How to Record a Tutorial Video on Mac

To record a tutorial video on a Mac, press Shift-Command-5, choose the screen area, pick your microphone in Options, and click Record. That is free and needs no download. Quibble adds captions, a highlight for what you point at, and zooms on your clicks, so a tutorial is easier to follow.

This guide covers the built-in way first, then planning, then what Quibble changes.

Before you record: plan the tutorial

A clear tutorial starts before the recording button.

1. Pick one goal. "How to export a report" is a tutorial. "Everything about the app" is not.
2. List the steps. Write each click in order. If a step takes more than a sentence to explain, split it.
3. Prepare the screen. Close extra windows and notifications. Open only what the viewer needs.
4. Practice once. Run through the steps without recording so you know where each button is.
5. Write a short opening line. Say what the viewer will be able to do by the end.

Short beats long. A viewer who wants one answer will leave a long video.

Method 1: Record with the built-in Mac tool (free)

1. Press Shift-Command-5 to open the screenshot tools.
2. Choose to record the entire screen or a portion of it. A selected portion keeps the viewer's eyes on the part that matters.
3. Click Options. Under Microphone, pick your microphone so your voice is recorded. Choose None to record without it. The built-in tool lists microphones only for sound.
4. In Options you can also set Save to, a Timer, and whether to show the mouse pointer or clicks.
5. Click Record. Do the steps and talk.
6. Click the Stop Recording button in the menu bar.

QuickTime Player can do the same through File > New Screen Recording.

This is a good way to start. You get a video file and nothing else. Captions, zooms, and cuts are up to you and another editor.

Method 2: Tidy it up in a video editor

After recording, a typical tutorial needs these edits:

• Trim the start and the end.
• Cut mistakes and pauses.
• Zoom into small buttons and text, so a phone viewer can read them.
• Add captions, for people who watch with the sound off.
• Export a file in the shape your platform wants.

A general editor can do all of this. It also means more time per video than the recording itself, since you handle each zoom and caption yourself.

Method 3: Record a tutorial with Quibble

Quibble is a Mac screen recorder for tutorials, product demos, and feedback videos. You record once while you talk. Quibble does the small jobs around it.

1. Open Quibble and press Option-Command-R. It records your microphone; turn on System audio in Settings (or Record System Audio in the recording options menu) if you also want the Mac's sound.
2. Go through your steps and say what you are doing.
3. When something small matters, hold ⌘ and move the mouse over it. A yellow highlight is drawn into the video, and rough circles and boxes snap into clean shapes.
4. Stop the recording. Captions are ready seconds after you stop, in English or Korean, transcribed on your Mac. You can change the fonts and colors.
5. Zoom on clicks is on by default: the video glides into the spot where you clicked, then back out. You can add zooms by hand and change their timing.
6. Edit: split a clip, delete dull parts, and choose from 8 aspect ratios, including 9:16 for shorts.
7. Press Done Editing to get an MP4.

If you edit in CapCut, Send to CapCut (with a license) makes a folder with your video and SRT captions.

What stays free

You can record, highlight, take notes, edit captions, and preview for free. Saving the finished video and exporting need a license.

Make the tutorial easy to follow

These habits matter more than any tool:

• Say what you will do before you do it. "Now I'll open Settings" and then click.
• Go slower than feels natural. You know the steps. The viewer does not.
• Point at the thing you describe. A highlight or a pause on the right spot saves words.
• One idea per video. If you cover two goals, make two videos.
• End with the result. Show the finished state so the viewer can check their own.
• Keep your voice steady. A clear voice is more useful than a perfect take.

Tutorials for phones and shorts

If your tutorial will be watched on a phone, text and buttons need to be readable at a small size. Zoom into small targets, and keep the pointer slow. A 9:16 frame crops a wide screen, so zooms help keep the important part in view. Quibble offers 9:16 among its 8 aspect ratios.

Show your face too

Some tutorials work better with a face on screen. Quibble has a camera bubble: turn on Camera, then move it, resize it, round it from a square to a circle, or make it full screen for a segment.

What Quibble does not do

• It runs only on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later). It does not run on Intel-based Macs.
• It has no cloud upload or share links. Videos are saved on your Mac, and you share the file yourself.
• It has no team plan. One license covers one Mac.
• Captions are in English and Korean only. It does not translate captions.

Price

Record and edit for free. Saving and exporting need a license: $7.99 per month, $79 per year, or $129 once. Every plan has a 14-day full refund.

Frequently asked questions

How do I record a tutorial video on a Mac?

Press Shift-Command-5, choose the whole screen or a portion, pick a microphone under Options, and click Record. Stop from the menu bar. QuickTime Player's File > New Screen Recording does the same job.

How do I record my voice with a screen recording on Mac?

In the screenshot tools, click Options and choose a microphone under Microphone. On macOS 27, Apple also lists an Include System Audio option there. Quibble records the microphone, plus system audio when you turn on System audio in Settings.

How long should a tutorial video be?

As short as the task allows. Cover one goal per video, and split a long process into parts.

Can I add captions to a tutorial?

Yes. Most editors can add them. In Quibble, captions are ready seconds after you stop recording, in English or Korean.

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