Recording your screen on a Mac: the built-in tools, and when they're enough
Updated 30 September 2026
Every Mac can record its own screen, for free, with no time limit. For a lot of jobs that is all you need. Here is what the built-in tools do well and where they stop.
Cmd-Shift-5
Press Cmd + Shift + 5 and a small toolbar appears. You can record the whole screen or a part of it, choose a microphone under Options, and pick where the file is saved. Press the stop button in the menu bar when you are done.
QuickTime Player
QuickTime's New Screen Recording opens the same toolbar. QuickTime is also handy afterwards for simple trims.
Where they stop
- You get a file, not a link. To share it, you upload it somewhere and send that link yourself.
- Your camera is not included. The common workaround is to open a QuickTime camera window, set it to float on top, and record the screen with it showing.
- Your Mac's own sound is not recorded, only your microphone.
- Editing is minimal: trimming, and not much else.
When a dedicated recorder is worth it
If you send recordings to people often, the steps after recording start to add up. A recorder like Reverie runs in Chrome or Edge on your Mac, puts your camera in the video, and gives you a link the moment you stop. There is no time limit on any plan.
If you only record now and then and keep the files yourself, the built-in tools are genuinely good. Use them.