How to record your Mac screen

We are going to explain to you how to record your Mac screen using the native macOS recorder. It is a somewhat hidden tool, but when you know how to launch it, it will allow you to take screenshots or record screen in several different ways. It is very easy to use, and you don’t need to install anything.

But just in case you are not clear, we are not only going to explain how to do it, but we will guide you step by step through the process so that you do not have any doubts. Everything will start with a keyboard shortcut to launch the recorder, and then we’ll tell you how to use it once you’ve launched it.

Record your Mac screen

The first thing you have to do is press the keys Shift + Command (⌘) + 5 at the same time. This is the specific shortcut to launch the screen recorder. The screen recorder will also allow you to take image captures, although if you want to take a capture of the entire screen, it is enough to press Shift + Command (⌘) + 3.

Once you press that combination of keys, you will see that a selection box appears on the screen, and underneath you have an options bar. The box marks the selection in case you only want to record a specific area, while in the small bar that you have at the bottom you will find the recording options.

The capture options bar is divided into several parts. The first three icons are for screenshots, and the next two are for recording your Mac screen. In the first icon you can choose the option to record the entire screen (1), while with the second you will only record the part of the screen that you have selected (2) with the crop box you have above. You only have to click on one of these icons to start recording.

To the right of those two buttons, you have a button to display the options of the recording. In them, you can choose where you want to save the screen recording, or choose a timer so that there is a countdown before starting to record. Here, you have to configure this before clicking on one of the two recording options.

When you start recording, in the top bar of macOS you will see a circular icon with a square inside. This icon indicates that you are recording, and you have to tap on it when you want to stop screen recording. It is like a stop button. And that’s it. When you finish the recording, the video will go to the desktop or the folder that you have selected in the options.