macOS 27 with system audio. I'd pay for Snagit when recordings are a regular part of documentation or support work, because it handles the parts the toolbar leaves to you. [TechSmith's recording steps](https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/41655796209037-How-to-Record-a-Video-with-Snagit?ref=snagitpro.com) put system audio on the Video tab, so on macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS Tahoe 26 you get system audio without a virtual device. The [Snagit Mac 2026 release notes](https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/41975263481613-Snagit-Mac-2026-Version-History?ref=snagitpro.com) add window recording that keeps following a window you move or resize (2026.0.0), a Timer that stops a capture after a set length (2026.4.0), and a setting to downsample Retina recordings. Snagit also trims and saves MP4 in the same app. TechSmith [recommends keeping recordings to an hour or less](https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/360029108031-Maximum-Record-Length-Snagit-Video?ref=snagitpro.com), so long lectures still belong in OBS or QuickTime. My guide to [Snagit screen recording](https://snagitpro.com/snagit-screen-recording/) covers webcam, audio and the editor if you want to compare it with the free route.