How to Record Your Screen on Mac for Free

Press ⇧⌘5 (Shift-Command-5) on any Mac running macOS Mojave (10.14) or later. A toolbar appears with screenshot and screen recording options.

Steps: 1. Press ⇧⌘5. 2. Click "Record Entire Screen" or "Record Selected Portion." 3. Set options: save location, timer (none, 5 s, 10 s), show floating thumbnail. 4. Click Record. 5. Stop with ⌃⌘Esc or the menu-bar stop button.

Output: .mov file, H.264 encoding. No watermark. No time limit. Completely free.

Limitation: Video only by default. To add audio, click Options in the toolbar and select a microphone before recording.

QuickTime Player is pre-installed on every Mac. Open it from Applications or Spotlight (⌘Space → type "QuickTime").

Steps: 1. Open QuickTime Player. 2. Go to File → New Screen Recording. 3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the record button — select a microphone or choose None. 4. Click the red record button. 5. Click anywhere for full screen, or drag to select a region. 6. Click Stop in the menu bar or press ⌃⌘Esc when done.

Output: .mov file, H.264. No watermark. No time limit. Free.

Extra feature: QuickTime lets you trim recordings after capture (Edit → Trim), which is basic but useful.

Limelight (limelightmac.com) is a dedicated screen recording app with a free tier that lets you try its core features before purchasing.

The free tier gives you access to recording with the auto-zoom effect and keystroke display — the two features that distinguish Limelight from built-in tools.

Important: Limelight records video only. No audio, no webcam capture. If you need voiceover, record separately and combine in iMovie or any editor.

Free tier limitations vary — check the current Limelight website for exactly what the free plan includes. The full feature set unlocks at $34 (one-time purchase).

Limelight requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later.

Use ⇧⌘5 when: You need a quick capture right now and do not want to open an app. Best for one-off screenshots and quick recordings.

Use QuickTime when: You want more control over the recording session, need to trim the clip immediately after, or want to choose between screen and window capture in a visual interface.

Use Limelight free tier when: You are creating tutorials or demos and want the auto-zoom and keystroke display features to make your content clearer without any editing.

None of the free options give you automatic zoom-in on click areas — Limelight is the only tool covered here that does this (and only on the paid tier after the trial).

Neither ⇧⌘5 nor QuickTime can display keystrokes on screen. If you are making a tutorial and want viewers to see your keyboard shortcuts, you need Limelight.

QuickTime trims but cannot export at 60 fps, add text overlays, or apply any visual effects. For those needs, you will use iMovie (free) or a paid video editor.

No built-in tool records in ProRes or high-frame-rate formats for professional post-production workflows.

The built-in tools are genuinely good for personal use, internal team recordings, and quick bug reports. Many professionals use only ⇧⌘5 for years.

Consider paying ($34 for Limelight) when: your recordings are a product — tutorials you sell, YouTube content, SaaS onboarding videos, or any content where production quality directly affects viewer trust.

The auto-zoom and keystroke features in Limelight remove dozens of hours of editing from every tutorial series you produce. At $34 one-time, it pays for itself after a few videos.