1. [Clacky](https://clacky.app/) 2. › 3. [A–Z](https://clacky.app/features/#a-z) 4. › 5. [Answers](https://clacky.app/answers/) 6. › 7. Free screen recorder for Mac that shows clicks 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](https://clacky.app/show-mouse-clicks-mac/). [Try free for 3 days](https://clacky.app/try/)[Pricing](https://clacky.app/#pricing) ## 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. Recorder Price Shows clicks Mac audio Good to know Screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) Free, built in Yes, a black circle (Show Mouse Clicks) Only on macOS 27 or later Records the whole screen or a part, and one window on macOS 26 QuickTime Player Free, built in Yes, Show Mouse Clicks in Recording Same as the toolbar Opens the same toolbar on recent macOS OBS Studio Free, open source Pointer only. Its Screen Capture page mentions no click effect Yes, macOS 13 or later Powerful, takes a while to set up Cap Free for personal use, open source Its pages list cursor treatment and zooms, no click effect Yes 25 shareable links a month on the free plan Loom Starter Free Mouse emphasis is listed on paid plans only Yes, system audio is on its free plan 25 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](https://clacky.app/best-cursor-highlighter-apps-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. - [Apple: How to record the screen on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102618) (Show Mouse Clicks, QuickTime, Command-Control-Esc, Include System Audio on macOS 27) - [Apple: Take screenshots or screen recordings on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/take-a-screenshot-or-screen-recording-mh26782/mac) - [OBS: macOS Screen Capture source](https://obsproject.com/kb/macos-screen-capture-source) and [obsproject.com](https://obsproject.com/) - [Cap pricing](https://cap.so/pricing) and [cap.so](https://cap.so/) - [Loom pricing](https://www.loom.com/pricing) ## 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](https://clacky.app/record-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. ## Related - [How do I show mouse clicks in a screen recording on Mac?Show mouse clicks in a Mac screen recording: Apple’s Show Mouse Clicks option, editors that add click effects later, and a live click ripple with a sound.](https://clacky.app/show-mouse-clicks-mac/) - [The best cursor highlighter apps for MacCursor highlighters and click visualizers for Mac: macOS’s own options, Mouseposé, Mouzz, CursorFlow, Cursor Pilot, Cluxo, CursorRipple and Clacky.](https://clacky.app/best-cursor-highlighter-apps-mac/) - [How to record click sounds on a Mac](https://clacky.app/record-click-sound/) - [Zoom in on clicks in a screen recordingmacOS can’t zoom on clicks by itself. Zoom by hand in iMovie with Ken Burns, or use a recorder that knows where you clicked, like Clacky.](https://clacky.app/answers/zoom-in-on-clicks/) - [Is QuickTime enough for screen recording?For quick silent recordings, yes. Before macOS 27 it can’t record Mac sound, and it has no pause, camera bubble or captions. Here is when you need more.](https://clacky.app/answers/quicktime-enough-for-screen-recording/) - [Click RipplesA ripple under the pointer on every click, so anyone watching sees where you clicked.](https://clacky.app/features/click-ripples/) [A–Z](https://clacky.app/features/#a-z)[Pricing](https://clacky.app/#pricing)[Every feature](https://clacky.app/features/) ## Make something on your Mac today. 3 days free, every feature. Then $4.99 once. [Try free for 3 days](https://clacky.app/try/)