Guide

Screen recording not working on Mac? Here is how to fix it.

Nearly every problem comes down to a missing permission, protected content, an audio setting or the permission prompt in newer versions of macOS. These steps work on macOS 14 Sonoma and later.

Checked against Apple's documentation in October 2026.

The quick checklist

1. Turn the app on in System Settings, Privacy & Security, Screen & System Audio Recording, then quit and reopen it.
2. If only one window is black, that app or website may protect its video, and no setting changes that.
3. For missing sound, choose a microphone, allow it under Privacy & Security, Microphone, and check that your recorder can capture system audio.
4. If macOS asks again every few weeks, choose Allow. That is a privacy check by macOS, not a fault.

Give the app permission to record your screen

macOS only lets an app see your screen after you allow it. The Screenshot toolbar built into macOS does not need this, but every other recording app needs it once.

1. Choose Apple menu, then System Settings.
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar, then Screen & System Audio Recording on the right. You may need to scroll down. On some earlier versions it is called Screen Recording.
3. Turn on the switch next to the app. If the app is not listed, click the Add button below the list and choose it from your Applications folder.
4. When macOS says the app needs to quit first, choose Quit & Reopen, then try again.

If the switches are dimmed and cannot be changed, your Mac may be managed by your company or school. Ask your IT team, since they can block screen recording.

The switch is on, but it still does not record

Permissions can get stuck, often after an app update. Try these in order:

1. Quit the app completely and open it again.
2. In Screen & System Audio Recording, select the app, click the Remove button below the list, then add it again and turn it on.
3. Reset the permission in Terminal, then open the app and allow it again when asked. For HashShot the command is below; for another app, use its bundle identifier.

tccutil reset ScreenCapture com.hashcode.hashshot

4. Restart your Mac.

The recording is black or shows only the desktop

• Only your desktop picture, the menu bar or nothing at all: the app most likely has no permission yet. Follow the steps above.
• One window or video is black: some apps protect what they show. Apple notes that apps such as the Apple TV app might not let you record their windows, and video streaming sites protect their films and shows the same way. This is on purpose, and no setting turns it off.
• Some windows are missing: a few apps choose to keep certain windows out of screen recordings, for example to protect passwords.

There is no sound in the recording

• Your voice: choose a microphone before you record. In the Screenshot toolbar, press ⇧⌘5 and pick it under Options. Then make sure the app is allowed in Privacy & Security, Microphone.
• The Mac's own sound: the Screenshot toolbar records system audio only on macOS 27 or later, with Options, Include System Audio. QuickTime Player records a microphone only. On earlier versions, use an app that can record system audio and allow it under Screen & System Audio Recording.
• Thin or muffled voice with AirPods: when Bluetooth headphones are used as a microphone, macOS switches them to a call mode with lower sound quality. Record with the Mac's built in microphone or a wired one instead.

Why does my Mac keep asking for permission?

Since macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS asks again from time to time when an app captures the screen directly instead of through the system's own window picker. The message says the app is requesting to bypass the system private window picker and directly access your screen and audio.

Choose Allow to keep recording. When Sequoia launched this came back about once a month, and macOS 15.1 made it appear less often for apps you use regularly. It is a privacy check by macOS, and there is no switch to turn it off on a personal Mac.

Where did my recording go?

Recordings made with the Screenshot toolbar or QuickTime Player are saved to your desktop by default, as a .mov file named Screen Recording with the date and time. To change the folder, press ⇧⌘5, click Options and choose a location under Save to. To stop a recording, click the stop button in the menu bar or press ⌃⌘Esc (Control Command Escape).

How HashShot handles this

HashShot checks for screen recording permission before every capture and, if it is missing, opens the right page of System Settings for you. It records the Mac's own sound on macOS 14 and later, and your microphone along with it on macOS 15 Sequoia and later. Studio features that follow your clicks and keystrokes also ask for Accessibility permission, in the same Privacy & Security settings.

Screen recording questions