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Answer

Is there a free screen recorder for Mac that shows clicks?

Yes. The recorder built into every Mac is free and can draw a black circle on each click: press Shift-Command-5, open Options and choose Show Mouse Clicks.

Free apps like OBS Studio, Cap and Loom’s free plan record the screen too, but they show clicks in different ways or not at all, so the table below compares them. For click effects in any recorder, and the other ways to show clicks, see how to show mouse clicks on Mac.

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The free options side by side

From each app’s own page on 5 November 2026. “Shows clicks” means a visible mark on each click in the video, not just the pointer.

RecorderPriceShows clicksMac audioGood to know
Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5)Free, built inYes, a black circle (Show Mouse Clicks)Only on macOS 27 or laterRecords the whole screen or a part, and one window on macOS 26
QuickTime PlayerFree, built inYes, Show Mouse Clicks in RecordingSame as the toolbarOpens the same toolbar on recent macOS
OBS StudioFree, open sourcePointer only. Its Screen Capture page mentions no click effectYes, macOS 13 or laterPowerful, takes a while to set up
CapFree for personal use, open sourceIts pages list cursor treatment and zooms, no click effectYes25 shareable links a month on the free plan
Loom StarterFreeMouse emphasis is listed on paid plans onlyYes, system audio is on its free plan25 videos, 5 minutes each, up to 720p

Turn on Show Mouse Clicks in the Mac’s own recorder

This is the quickest free way, with nothing to install.

  1. Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
  2. Click Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion.
  3. Click Options and choose Show Mouse Clicks. Pick a microphone in the same menu if you want your voice.
  4. Click Record. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command-Control-Esc.

How to get click effects in OBS, Cap or Loom

OBS records the pointer but draws nothing extra on a click. Cap’s free plan lists cursor treatment and zooms in its editor, but its pages don’t say it marks each click. Loom lists mouse emphasis on its paid plans.

The way around all of them is a click visualizer: an app that draws a ripple on your real screen, so every recorder films it. Free ones exist, like Mouzz and Cluxo, compared with the paid ones in the best cursor highlighters for Mac.

Where Clacky fits (and that it isn’t free)

Clacky is not a free recorder. It costs $4.99 once for 1 Mac, after a 3-day free trial with no card. What it adds is a ripple under the pointer on every click plus a real click sound, live, so the clicks show in OBS, Loom, QuickTime or a screen share too.

On macOS 15 or later its own Screen Recorder records full screen, one window or an area with Mac Audio on, so the click sounds end up in the video. If you only need circles on clicks once in a while, the free Show Mouse Clicks option is enough.

Where these facts come from

Checked on 5 November 2026.

Questions

Does QuickTime Player show mouse clicks?

Yes. In File → New Screen Recording, open Options and choose Show Mouse Clicks in Recording. It draws a plain black circle, only in that recording.

Can I hear the clicks in a free Mac recording?

Only if the recorder records your Mac’s own sound. Apple’s recorder can do that from macOS 27, OBS from macOS 13. See how to record the click sound.

Why do I see two circles on every click?

Two click effects are on at once, for example Show Mouse Clicks plus a click visualizer. Turn one of them off.

Is OBS really free on a Mac?

Yes. OBS Studio is free and open source. It records the screen, a window or an app, with Mac audio on macOS 13 or later.

Facts checked on 5 November 2026.

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