Guides / Screen recording with audio
What can the built-in Mac screen recorder (Shift-Command-5) record, and what can it not?
Tested on macOS 26.4.1 (Tahoe), Apple M3 Max, 3 Sept 2026. Updated 2026-09-03.
The built-in Mac screen recorder, opened with Shift-Command-5, records the entire screen, a single window, or a selected portion, with an optional microphone track, and saves a .mov file to the Desktop. On macOS 26.4.1 it writes H.264 video with an AAC audio track at about 100 kbps. It cannot record system audio, DRM-protected video, or audio without video, and it has no bitrate or format settings.
What does each option in the Screenshot toolbar do?
Press Shift-Command-5. Apple's keyboard shortcut list describes it as "take a screenshot or make a screen recording". The toolbar shows five capture buttons and an Options menu. The two right-hand buttons are Record Entire Screen and Record Selected Portion; a window is recorded by choosing Record Selected Portion and dragging over it, or by picking the window when the toolbar offers it. Under Options, as listed in Apple's guide:
- Save to: Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or Other Location. Recordings ignore Clipboard.
- Timer: None, 5 seconds, 10 seconds before capture starts.
- Microphone: None or any Core Audio input. This is the only audio setting.
- Show Floating Thumbnail: the corner preview that appears after you stop.
- Remember Last Selection and Show Mouse Pointer (recordings) or Show Mouse Clicks.
There is no setting for resolution, frame rate, codec, or audio quality. QuickTime Player's File > New Screen Recording opens this same toolbar, so it has the same capabilities. Where the file goes and how to stop are in where do Mac screen recordings save and how to stop one.
What file does it produce and how big is it?
Apple's guide says "screen recordings are saved as .mov files" whose names begin with "Screen Recording" and include the date and time. What is inside, measured with ffprobe on four real files from this Mac:
- Video: H.264 in every case. Three full-screen recordings were 3840 x 2160 at 30 fps, at 12.5, 13.9 and 35.7 Mbps depending on how much moved on screen. One was 3024 x 1964 at 120 fps, matching the built-in ProMotion display, at 4.0 Mbps for mostly static content.
- Audio: AAC, stereo, 48 kHz, 98 to 104 kbps, present only when a microphone was selected.
- Sizes: 9.4 s was 42 MB, 34.9 s was 55 MB, 97.5 s was 171 MB, and 52 minutes was 1.59 GB.
So plan on roughly 1 to 4 GB per hour, with fast-moving content at the top of that range. The resolution follows the display, so an external 4K monitor makes 4K files. To shrink one afterwards, QuickTime's File > Export As offers 1080p, 720p and 480p, and 4K or 1080p in HEVC.
What can the built-in Mac screen recorder not record?
Four things, and each has a separate fix.
- System audio. The sound of the app you are recording is not captured, only a microphone. The reasons and fixes are in why does my Mac screen recording have no sound. The free workaround is OBS Studio, which captures desktop audio on macOS 13 and later.
- DRM-protected video. Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+ and similar streams use FairPlay or HDCP protection and render black in a capture. See why is my Mac screen recording black on Netflix.
- Audio without video. It always writes a .mov. For a sound-only file use QuickTime's New Audio Recording (microphone) or a system audio recorder.
- Anything scheduled or longer than your disk. No timer beyond 10 seconds, no stop-after, no silence detection, and at 1 to 4 GB per hour the disk is the limit.
It also cannot record a second display and the first in one file; you record one display at a time. And with Microphone set to a Bluetooth headset, the headset drops to its low-quality hands-free profile for the duration; use the built-in mic or a USB mic instead.
When is the built-in recorder the right tool?
Most of the time. For a bug report, a walkthrough with your voice, a demo without sound, or a quick clip to send a colleague, it is faster than anything else, already installed, and produces a file every Mac and iPhone can play. Its two real advantages over OBS are zero setup and the correct handling of Retina scaling and the pointer. Reach for something else only when you need the computer's sound, need DRM content (which nothing legal records), or need an audio file. One habit saves time later: open Options before every recording and check the Microphone entry, because the last choice is remembered and a forgotten AirPods selection gives you a low-quality Bluetooth mic track or nothing at all. The decision table below maps each need to the tool.
Screen recordings are saved as .mov files.
Apple, Take a screenshot or screen recording on Mac
Capabilities of the built-in Screenshot recorder versus the common alternatives (macOS 26.4.1)
| Capability | Shift-Command-5 / QuickTime | OBS Studio 30 | AirCheck | BlackHole + QuickTime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen video | yes, H.264 .mov | yes, mkv/mp4 | no | yes, .mov |
| Microphone | yes, one input | yes, mixed | yes, separate take | no (BlackHole takes the slot) |
| System audio | no | yes (macOS 13+) | yes (macOS 14+) | yes |
| Audio-only file | no | no | yes, WAV or MP3 | with New Audio Recording |
| Audio quality setting | no, about 100 kbps AAC | yes | yes, 16/24-bit WAV or MP3 320 | AAC or 24-bit AIFF-C |
| DRM video (Netflix, Apple TV+) | black | black | audio may be silent | silent or blocked |
| Price | free | free | $39 | free |
Measured bitrate from four Screenshot-toolbar recordings on 3 Sept 2026.
Where AirCheck fits
AirCheck covers the one row the built-in recorder cannot: system audio as a file. If the reason you are pressing Shift-Command-5 is a webinar, a mix or a stream you want to listen to later, AirCheck records it through ScreenCaptureKit at 24-bit and exports WAV or 320 kbps MP3 to ~/Music/AirCheck with no video attached. It needs the same Screen & System Audio Recording permission, no driver, costs $39 once, and runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or newer. Files are 0.14 to 0.97 GB per hour instead of the 1 to 4 GB of a screen recording.
When you do not need it: AirCheck records audio only; anything that is about the picture, a bug report, a tutorial with your voice, a silent demo, is the built-in screen recorder's job.
AirCheck records what your Mac plays, or any input, to one file. $39 once.
macOS 14 or newer. One-off payment. Fourteen-day refund, no questions asked.
Questions people ask
Does Mac screenshot record audio?
The Screenshot toolbar can record a microphone if you choose one under Options. It never records the audio the Mac is playing. With Microphone set to None the .mov has no audio track at all.
What format does a Mac screen recording use?
A .mov container with H.264 video and, if a microphone was on, an AAC stereo track at 48 kHz and about 100 kbps. Resolution matches the display, for example 3840 x 2160 at 30 fps on a 4K monitor.
Can the built-in recorder capture only one window?
Yes. Choose Record Selected Portion and drag over the window, or select the window when the toolbar offers it. Other windows that overlap the region will appear in the recording, and the file resolution matches the region, not the display.
Is there a time limit on Mac screen recordings?
No limit in the tool. A 52 minute recording on this Mac produced a 1.59 GB file. Free disk space is the only ceiling, at roughly 1 to 4 GB per hour.
Sources
- Apple: Take a screenshot or screen recording on Mac
- Apple: Mac keyboard shortcuts
- Apple: Record your screen in QuickTime Player on Mac
- Apple: Export movies in QuickTime Player on Mac
- OBS: macOS Desktop Audio Capture Guide
Related guides
- Why does my Mac screen recording have no sound?
- Where do Mac screen recordings save, and how do you stop a recording?
- Why is my Mac screen recording black or silent on Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+?
- Does QuickTime Player record system audio on a Mac?
- Does Mac have a built-in audio recorder?
- How to screen record with internal audio on a Mac
- Screen recording with audio: all guides
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