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Menu bar · Screen capture
SimpleRecorder
Free macOS Screen Recorder
Point, select, record. SimpleRecorder waits in your menu bar until you need to capture your screen, then gets out of the way the second you're done — perfect for video tutorials, walkthroughs, and quick how-tos.
I built SimpleRecorder for my own workflow: I record a lot of Google Sheets walkthroughs to share with teammates and clients, and I wanted something that would capture a clean, focused recording without a heavyweight app getting in the way. I still use it every week for exactly that.
- Global shortcut, ⌘⇧R — start or stop recording from any app, no need to hunt for the menu bar icon first.
- Pick which screen to record — running dual monitors? Choose exactly which display to capture before you start, no mixing up screens.
- 1280×720, H.264 — encoded to keep files small without looking compressed, so recordings don't quietly eat your disk.
- Auto-saved to your Desktop — every recording lands as an MP4 the moment you stop, no export step, no save dialog.
- Activity-aware zoom — the recording zooms in on clicks, mouse movement, highlighting, and typing, then eases back to full screen after a second of inactivity.
- Full-screen camera view — expand your floating webcam to a full 16:9 view with one button while recording; press Esc to snap back to the floating bubble.
- Choose your mic — record with your Mac's built-in mic or switch to any external one you've got plugged in.
- Upfront permissions — SimpleRecorder asks for Screen Recording, Accessibility, camera, and microphone access right away, so it's ready the moment you hit record.