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I can't record my screen on my Mac. What should I do?

Contributor Support
Updated

If you're using a Mac computer, you’ll need to make changes to your security settings to allow screen recording and microphone access for our recorder. Use the troubleshooting tips in this article if you're having trouble making changes to your permission settings and recording your screen. 

Start here:

1. Find out if your Mac meets our system requirements:
  • Operating system: OS X 10.15 or higher
  • Browser:
    • Chrome, Firefox, Edge (current version and previous version)
    • Safari: Versions 14.0-15.3 only
      We're currently unable to support Safari 15.4.
  • Upload speed: At least 3.0 Mbps
  • Maximum screen resolution: 1920x1080
  • Screen ratio: 16:9
2. Check your permission settings. 

Make sure you've followed the steps to allow microphone and screen permissions. 

Remember: You need to quit and reopen the browser first in order to apply any changes. If you skip this step, you might not be able to continue to your test. 

 

If you still can't record your screen, try this instead: 

Remove the existing screen recording permission 
 
If your Security & Privacy settings show that you've already turned on these permissions for your browser, you might need to remove the screen recording permission and then add it again.

 

Screen_Shot_2022-03-21_at_4.41.57_PM.png

  1. Open System Preferences, and then click Security & Privacy Screen_Shot_2022-03-18_at_3.33.59_PM.png.
  2. Click the lock icon Screen_Shot_2022-03-18_at_3.04.08_PM.png and enter your administrator password.
  3. Select the Screen Recording option from the menu. 
  4. Select the web browser you're using to complete your test.
    mceclip0.png NOTE: You won't find the UserTesting recorder in this list. Instead, you should locate the web browser you're using (ex. Google Chrome).

The next steps you'll need to take depend on your macOS:

 
For macOS Catalina 10.15
  1. Deselect your web browser by clicking on the checkmark. 
  2. On the prompt that appears, click the Quit & Reopen button to close and restart your browser.
  3. Go back to your System Preferences and add the checkmark next to your browser. On the prompt that appears, click the Quit & Reopen button to close and restart your browser again. 
  4. Once you've completed these steps and restarted your browser, you should be able to complete your test. 

macOS Big Sur+

  1. With your web browser selected, click the remove button Screen_Shot_2022-03-18_at_3.15.40_PM.pngto remove the browser from the list. 
  2. Click the add button Screen_Shot_2022-03-18_at_3.18.54_PM.png, and then use the Finder (the search function) to locate your browser application. Double-click the application to add it to the list. 
  3. On the prompt that appears, click the Quit & Reopen button to close and restart your browser.
  4. Once you've completed these steps and restarted your browser, you should be able to complete your test. 
 

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