1. [Clacky](https://clacky.app/) 2. › 3. [A–Z](https://clacky.app/features/#a-z) 4. › 5. [Answers](https://clacky.app/answers/) 6. › 7. Mac can’t record the screen Answer # Why can’t my Mac record the screen? Almost always because the app hasn’t been given screen recording access: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording (called **Screen & System Audio Recording** on newer macOS), turn the app on, then quit and reopen it. Without that access an app records only your wallpaper and its own windows, or a black picture, or nothing. Apple’s own Shift-Command-5 doesn’t need the switch. [Try free for 3 days](https://clacky.app/try/)[Pricing](https://clacky.app/#pricing) ![Clacky’s recorder bar: Full Screen, Window or Area, No Mic, No Camera, Mac Audio, Spotlight, Cursor and Record](https://clacky.app/features27/recorder-cursor-light.webp) ## Give an app screen recording access 1. Choose **Apple menu → System Settings**, then click **Privacy & Security** in the sidebar (scroll down if you need to). 2. Click **Screen Recording**. On newer macOS it is named **Screen & System Audio Recording**. 3. Turn on the app you want to record with. If it isn’t listed, click **+** below the list and pick it from Applications. 4. Quit the app fully and open it again. Most apps only see the new access after a restart. 5. Record a short test. ## Signs that access is the problem - The video shows your wallpaper but no windows from other apps. - The video is black, or the app says it can’t capture the screen. - A meeting app shares only its own window, or nothing. - It worked before an update: macOS may ask you to allow the app again after a big update or a move to a new Mac. ## When access is on and it still fails - **A protected video.** Many streaming apps and sites black out their picture in recordings. That is the service, not your Mac. - **A work Mac.** Your company can block screen recording with a profile. Ask your IT team. - **An old entry.** Select the app in the list, remove it with **−**, then add it again and restart it. - **Disk space.** A full disk can stop a recording from saving. See [how big a screen recording is](https://clacky.app/blog/how-big-is-a-screen-recording-on-mac/). ## Clacky and Screen Recording access Clacky asks for Screen Recording only the first time you use its recorder or screenshots, never for its sounds. It can show a short screen first that says what the access is for, then macOS asks. Recordings and screenshots stay in your folders: nothing is uploaded. More in [why Clacky asks for Screen Recording](https://clacky.app/answers/why-screen-recording-permission/). The recorder needs macOS 15 or later and screenshots need macOS 14. Keyboard and click sounds only need Input Monitoring. ## Where these facts come from Checked on 5 November 2026. - [Apple: Control access to screen and system audio recording on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/control-access-screen-system-audio-recording-mchld6aa7d23/mac) (pane names in the macOS 13 and 15 versions, the + button) - [Apple: How to record the screen on Mac](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102618) ## Questions ### Do I need to give Apple’s Screenshot app access? No. Shift-Command-5 and QuickTime Player are part of macOS. The switch is for other apps, like OBS, Zoom or Clacky. ### Why does my recording only show the wallpaper? The app can’t see other apps’ windows yet. Turn it on under Screen Recording and restart it. ### Can an app record my screen without asking? Not on a current Mac. Every third-party app needs that switch, and you can turn it off at any time. Facts checked on 5 November 2026. ## Related - [Why does Clacky ask for Screen Recording?Clacky asks for Screen Recording only when you first use its screen recorder or screenshots. Sounds don’t need it, and nothing is ever uploaded.](https://clacky.app/answers/why-screen-recording-permission/) - [Mac screen recording has no soundBefore macOS 27, Apple’s recorder only records a microphone, never the Mac’s own sound, and Microphone is often set to None. Here is how to fix both.](https://clacky.app/answers/screen-recording-no-sound/) - [Permissions, explainedEvery permission in one list: why Clacky asks, what happens if you say no, and which of your tools use it right now.](https://clacky.app/features/permissions/) - [Screen RecorderRecord the full screen, one window or an area, with your clicks heard and their ripples seen. Saved to Movies › Clacky.](https://clacky.app/features/screen-recorder/) - [Is Clacky safe to install?Yes. Clacky is signed and notarized by Apple, needs one permission for its sounds, and never records, stores or sends which keys you type.](https://clacky.app/answers/is-clacky-safe/) - [How big is a screen recording on a Mac? I measured itI saved four test recordings seven ways. A minute of typing was 2.5 MB, scrolling 49 MB, ProRes almost 1 GB. What decides the size, and how to shrink it.](https://clacky.app/blog/how-big-is-a-screen-recording-on-mac/) [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/)