Maybe you need to show a colleague how to do something, report a bug, or write a how-to guide. On Windows, people used Steps Recorder for this. Macs never had an equivalent, and Microsoft has since deprecated Steps Recorder in Windows 11. Here are the options on a Mac today, from built-in tools to apps that turn a recording into a written guide.
Option 1: The Screenshot toolbar (built in)
macOS has a screen recorder built into its Screenshot toolbar.
- Press Shift Command 5.
- Choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
- Click Options to pick a microphone (so you can narrate), choose where to save the file, and turn on Show Mouse Clicks so viewers can see what you click.
- Click Record, do the task, then click the stop button in the menu bar.
You get a video file saved to the location you chose.
Good for: quick screen recordings you'll send as a video. Limitations: it's only a video. Viewers have to scrub through it to find a step, and you can't print it, skim it or paste it into a document.
Option 2: QuickTime Player (built in)
QuickTime offers the same recording through a familiar app.
- Open QuickTime Player and choose File › New Screen Recording.
- The same Screenshot toolbar appears; set your options and click Record.
- When you stop, the recording opens in QuickTime, where you can trim the start and end (Edit › Trim) before saving.
Good for: recordings you want to trim quickly. Limitations: again, the result is a video rather than steps.
Option 3: Screenshots by hand
If you need a written guide, you can take a screenshot after every action:
- Shift Command 4 to select an area
- Shift Command 4, then Space, to capture a single window
- Add Control to copy to the clipboard instead of saving a file
Then paste the screenshots into a document and describe each step. It works, but it's slow, and it's easy to miss a step. Our guide on making a step-by-step guide in Word walks through it.
Option 4: Record steps automatically with Steppr
Steppr is a Mac app that works like Steps Recorder, but produces a guide people want to read:
- Press Option Shift Command R, or choose New recording from the Steppr icon in the menu bar.
- Do the task in any app. Talk it through if you like.
- Stop the recording.
Every click, keystroke and shortcut becomes a numbered step named after the real button or field, such as "Click Create", with a screenshot for each one. Your narration becomes the step text. You can add highlights and notes, reorder steps, and export a PDF, one image per step or an MP4 video from the same recording.
Everything runs on your Mac, including transcription, so nothing is uploaded. It costs $9.99 once and has a 14-day free trial.
Which option should you use?
- Sending a quick "here's how" to one person? The Screenshot toolbar video is fine.
- Reporting a bug? A video works, but a step-by-step record with screenshots is easier for developers to follow.
- Writing documentation, SOPs or training material? Use something that produces steps, so people can skim, search and print it. Recording with Steppr is the fastest route on a Mac.
If recording doesn't work: check permissions
macOS needs your permission before an app can record the screen. If a recording comes out blank or an app can't capture other windows:
- Open System Settings › Privacy & Security.
- Choose Screen & System Audio Recording.
- Turn on the app you're using, then quit and reopen it.
For narration, also check Privacy & Security › Microphone.