How to Record a Window on Mac (Even When It's Covered)

To record a window on Mac with only built-in tools, press ⇧⌘5 (Shift-Command-5), click Record Selected Portion and drag the frame around the window. That records a fixed rectangle of your screen, not the window itself. Anything that covers or crosses that rectangle ends up in the video. If you need the window alone, even when other windows sit on top of it, use an app with true window capture, such as Screen Bolt's Window mode.

Can macOS record just one window?

Not directly. The Screenshot toolbar can take a screenshot of one window, but for video it only offers Record Entire Screen and Record Selected Portion. QuickTime Player's File ▸ New Screen Recording opens the same toolbar, so it has the same two choices.

"Selected Portion" records an area of the screen. Whatever passes through that area is recorded, including a notification banner, another app you bring forward, or the desktop if you nudge the window aside.

Record a window with the built-in Screenshot toolbar

This works when the window will stay put and nothing will cover it.

1. Position and size the window.
2. Press ⇧⌘5.
3. Click Record Selected Portion.
4. Drag the frame's edges so they line up with the window's edges.
5. Optional: open Options to pick a microphone and the save location.
6. Click Record.
7. To stop, click the stop button in the menu bar or press ⌃⌘⎋ (Control-Command-Escape).

The recording is saved as a .mov file on the Desktop unless you chose another location in Options.

Two habits make this workaround more reliable:

• In the app you're recording, press ⌥⌘H (Option-Command-H) to hide all other apps. Their windows stay out of the way until you bring them back.
• Turn on Do Not Disturb in Control Center so notification banners don't land inside your frame.

What this method can't do:

• Follow the window. If you move it, the frame stays where it was.
• Ignore what covers the window. Overlapping windows, other apps' menus and alerts are all recorded.
• Match the window's edges exactly. Expect a sliver of desktop or window shadow at the edges, and plan to crop it or live with it.

For more on the built-in tools, see QuickTime screen recording on Mac and how to screen record on Mac.

Record a window on Mac with Screen Bolt

Screen Bolt is our Mac screen recorder. Its Window source records one window on its own, independent of the desktop, so the window is captured even when something covers it.

1. Open Screen Bolt. The floating recording bar appears.
2. Click Window. A picker titled Select Window to Record opens, with a live thumbnail, app icon, app name and window title for each window.
3. Click the window you want.
4. Click Record Window or press Return. To back out, press Esc or click Cancel.
5. If you want them, set Camera, Mic and Audio in the bar.
6. Click the red record button.
7. Click Stop in the bar when you're done. By default, the editor then opens with your recording. To pick a window and start recording in one go, press ⌥⌘4 (Option-Command-4) or choose Record ▸ Record window. The picker opens, and recording starts once you confirm. This shortcut only works while Screen Bolt is the active app, because Screen Bolt has no global hotkeys.

Which windows show up in the picker

The picker lists windows that are:

• On screen. A minimized window won't appear.
• Normal, titled app windows at least 150×150 points.
• From other apps. Screen Bolt's own windows are left out, and so are system surfaces such as the Dock, Control Center and Spotlight.

What the recording contains

• Only that window. If your demo moves to a second window of the same app (a settings window, another document), that window isn't recorded. Screen Bolt records one display, one window or one area, never a whole app with all its windows.
• No baked-in cursor. The system cursor is hidden in the raw capture and redrawn in the editor, where you can change its size and smooth its movement.
• Capture format. The window is captured at 2× its size in points, as H.264 in a .mov. The frame rate follows Settings ▸ Quick export ▸ Frame rate (30 or 60 FPS, default 60).
• None of Screen Bolt's own controls. The recording bar, the camera preview bubble and the teleprompter are never captured, in any mode.

The raw files go into a project in ~/Screen Bolt Projects. Exported videos go to the Desktop by default. The Recording help page covers every capture mode in more detail.

What happens when the window is covered or moved

This is the main reason to use real window capture instead of a drawn rectangle.

So you can keep Slack, your notes or a script open on top of the window you're recording, and none of it shows up. Keep the window open and unminimized until you stop. If you need a break, use Pause and Resume in the bar.

Window mode and blur

Screen Bolt's live Blur zones are frosted rectangles you draw on screen before recording. In Display and Area mode they're captured like everything else on screen, so they hide what's under them.

In Window mode, live blur zones do not blur the recording. Window mode captures the window itself, not what sits in front of it, so a blur zone over the window is left out just like any other covering window. Whatever the zone was meant to hide is fully visible in the video.

To hide private details in a window recording, blur them in the editor instead:

1. Open the Effects panel and find Blur / Privacy.
2. Click Add Blur Region, or press B. A 5-second blur appears at the playhead.
3. Under Edit Blur Region, pick a Style (Gaussian, Pixelate or Solid Color), then set Blur Intensity, the Region and the Duration.

For email addresses, use Auto-Detect Sensitive Text in the same section. It scans the recording on your Mac and adds a blur that follows each email address it finds. You can also turn on Also detect phone numbers and add your own keywords. Review the results on the Blur track before exporting. If you cut, reorder clips or change speed after scanning, the detected blurs aren't re-timed, so check them again. Editor blur regions are included in the export. If you'd rather blur while recording, switch to Area or Display mode. Keep the limits in mind: live zones are drawn on your main display only, you see them on your own screen too, clicks on a zone don't reach the app underneath, and they stay at fixed screen positions instead of following a moving window or a scrolling page. They are not secure redaction. More in hiding sensitive information in screen recordings.

Window vs area capture

Area capture records a rectangle you drag, like the built-in Selected Portion. In Screen Bolt, click Area, drag over the screen, click Record Area (or Redraw to try again), then click the red record button. The rectangle must be larger than 20×20 points.

Pick Window if your whole demo happens in one window, you want clean edges with no stray desktop, or you need other windows open on top while you record.

Pick Area if you move between two apps or several windows, you need live blur zones, or you want a specific crop such as part of a browser page. See how to record part of the screen on Mac.

Pick Display if you switch between apps constantly. See how to screen record one monitor.

When the built-in method is enough

The Screenshot toolbar is fine for a quick clip of a window you won't move, with nothing else open. It costs nothing, and the steps above take a minute.

Screen Bolt is worth it when you record windows often, need overlapping windows kept out, or want to edit afterwards: zooms generated from your clicks, a background, cursor smoothing, blur and trimming in one app. The free version records without a time limit, but its exports carry a watermark, are capped at 3 minutes and 720p, and can't be GIFs. Pro removes those limits for $79 one-time (as of November 2026; see pricing).

If it doesn't work

The window isn't in the picker. It's minimized, smaller than 150×150 points, not a normal titled window, or a Screen Bolt or system window. Restore it from the Dock, make it larger, and click Window again.

The picker is empty, or you see "Failed to get windows: …". This usually means Screen Bolt doesn't have Screen Recording permission. Open System Settings, search for "Screen Recording", and turn Screen Bolt on. Then quit and reopen Screen Bolt; on macOS 14 the permission only takes effect after a full relaunch. Help ▸ Screen Bolt Help shows the status of each permission with an Open Settings button. macOS 15 may ask you to confirm screen recording access again from time to time; see why your Mac keeps asking for screen recording access.

⌥⌘4 does nothing. Screen Bolt's shortcuts only work while it's the active app. Click the recording bar first, or use the Window button.

The red record button is greyed out, or you see "No capture source selected". No source is selected, often because the picker was closed without confirming. Click Window, choose the window and click Record Window.

A blur zone didn't hide anything. You recorded in Window mode, where live zones aren't captured. Add a blur region in the editor (see above).

Audio from other apps is in the recording. Window mode doesn't limit audio to that app. System audio is captured from all apps, even with Record system audio from selected apps chosen. Mute or quit the other apps, or pick Don't record system audio. More in how to screen record on Mac with audio.

FAQ

Can QuickTime record a single window?

No. QuickTime's New Screen Recording opens the Screenshot toolbar, which records the entire screen or a selected portion. Drawing the portion around the window is the closest you can get.

Can I record two windows at once?

Not in Window mode, which captures exactly one window. Use Area mode with a rectangle around both windows, or record the whole display.

Can I include my webcam in a window recording?

Yes, in Screen Bolt. Click Camera in the recording bar and pick a camera before you start. The camera records to its own file and appears as an overlay in the editor, where you choose its corner, size, aspect and roundness.