How To Record Mac Screen

Recording Your Mac Screen: A Step-by-Step Guide

In today’s digital age, capturing your computer screen can be an incredibly valuable skill for various reasons, such as creating tutorials, recording software demonstrations, or even preserving important information for future reference. In this article, we will take a comprehensive look at how to record your Mac screen in a clear and concise manner.

Choosing the Right Tool

Before you begin the process of recording your Mac screen, it’s essentail to understand that there are multiple tools available to help you achieve this goal. Here are some popular options:

• QuickTime Player: A built-in application on macOS, QuickTime Player is an easy-to-use tool for capturing and editing video files. It allows users to record their screens with just a few clicks.
• Screen Recording in macOS Mojave or Later: Introduced in macOS High Sierra (2017), Screen Record has become the default way of recording your Mac screen. This feature provides more control over recording options, making it an attractive choice for many users.

Using QuickTime Player

If you have access to a Mac running macOS 10.13 or earlier, you can utilise QuickTime Player to record your screen:

1. Launch QuickTime Player: Search for “QuickTime” in Spotlight search or find the app in your Applications folder.
2. Select File > New Screen Recording from the top menu bar:
   • This will open a new window with options to customize your recording settings.

[FIGURE: Screenshot of QuickTime Player’s Record screen]

1. Choose Your Recording Settings: In this window, you can select:
   • The portion of the screen you want to record (full-screen or custom).
   • Whether you’d like audio commentary on your video.
2. Start Recording: Click “Record” and start capturing your Mac screen:
   • You’ll see a countdown timer for 5 seconds before recording begins.

Using Screen Record

For those running macOS Mojave (10.14) or later, using the built-in Screen Record is an effortless way to record your Mac screen:

1. Hold Command + Shift + 5: Press this key combination and select “Capture Entire Screen” if you want to capture everything on your display:
   • Alternatively, drag the crosshair pointer over specific areas of the screen.

[FIGURE: Screenshot of macOS’s Record window]

1. Customize Your Recording Settings: In the pop-up window:
   • Choose whether to include a timer in your recording.
2. Start Recording: Click “Record” to capture your Mac screen:
   • You’ll see a countdown timer for 5 seconds before recording begins.

Additional Tips and Tricks

To make the most of your recorded video, consider these suggestions:

1. Save Your Video Locally: By default, QuickTime Player saves recordings to a designated folder within its own directory (~/Movies). Change this by going to “File > Save As” and selecting another location.
2. Editing Options: Both QuickTime Player and Screen Record provide some level of editing control:
   • Trimming the length of your video
   • Adding music or audio tracks
3. Sharing Your Video:
   • Export your recording as a .mov, .avi, or other supported format.

Recording your Mac screen is now a breeze with these two robust options: QuickTime Player and Screen Record. Whether you need to capture software demonstrations for training purposes or create tutorial videos for friends and family, the steps outlined above will help guide you through this process in no time at all!