Mac computers are praised for their ease of use and abundance of features. But how do you screen record on a Mac?
If you want to record and share your screen using a Mac, you have several options available. This includes built-in tools for screen recording and a wide range of third-party screen recording apps you can use. To help you get started, let’s take a look at why screen recording is an important functionality for Mac users, how to screen record on a Mac, and how to choose the best screen recording app for your needs.
Why Should You Use a Screen Recording App?
There are many different reasons why you might want to record your Mac computer’s screen. In business applications, screen recordings can be used to help explain processes and concepts to other team members, helping managers avoid unnecessary meetings and train remote employees. It’s been said before that you shouldn’t call a meeting to cover something that can be explained in an email, but there are plenty of cases where sharing a screen recording explains it even better!
Content creators often use screen recording apps as well. Whether you are putting together content for a YouTube video, hosting a live stream on Twitch, or sharing content on any other social media platform, the ability to record and share your screen unlocks a lot of new options for creating quality, engaging content.
In other cases, you may want to record your screen for your own future reference or simply share a quick video with your friends. Whatever the purpose, you’ll be happy to know that numerous tools (both built-in and third-party) make screen recording on a Mac a quick and simple process!
How to Screen Record on a Mac
Mac computers offer two built-in tools that can be used for screen recording: Screenshot and QuickTime player. Here is how to record your screen using both of these tools:
How to Screen Record Using Screenshot
To record your screen using the Screenshot tool, here are the steps you should follow:
- Open the app you want to record or go to the screen you want to capture
- Press Command + Shift + 5 on your keyboard to open the Screenshot app
- In the toolbar that appears at the bottom of the screen, you will see options for capturing a screenshot or a screen recording. Click on the “Record Entire Screen” or “Record Selected Portion” button
- If you selected “Record Selected Portion”, click and drag to select the area you want to record
- Click on the “Record” button to start recording
- To stop recording, click on the stop button in the menu bar at the top of the screen or press Command + Control + Escape on your keyboard
How to Screen Record Using QuickTime Player
To record your screen using QuickTime player, here are the steps you should follow:
- Open QuickTime Player. You can find it in the Applications folder or search for it using Spotlight
- In the menu bar, click on “File” and select “New Screen Recording”
- A small recording window will appear. Click on the red “Record” button to start recording
- If you want to record the entire screen, click anywhere on the screen to start recording. If you want to record a specific portion of the screen, click and drag to select the area you want to record
- Once you start recording, the recording controls will disappear. To stop recording, click the stop button in the menu bar at the top of the screen or press Command + Control + Escape on your keyboard
- After you stop recording, QuickTime Player will open the recorded video, and you can save it to your desired location.
What is the Best App for Screen Recording on a Mac?
Along with using Mac’s built-in tools for screen recording, you can also record and share your screen using various third-party apps. These often offer additional features and functionalities that can make them well worth downloading.
A few of the best apps for screen recording on a Mac available today include:
1. Zight
Zight is an AI-powered screen recording tool that offers a litany of advanced features. This includes features such as customizable recording settings, webcam overlay, microphone audio recording, and the ability to export recordings in various formats. Zight also features an intuitive design and a user-friendly interface that is simple for anyone to use. This combination of helpful features and a user-friendly design makes Zight one of the top screen recording tools on the market today.
2. ScreenFlow
ScreenFlow is another great app for screen recording on a Mac. With ScreenFlow, you can record multiple screens simultaneously, add annotations, overlays, and transitions, and even edit audio tracks. ScreenFlow is a popular choice for many content creators thanks to its video editing capabilities.
3. OBS Studio
Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) Studio is a free, open-source screen recording and live-streaming software. Despite being free to download and use, OBS Studio offers powerful editing features and advanced customization options. It has a much steeper learning curve than the other two tools on our list, but it’s still a great choice for gamers, streamers, and anyone else who requires advanced editing features.
Conclusion
With the right screen recording app, recording your Mac’s screen, editing the video, and sharing it with others is made quick and simple. If you want to get started enjoying the advanced yet user-friendly features of an AI-powered screen recording app, Zight is the perfect tool!
To see for yourself how simple Zight makes it to create fully customized screen recordings, be sure to download the Zight app today!