How to Record Myself on Mac: 2 Quickest Ways
Whether you’re creating a video tutorial, recording a presentation, or just capturing a quick vlog, you’ve probably asked yourself: “How to record myself on Mac in the fastest way?”
The good news is, your Mac already comes with built-in tools QuickTime Player that make it super easy to start recording right away.
It’s suitable for quick video messages, or anytime you just need a simple way to capture yourself and your screen—no extra editing needed.
The bad news is, these tools don’t offer much in terms of editing features or annotations—so if you need to trim clips, add text, or enhance your video, you’ll likely need a separate editing app.
And the second option is the comprehensive solution to record and edit videos at the same time.
👉 Meet ActivePresenter – free screen recorder for Mac, an all-in-one software to record, edit and create video lessons (for free)
With ActivePresenter, besides recording yourself with Mac, you also can:
- Cut, copy, crop, and trim any part of the video
- Crop your webcam into shapes with the Crop to Shape feature
- Insert time, speed up/slow down clips
- Clean up audio noise and add highlights or sound effects
- Even export only a portion of the video for quick reviews or feedback
Whether you’re creating a tutorial, training video, or online course, ActivePresenter is ideal for producing professional-quality content in one place.
Download ActivePresenter & try all features for free
In this post, we’ll show you the two quickest ways to record yourself on a Mac—perfect for beginners or anyone who just wants to hit record and go.
1. Record Video on Mac – Mac Built-in Quick Time Player
We’ll start with the first tool—QuickTime Player. It’s free, already installed on every Mac, and requires no extra setup.
How to Record Screen and Yourself on Mac with QuickTime
1️⃣ Open QuickTime Player from your launchpad
2️⃣ Click File > New Screen Recording.
3️⃣ A small recording toolbar will appear. Click Options to choose your microphone input if you want to capture your voice.
✅ Now you’re ready to record your screen.
But what if you also want to record yourself with Mac
Here’s how:
4️⃣ Open QuickTime again and click File > New Movie Recording.
– Your webcam will pop up in a new window—yep, that’s you!
– Click View > Float on Top so your camera stays visible while you’re screen recording.
– You can drag the webcam window anywhere on your screen.
If you want to look more polished? You can tweak a few visual settings:
- Blur your background
- Turn on studio light
- Add a virtual background if your room’s a bit messy
5️⃣ Go back to the screen recording toolbar and hit Record.
– Select the area of the screen you want to capture.
6️⃣ When you’re done, stop recording by clicking the Stop button in the menu bar (top-right), or press Command + Control + Esc.
Pros and Cons of Using QuickTime Player
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Built-in on macOS, no downloads needed | ❌ No advanced editing features |
| ✅ No watermarks or time limits | ❌ Camera quality may vary |
While QuickTime Player is great for quick recordings, its biggest limitation is the lack of built-in editing tools.
Once you’re done recording, you can’t cut out mistakes, add text, or insert annotations—all of which are essential if you’re creating content for teaching, tutorials, or YouTube.
That means you’ll have to export your video and edit it in another app, which adds extra steps and time.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that lets you record and edit in one place, the second option—ActivePresenter—might be a better fit.
2. Record YourSelf on Mac with ActivePresenter
If you’re wondering how to record myself on Mac and also want powerful editing tools—all in one place—ActivePresenter is your answer.
It works on both Mac and Windows, and while it’s a downloadable tool, the free version offers no watermarks, no time limits, and is completely free for personal and trial use.
How to Record Screen and Yourself on Mac with ActivePresenter
1️⃣ On the Start page, click Record Screen as Video.
– Choose to record full screen or just part of your screen.
– Turn on your webcam and select your microphone input.
2️⃣ In the recording toolbar, customize your settings:
- Screen Recording Area: Full screen or a selected window
- Webcam: Toggle on to show yourself
- Microphone & System Audio: Enable or disable depending on your needs
3️⃣ Click the red Record button to start.
4️⃣ To stop recording, press Option + Command + 2 on macOS
(or Ctrl + End on Windows).
5️⃣ After that, your recording will automatically open in ActivePresenter’s working space
How to Edit Your Video in ActivePresenter
Unlike basic recorders, ActivePresenter gives you a slide-based editing workspace.
This format allows you to split your video into manageable sections—making it much easier to polish and organize your content.
Pros and Cons of Using ActivePresenter
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Records screen & webcam on both Windows and Mac | ❌ Requires download and installation |
| ✅ Built-in editing tools (cut, trim, annotations, effects) | |
| ✅ Exports to multiple video formats (MP4, AVI, WMV, etc.) | |
| ✅ Ideal for e-learning, tutorial creation, and reviews |
Last Words
If you’re serious about content creation and want more than just a simple screen capture, ActivePresenter is a great step up from QuickTime Player.
It combines powerful features without overwhelming you—making it one of the quickest and most capable answers to how to record myself on Mac.