Guides

Guides

Step-by-step how-tos for highlighting your cursor, showing the keys you press, and annotating your screen on a Mac — so your tutorials, demos, and screencasts are always easy to follow.

• A Mac screen recorder with no cloud uploadMost modern screen recorders send your capture to their servers. Limelight doesn’t. It records your Mac screen locally and fully offline, with no account and nothing uploaded — private by default.
• A screen recorder for Mac built for tutorials and demosLimelight is a native macOS screen recorder that makes recordings look produced: automatic zoom into every click, a smoothed cursor, and your keystrokes shown right on screen — then export to mp4 or a 9:16 clip from a built-in editor.
• A screen recorder that shows your keystrokes on MacMost Mac recorders capture the result but never the keys you pressed, so viewers have to guess which shortcut you used. Limelight is a screen recorder that shows your keystrokes on screen — and bakes them right into the video.
• A screen recorder with auto zoom on MacManually adding zoom keyframes after a recording is tedious. Limelight is a Mac screen recorder with automatic zoom — it zooms into every click for you as you record, smooths the cursor, and bakes your keystrokes in too.
• Annotate during a PowerPoint presentationPowerPoint's pen tools are buried and break your flow. Limelight lets you draw on top of your slides instantly with a single hotkey while you present.
• Annotate during a software demo on a MacDuring a live software demo, pointing with words alone is hard to follow. Limelight lets you draw freehand right over any app to show people exactly where to look.
• Annotate Google Slides while presentingGoogle Slides has no live pen tool, so you cannot mark up a slide as you speak. Limelight lets you draw on top of your slides instantly with a single hotkey.
• Annotate your screen for webinars on a MacIn a webinar your audience only has your screen to follow, so clear visual cues matter. Limelight lets you draw on screen and spotlight your cursor while you share in any webinar tool.
• Annotate your screen in ZoomZoom's built-in annotation only works on the shared window and trips people up. Limelight lets you draw freely on top of anything during a Zoom call.
• Annotate your screen while teaching onlineThe fastest way to direct a student to the right place is to draw on it. Zoom annotation only works inside a Zoom share, and Google Meet has none — Limelight lets you draw over any app, in any call or recording.
• Annotate your slides while presenting on a MacA live circle or underline makes a slide land harder than words alone. Limelight lets you draw straight over your slides while you present, with no extra setup in your deck.
• Dim the screen around what you are presentingA cluttered screen pulls attention away from your point. Limelight dims everything except the region you are presenting, so all eyes land on what matters.
• Draw and annotate on your screen on a MacExplaining a detail by waving the cursor in circles never lands. Limelight lets you freehand-draw directly over any app — circle it, underline it, point at it — while you present.
• Draw on screen during Google MeetGoogle Meet has no real annotation tools, so explaining things visually is hard. Limelight lets you draw freely on top of anything during a Meet call.
• Draw on your screen during a video call on a MacSometimes pointing is not enough and you need to circle, underline, or sketch on what you are sharing. Limelight lets you draw freehand right on your screen during any video call.
• Draw over Figma while screen sharing on a MacSometimes you need to sketch directly on a design while sharing your screen. Limelight lets you draw freehand over Figma and clear it with one shortcut.
• Free ways to record your screen on a MacYou can record your Mac screen for free, right now, with tools you already have — and step up to cinematic recording when you need it. Here are the best free options and what each is good for.
• Highlight your cursor for game streamingIn strategy games and tutorials your viewers need to see exactly where you are pointing. Limelight puts a spotlight on your cursor so it never gets lost in busy gameplay.
• Highlight your cursor for online classes on a MacWhen you share your screen to teach, students often lose track of where your pointer is. Limelight puts a soft glowing spotlight around your cursor so the whole class can follow it.
• Highlight your cursor for webinars on a MacOn a shared webinar screen, attendees lose your tiny pointer in a sea of content. Limelight adds a glowing spotlight so everyone can follow where you are pointing.
• Highlight your cursor in a design review call on a MacDuring a design review over Zoom or Meet, reviewers lose your small cursor as you move across the screen. Limelight spotlights your pointer so everyone follows your point.
• Highlight your cursor in a screen recording on a MacIn a screen recording, the default Mac pointer is tiny and easy to lose. Limelight adds a glowing spotlight that follows your cursor so every move is easy to track.
• Highlight your cursor in a Webex meetingWhen you share your screen in Webex, the default pointer is hard to follow. Limelight puts a spotlight on your cursor so everyone in the meeting stays with you.
• Highlight your cursor in Discord screen shareWhen you screen share in Discord, your tiny pointer disappears into the stream. Limelight puts a spotlight on your cursor so your friends or community can follow along.
• Highlight your cursor in Google Meet on a MacUnlike Zoom, Google Meet has no built-in cursor highlight or annotation. When you share your screen to teach, students just see the tiny default pointer. Limelight adds a glowing spotlight that follows your cursor over Meet.
• Highlight your cursor in KeynoteWhen you point at something during a Keynote presentation, your audience can barely see the cursor. Limelight puts a spotlight on it so everyone follows where you are pointing.
• Highlight your cursor in Microsoft TeamsWhen you present in Microsoft Teams, the default mouse pointer is too small for people to follow. Limelight puts a bright spotlight around your cursor so the room stays with you.
• Highlight your cursor in Microsoft Teams on a MacWhen you share your screen in Microsoft Teams, viewers often lose track of your mouse pointer. Limelight puts a live spotlight around your cursor so it stands out in the call.
• Highlight your cursor in ZoomWhen you share your screen in Zoom, your tiny arrow gets lost and people lose track of what you are pointing at. Limelight puts a glowing spotlight around your cursor so everyone follows along.
• Highlight your mouse cursor on a MacOn a shared screen or a 1080p recording, the macOS cursor is a tiny arrow nobody can follow. Limelight wraps it in a glowing spotlight that follows your mouse — so your audience always knows where you are.
• How to Make a Tutorial Video on Your MacA great software tutorial guides the eye, shows every keystroke, and cuts the dead air. Limelight is built to do all three on macOS.
• How to Record a Bug Report Video on Your MacA great bug report shows the exact steps that trigger the problem, and the exact keys pressed are often the missing clue.
• How to record a coding tutorial on MacA good coding tutorial shows both what you clicked and which keys you pressed. Limelight records both — it bakes your keystrokes and auto-zoom into the video — so viewers can actually follow your editor and your shortcuts.
• How to Record a Demo Video for Your App on MacAn app demo is often the first real impression of your product, so it needs to look as considered as the app itself.
• How to Record a FaceTime Call on Your MacFaceTime has no built-in record button, so capturing a call means recording your screen while the call is live.
• How to Record a Google Meet on Your MacGoogle Meet's own recording needs the right Workspace plan; when it is unavailable, Apple's built-in toolbar and Limelight cover you.
• How to Record a Loom-Style Video on Your MacLoom-style videos are quick, personal, and made to share async. On a Mac you can get that same speed with Limelight, plus sharper visuals and full local privacy.
• How to Record a Microsoft Teams Meeting on MacYou do not always have host permission to hit Teams' own record button, so a reliable screen recorder is the dependable fallback on macOS.
• How to Record a Presentation on Your MacKeynote and PowerPoint can record narrated slideshows on their own, but any live software demo inside your talk looks best captured in Limelight.
• How to Record a Product Walkthrough Video on MacA good walkthrough shows exactly where to click and what to press, which is precisely where flat screen captures fall short.
• How to Record a Sales Demo Video on Your MacAn async sales demo has to sell on its own, so every click needs to look intentional and land where the buyer's eye should go.
• How to Record a Screen Video for YouTube on MacA watchable YouTube screencast needs more than a flat capture, and that is exactly the gap a purpose-built recorder fills.
• How to Record a Software Demo on MacA practical workflow for recording a clear, professional product demo on your Mac — so every click, keystroke, and detail is easy to follow.
• How to Record a Training Video on Your MacTraining videos succeed when learners can copy each step exactly, which means showing every click and every shortcut clearly.
• How to Record a Webinar on Your MacMost webinar platforms don't let attendees hit record, so a local capture is your reliable option, and Limelight makes any demo footage look sharp.
• How to Record a Zoom Meeting on Your MacZoom has a built-in recorder, but for a shareable demo you can pull the visuals into Limelight and make them look far more professional.
• How to Record an Onboarding Video on Your MacOnboarding videos are watched by people who do not yet know where anything is, so clarity on every click is the whole ballgame.
• How to Record Gameplay on Your Mac the Right WayRecording Mac gameplay is really two jobs: capturing the raw session, then cutting it into clips worth watching.
• How to Record Narrated Slides and a Demo on MacA narrated slideshow that cuts to a live product demo is one of the most persuasive formats, and it comes together best in two clean layers.
• How to Record Part of Your Screen on a MacmacOS lets you draw a box and record just that region; Limelight then makes even a small selection look intentional and polished.
• How to Record Vertical 9:16 Video for Social on MacSocial feeds want tall 9:16 clips, but Mac screens are wide. Limelight exports a clean vertical clip so your screen recordings fit Reels, TikTok, and Shorts.
• How to Record Your Mac Screen With AudioRecording a screencast with sound on a Mac takes one honest choice: capture the audio with a built-in tool, then make the visuals look professional in Limelight.
• How to Record Your Screen and Face on a MacCombining a screen recording with a facecam on macOS is a two-track job, and doing each track well beats doing both badly at once.
• How to record your screen on a MacThere are three good ways to record your screen on a Mac: the built-in Screenshot toolbar (⇧⌘5), QuickTime Player, and Limelight for recordings that look produced — automatic zoom, a smoothed cursor, and your keystrokes shown on screen.
• How to Reduce Screen Recording File Size on a MacBig screen recordings come from high resolution, high frame rates, and long runtimes. Cut all three and your file shrinks fast, with less footage doing the most work.
• Make coding tutorials easy to follow on a MacIn a coding tutorial, viewers lose track of your cursor and miss the shortcuts you press. Limelight highlights your pointer and shows your keystrokes right over your IDE.
• Make your cursor easier to see when sharing your screen on a MacThe Mac pointer is small, and it gets lost when you share your screen. Limelight spotlights your cursor so viewers can always tell where you are pointing.
• Make your mouse easier to see for students on a MacA small arrow cursor is hard for students to spot on a shared screen. Limelight wraps your pointer in a soft glow so it stands out and is easy to follow.
• Make your recorded lectures easy to followStudents rewatch recorded lectures on laptops and phones, where a tiny cursor and invisible shortcuts lose them fast. Limelight records your lecture with a cursor spotlight, on-screen keystrokes, and live drawing baked into the video.
• Make your Zoom and Meet presentations easy to followPresenting to a remote team is harder than presenting in a room — they can only see your screen. Limelight spotlights your cursor, shows your keystrokes, and lets you draw on anything, live, during any call.
• Point at things while presenting a Figma design on a MacWhen you walk a client through a Figma file, a plain cursor makes it hard for them to see what you mean. Limelight spotlights your pointer and lets you draw right over the design.
• Present product demos on a MacA live product demo is hard to follow when the audience cannot see where you are pointing or what you pressed. Limelight gives you a spotlight, keystrokes, and drawing in one overlay.
• Record confidential software demos offlineIf you demo internal, unreleased, or client-confidential software, the recording can’t touch a cloud server. Limelight records your Mac screen 100% locally and fully offline — nothing is ever uploaded — while still making the demo easy to follow.
• Show keyboard shortcuts while teaching on a MacWhen you teach a shortcut, students see the result but not the keys you pressed. Limelight shows your shortcut keystrokes as on-screen badges so learners can follow along.
• Show keystrokes in OBS on a MacOBS captures your screen but not your keyboard, so viewers cannot see the shortcuts you press. Limelight shows your keystrokes on screen so OBS records them too.
• Show your keystrokes for YouTube tutorialsA tutorial where viewers cannot see your shortcuts is just a magic show. Limelight displays your keystrokes on screen so your YouTube audience can actually follow along.
• Show your keystrokes on a Twitch streamViewers love seeing what you press, but they cannot read your mind. Limelight shows your keystrokes on screen so your Twitch audience sees every input live.
• Show your keystrokes on screen in ZoomExplaining a shortcut over Zoom is useless if nobody can see which keys you pressed. Limelight shows your keystrokes on screen so attendees can follow every command.
• Show your keystrokes on screen on a MacIf you make tutorials or screencasts, viewers constantly wonder "what did you just press?" Limelight shows the keys you press on screen, live, with one hotkey — so every shortcut is visible.
• Show your keystrokes while screen recordingA screen recording that hides your shortcuts leaves viewers guessing. Limelight shows your keystrokes on screen so every recording captures exactly which keys you pressed.
• Spotlight your cursor during a presentation on a MacDuring a presentation your audience needs to know exactly where you are pointing. Limelight spotlights your cursor so the right spot is always obvious.
• Spotlight your cursor in a sales demoIn a sales demo, a wandering cursor lets your prospect drift. Limelight spotlights your cursor so their attention stays exactly where you want it.
• The best screen recorder for Mac in 2026The right Mac screen recorder depends on what you are making. Here is an honest rundown — the free built-ins, the advanced free option, and the cinematic recorders for tutorials and demos.
• The best screen recorder for tutorials on MacThe best screen recorder for tutorials makes both your clicks and your keystrokes easy to follow. Here is an honest rundown for Mac, with where each tool fits — and why Limelight is built specifically for keystroke-driven tutorials.