How to Record Screen on Mac and Find the Result

The Screenshot app is the newest and easiest way to record your Mac screen. This method works on Mac computers with macOS Mojave 10.14 or newer versions.

1. Open the Screenshot App: Press three keys at the same time: Shift + Command + 5. This will open a small toolbar at the bottom of your screen.

2. Choose Your Recording Type: Look at the toolbar and find two recording buttons on the right side. Click "Record Entire Screen" to capture everything on your screen. Click "Record Selected Portion" if you only want to record part of your screen.

3. Adjust the Recording Area: If you chose "Record Selected Portion," you will see a box on your screen. Drag the corners of this box to make it bigger or smaller. This box shows what area will be recorded.

4. Change Recording Settings: Click the "Options" button in the toolbar to see more choices. You can pick a microphone to record your voice with the video. You can also choose "Show Mouse Clicks" to see a black circle when you click something.

5. Set a Timer: In the Options menu, you can choose to wait 5 or 10 seconds before recording starts. This gives you time to get ready after clicking the record button.

6. Choose Where to Save: In Options, you can pick where your recording will be saved. The default location is your desktop, but you can choose a different folder.

7. Start Recording: Click the red "Record" button in the toolbar. If you set a timer, wait for the countdown to finish. Your recording will begin automatically.

8. Stop Recording: When you finish recording, click the square stop button in your menu bar at the top of the screen. You can also press Command + Control + Esc to stop recording.

9. Edit Your Recording: After stopping, you will see a small picture of your recording in the corner of your screen. Click this picture to edit your video right away. If you do not click it, the recording will save to your chosen location automatically.

QuickTime Player is another way to record your Mac screen. This method works on all Mac computers and is good if the Screenshot app does not work for you.

1. Open QuickTime Player: Go to your Applications folder and double-click QuickTime Player. You can also use Spotlight search by pressing Command + Space and typing "QuickTime."

2. Start a New Screen Recording: In the top menu, click "File" and then choose "New Screen Recording." You can also press Control + Command + N as a shortcut.

3. Check Which Recording System Opens: Sometimes the Screenshot app will open instead of QuickTime. If you see the toolbar from the previous section, follow those steps instead. If you see a QuickTime recording window, continue with these steps.

4. Adjust Recording Settings: Click the small arrow next to the red record button. Here you can choose a microphone to record audio with your video. You can also select "Show Mouse Clicks in Recording" to see when you click.

5. Test Your Audio: If you choose a microphone, you will see a volume slider. Speak into your microphone and watch the slider move. If you hear feedback or echo, turn down the volume or use headphones.

6. Start Recording: Click the red record button. Your mouse pointer will change to a recording symbol.

7. Choose What to Record: Click anywhere on your screen to record the entire screen. Or drag your mouse to draw a box around the area you want to record, then click "Start Recording" inside that area.

8. Stop Recording: Click the stop button in your menu bar or press Command + Control + Esc. QuickTime will automatically open your new recording.

9. Save Your Recording: After recording stops, QuickTime will show your video. Click "File" and then "Save" to choose where to put your recording. You can also edit the video in QuickTime before saving.

After making a screen recording, you need to know where Mac saves your files. This section will help you locate your recordings quickly.

1. Check Your Desktop First: By default, Mac saves all screen recordings to your desktop. Look for a file that starts with "Screen Recording" followed by the date and time you made it.

2. Open a Finder Window: If you cannot see the recording on your desktop, open Finder by clicking its icon in the dock. Finder helps you search for files on your computer.

3. Go to Desktop in Finder: In the Finder menu at the top, click "Go" and then choose "Desktop." You can also click "Desktop" in the sidebar of any Finder window.

4. Search by File Name: Screen recordings always have names like "Screen Recording 2025-07-18 at 2.30.45 PM.mov." The name includes the date and exact time you made the recording.

5. Check Custom Save Locations: If you changed the save location in the Screenshot app or QuickTime, look in that folder instead. Remember where you chose to save your files.

6. Use Spotlight Search: Press Command + Space to open Spotlight search. Type "Screen Recording" to find all your recordings quickly. This works even if you forgot where you saved them.

7. Look for .mov Files: All screen recordings on Mac are saved as .mov video files. You can search for this file type to find recordings mixed in with other files.

8. Open with Video Apps: Double-click any screen recording to open it in QuickTime Player. You can also open recordings in iMovie or other video editing programs to make changes.

9. Move Recordings to Organize: After finding your recordings, you can drag them to different folders to keep them organized. Create folders like "Work Videos" or "Tutorials" to sort your recordings by topic.