Best Settings for Screen Recording on Mac in 2026

Mac displays — especially the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro and Studio Display — run at 2x or higher pixel density (Retina). A 2560×1600 display renders at that resolution internally but macOS presents it as a 1280×800 logical resolution to apps. Screen recorders can capture either the logical (scaled) resolution or the full Retina pixel resolution.

Capturing at Retina resolution (2560×1600 on a 1280×800 display) produces sharp text and crisp UI elements. The tradeoff is file size — a Retina recording at 60fps is roughly 4x the data of the same content at 1280×800.

Recommendation: record at Retina resolution if you'll be exporting for documentation, product pages, or any context where image quality matters. Record at 1280×800 (1x) if you're capturing a quick demo for Slack, or if storage/bandwidth is a concern.

If you record at Retina and export at 1080p, you get excellent quality output with reasonable file size — the downscaling sharpens fine details.

Frame rate determines how smooth motion appears in your recording. 30fps is the standard for most screen recording content — UI navigation, button clicks, and menu interactions don't require high frame rates to look natural.

60fps makes a visible difference when: your recording includes animations (page transitions, drag-and-drop, custom UI animations), cursor movement is fast and the smoothness matters, or you're demonstrating a game or graphics-heavy application.

For tutorial and demo content, 30fps is the right default. It produces half the file size of 60fps with no perceptible quality difference for typical UI content. Reserve 60fps for content where motion smoothness is the point.

mp4 (H.264 or H.265): The universal choice. Plays in every browser, every platform, every device. H.265 (HEVC) produces smaller files than H.264 at the same quality, but older devices don't support it. Use H.264 for compatibility, H.265 if file size is critical and you control the viewing environment.

MOV (ProRes or H.264): QuickTime's native format. ProRes MOV files are extremely large but retain full quality for editing. H.264 MOV is essentially identical to H.264 mp4 — different container, same content. If you're handing footage to a video editor, give them ProRes MOV. For sharing, export mp4.

GIF: Universal compatibility (works in GitHub READMEs, old email clients, anywhere), but 256-color limitation produces visible banding in complex imagery. For simple UI demos with flat colors: GIF is fine. For anything with gradients or photos: use mp4 and let the viewer's player handle it.

Limelight exports to mp4, which is the right choice for sharing. If you need GIF, export mp4 from Limelight and convert with Gifski.

Not every screen recording needs audio. For GitHub READMEs, documentation inline embeds, and GIFs: silent is correct, since audio doesn't play automatically and the GIF format doesn't support it.

For YouTube tutorials, course content, or any video where you're narrating: record microphone audio. Most recorders (QuickTime, OBS) support this. Use an external microphone if possible — built-in Mac microphones capture keyboard noise and room reverb that sounds poor in recordings.

System audio (the sound your Mac is producing): useful when demonstrating audio features of an app, or when the app's interface sounds are part of the demo. Most screen recorders support system audio capture, but it requires enabling a virtual audio device on macOS.

Limelight does not record audio — it's a visual-focused tool. If you need audio in your recording, use Limelight for a silent visual demo, or use QuickTime/OBS for audio-included recordings.

Auto-zoom sensitivity: Controls how aggressively Limelight zooms in on each click. Higher sensitivity means more zoom — useful if you're recording a dense UI where elements are small. Lower sensitivity gives a subtler zoom that doesn't disrupt the viewer's orientation. For most software demos, a medium sensitivity works well. If viewers report feeling disoriented by zooming, reduce sensitivity.

Keystroke display: The on-screen keystroke panel can be positioned in any corner of the recording frame. Choose the corner that has the least important content in your typical recording. Font size should be large enough to read at your target export resolution — if you're exporting at 1280px wide, test that the keystroke text is legible at that size.

Cursor spotlight: Limelight's free tier includes cursor spotlight. The intensity (how prominent the glow around the cursor is) can be adjusted. For recordings where the cursor is always moving, a subtle spotlight is enough. For recordings where you pause and point with the cursor, a more prominent spotlight helps.

9:16 export: Use this when your recording will be posted as a vertical social media clip. Limelight reframes the content for vertical format during export — you don't need to re-record in portrait orientation.

GitHub README / documentation GIF: Record region (not full screen), 30fps, capture at 1x resolution, export mp4, convert to GIF with Gifski at 10-12fps, 400-640px wide.

YouTube tutorial: Record at Retina resolution, 30fps, mp4, include microphone audio, enable keystroke display and auto-zoom for instructional sections.

Social media Reels/TikTok: Record the relevant app window, 30fps, export in Limelight's 9:16 format, keep under 60 seconds.

Product demo (landing page): Record at Retina resolution, 30fps, mp4, enable auto-zoom and cursor spotlight. Trim to the core flow — aim for under 90 seconds.

Slack/Teams internal demo: Record region, 30fps, mp4. File size matters here since it's being uploaded to a messaging platform. Export at 1280px wide, H.264 mp4.