How to record your screen and face at the same time on a Mac

You want a tutorial where viewers see your screen and your face in a corner. Here’s how to record your screen and face at the same time on a Mac, with 2 free methods and 3 paid apps.

Can a Mac record your screen and face at the same time?

Yes, for free. Apple’s Screenshot toolbar has no camera option, so you show your camera in QuickTime Player and record the screen around it.

Method 1: QuickTime and the Screenshot toolbar (free, built in)

Step 1: Open your camera in QuickTime

Open QuickTime Player and choose File > New Movie Recording to see your camera’s live picture. Don’t press its record button. The window is only there to be filmed.

Drag the window to a corner your demo won’t use, then drag an edge to shrink it. Other apps can cover it when you click into them.

Using an external webcam? Pick it in the camera window’s Options menu.

Step 2: Record the screen

1. Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen. Or choose Record Selected Portion and drag the box so it covers the camera window too.
3. Click Options and choose your microphone.
4. Click Record.
5. To stop, press Command-Control-Esc or click the Stop button in the menu bar.

By default, the video saves to your desktop as Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov.

Before: Shift-Command-5 on its own records your screen and, once you pick a mic, your voice. Viewers never see you.

After: say you’re showing a spreadsheet, with the camera window in the bottom-right corner, away from your columns. You choose Record Entire Screen, pick your USB mic under Options, talk for 5 minutes and press Command-Control-Esc. One .mov file lands on your desktop, face included.

Want a separate camera file too?

Press the QuickTime window’s record button as well, and you get a second, camera-only file for editing. Before you press it, pick a Quality setting in the Options menu. Apple warns that Maximum files “can use large amounts of storage space.”

Before: Quality is Maximum, which saves Apple ProRes 422 video (a format made for editing). Apple’s ProRes white paper puts ProRes 422 at about 147 Mbps (megabits per second) for 1080p at 29.97 fps (frames per second). An estimate for 5 minutes: 147,000,000 × 300 ÷ 8 = about 5.5 GB.

After: Quality is High, which saves H.264 (a common compressed format), enough for a tutorial you’ll upload. To compare, record 30 seconds at each setting and check the sizes in Finder.

Method 2: OBS Studio (free, more control)

OBS Studio (opens in a new tab) is free and open source. As of October 8, 2026, the latest version is 32.2.2, and it needs macOS 13.0 or newer.

OBS puts your camera inside the recording, so no window sits on top of your apps.

1. Open the OBS Studio menu, choose Review App Permissions, and allow Screen Recording, Camera and Microphone.
2. Under Sources (the things OBS records), click +, add macOS Screen Capture and set Method to Display Capture. Your Mac’s sound comes in through this source.
3. Click + again and add Video Capture Device for your camera. Drag its corners in the preview to shrink it, then move it to a corner. If it’s hidden, drag it above macOS Screen Capture in Sources. OBS draws higher sources on top.
4. Talk and watch the Audio Mixer. OBS captures your mic by default, so if its meter doesn’t move, pick your mic in Settings > Audio.
5. Click Start Recording. Your save folder is set under Settings > Output.

The catch: setup takes longer, and as with Method 1, you can’t move the camera after you record.

Method 3: paid screen recorders

We picked these three because each records screen and camera together on a Mac and lists its prices publicly. We haven’t tested them hands-on.

Details come from each maker’s pages, checked October 8, 2026, in US dollars. They’re listed A to Z, not ranked.

Camtasia

Camtasia (opens in a new tab) has yearly plans from $39 (Starter) to $599 (Pro), as of October 2026. It adds a full video editor. From Essentials ($179.88 a year) up, it records screen, camera and audio as separate tracks you can edit.

Where it’s weaker: videos exported on Starter carry a watermark, and it needs macOS 14 or later.

Loom

Loom (opens in a new tab)’s free Starter plan includes “Screen & cam bubble recording” and system audio. You share each video with a link. Starter allows 25 videos of up to 5 minutes each, in up to 720p.

Business costs $18 per user a month billed monthly, or up to 17% less billed yearly. Where it’s weaker: downloads are listed under Business, not Starter.

Screen Studio

Screen Studio (opens in a new tab) costs $9 a month on the yearly plan, or $29 month to month. It adds automatic zooms where you click, a smoothed cursor and camera layouts, such as split screen. Where it’s weaker: it’s Mac only, and new buyers can only subscribe.

Which method should you use?

Start with Method 1 for a video today at $0. Switch to OBS if the camera window gets in the way, or if you need your Mac’s sound before macOS 27. Pay only for something specific: zooms, an editor or a share link.

A 2-minute checklist before you hit record

1. Pick your mic under Options, record 10 seconds and play it back.
2. Close apps and tabs you don’t want viewers to see, and turn on Do Not Disturb.
3. Turn on Show Mouse Clicks under Options to show a black circle each time you click.
4. Set a short Timer under Options so you have a few seconds to look at the camera.
5. Keep your outline next to the camera. See how to read a script without looking like you’re reading.

Common mistakes

• Recording the wrong microphone. Check Options before every recording. If the right mic still sounds distant, see why your mic sounds far away.
• Choosing Record Selected Window. This option (macOS Tahoe 26 or later) records only the window you click, so your camera window is left out.
• Expecting system audio on macOS 26 or earlier. The Include System Audio option needs macOS 27 Golden Gate or later, Apple’s latest version as of October 2026. On older versions, use OBS.

What to do next

• Planning a whole tutorial? Follow how to make a tutorial video by recording your screen for the plan, the edit and the chapters.
• Record a 1-minute test with Method 1 today and watch it back once.
• Nervous on camera? Try a 7-day plan for getting comfortable talking to a camera.
• Posting on YouTube? Add chapters to your YouTube video so viewers can jump to each step.