Export & share

Export your screen recording as an MP4 or a GIF on your Mac, in every shape or at a platform’s exact size, then copy it straight into a chat.

To export a screen recording as an MP4 or a GIF on your Mac, press Cmd+E in the editor and click where the video is going. Every export uses your look, zooms and cuts. Your project never changes.

Export your video #

1. Click Export at the top right of the editor, or press Cmd+E. The Export window opens.
2. Click the option for where your video is going. Each one shows an estimated file size.
3. A progress bar shows the export. You can keep editing, and closing the window doesn’t stop it.
4. If the window is closed when it’s done, a note in the corner of the screen offers Reveal and Copy.

Export as MP4, GIF or every shape at once #

Export for X, LinkedIn, YouTube or TikTok #

Under For a platform, click where the video is going. Each tile shows its exact size, frame rate and bitrate. The file gets the platform’s shape; your project keeps its own.

Warnings show in orange on the tile. They’re only advice, so you can still export. Or press Cmd+K and type a platform, such as “tiktok” or “linkedin”.

Export an App Store preview #

App Store previews can only show your app itself, with no device frame. This export shows just your recording, edge to edge, at Apple’s size. Your project keeps its look.

1. Under App Store preview, click Mac, iPhone, iPhone 5.5″ or iPad.
2. Pick Portrait or Landscape. Mac previews are landscape only.
3. Tick Captions to keep your captions. They’re left out otherwise.
4. Click Export Preview.

Landscape turns each size sideways. The file has no device frame, background, padding, camera or logo. Zooms, the cursor, clicks, text, blurs and sound stay.

Export settings: resolution, frame rate and quality #

Click Settings at the bottom of the Export window. Or press Shift+Cmd+E (Export Options…) to open the window with them showing. Your choices are remembered.

Export MP4 1080p and Export MP4 4K in the command palette (Cmd+K) use your frame rate and quality too.

Reduce the file size of a screen recording #

Every option in the Export window shows its estimated size, so you can check before you export. To make a file smaller:

1. Set Quality to Medium or Low. This makes the biggest difference.
2. Pick a lower Resolution, such as 720p or 1080p instead of 4K.
3. Set Frame rate to 30 fps. Most screen recordings still look smooth.
4. For a GIF, keep Keep GIFs under 10 MB on, or pick a smaller GIF size and frame rate.
5. Cut what you don’t need. Shorter is smaller. See edit your recording.

Copy, share or rename the file #

1. When the window says Ready to share, click Copy and paste the video into Slack, Messages or an email.
2. Or click Show in Finder to see the file, Rename… to give it a better name, or the share button for AirDrop, Mail, Messages and more.
3. To choose the name and folder before exporting, click Export As… at the bottom of the Export window. It makes an MP4 with your settings, or a GIF if you name it .gif.

Where exports go

Exports are saved in Movies → ScreenCameo → Exports. If you chose another recordings folder in Settings → General, they go in an Exports folder inside it. Exporting again never replaces a file: the new one is numbered “2”, “3” and so on.

Choose the shape (aspect ratio) #

The shape button sits above the preview in the editor. It shows Auto or the current shape, such as 16:9. Changing it changes the project, so every export after that uses it.

1. Click the shape button.
2. Pick one of 13 common shapes, including Auto, such as Wide (16:9), Square (1:1), Portrait (4:5) or Story (9:16).
3. Or pick one of 19 platform shapes for Instagram, TikTok · Reels · Shorts, YouTube, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Dribbble, Product Hunt or the web’s Open Graph image.
4. Type in the search box, for example “insta” or “9:16”. Or enter your own ratio under Custom. Shapes you used recently appear at the top.

Your recording is never stretched. With Follow cursor on (next to the shape button), the shape follows your cursor inside the recording. Turn it off to show the whole screen, with the background filling the rest.

Shortcuts on this page#

See every shortcut

If something’s off#

The file is too big to upload

Lower Quality or Resolution in the Export window’s Settings, or use a For a platform tile. It warns when a file is likely over the upload limit.

My GIF looks blurry

Turn off Keep GIFs under 10 MB and pick a larger GIF size, or export a shorter part.

Subtitles and Transcript are missing

They show once you’ve made captions. See captions.

The vertical version cuts off part of my screen

That’s Follow cursor: it follows the action. Turn it off next to the shape button to show the whole screen.