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How to record your screen with keystrokes showing on Mac
By Ziad Ziadeh, Snapline’s developer · Published 31 August 2026 · Last updated 10 September 2026
The short version
- ⇧⌘5 and QuickTime can show mouse clicks as a circle, but neither has ever had a way to show which keys you pressed. There's no built-in option for that.
- Free route: run KeyCastr, a free and open-source keystroke visualizer, alongside any recorder. It draws the keys on screen, so whatever records the screen captures them.
- Snapline builds keystroke and click overlays into recording itself: two toggles on the Record Screen bar, no second app to install or position.
What macOS gives you (and doesn't)
macOS can show mouse clicks in a recording, but it cannot show keystrokes. Open the Screenshot app (⇧⌘5) or QuickTime Player's File → New Screen Recording, click Options, and turn on Show Mouse Clicks in Recording: every click during the recording appears as a circle around the pointer. That part is free and has shipped for years. But there is no equivalent for keys: nothing in macOS overlays the shortcut or character you just typed, which is exactly what people mean by "show keystrokes" in a screen recording, and it's why the top results for it are forum threads and a Stack Exchange question from 2012.
| Method | Shows clicks | Shows keystrokes | Extra app or permission | Cost model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⇧⌘5 / QuickTime Player | Yes (circle) | No | None | Free, preinstalled |
| KeyCastr + a recorder | No | Yes | Second app, Input Monitoring | Free, open source |
| Snapline recording (⌥⌘R) | Yes (Highlight Clicks), display and region recordings | Yes (Show Keystrokes) | None; Input Monitoring only if Show Keystrokes is on | One-time license; free to try |
The free route: KeyCastr plus any recorder
KeyCastr is a free, open-source keystroke visualizer for Mac (BSD 3-Clause license, actively maintained). It doesn't record anything itself; it just draws a bezel of the keys you press on screen, so a display or region recording can include it when the overlay is inside the captured area.
- Download KeyCastr and move it to Applications.
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring and enable it for KeyCastr; on macOS 10.15 and later this is what lets it see key presses, and it's a one-time grant.
- Launch KeyCastr and pick a screen edge and bezel style, positioned clear of whatever you're demoing.
- Start recording in ⇧⌘5, QuickTime Player, or, if you want more control over sources and scenes, OBS (free and open source, and it runs natively on macOS as of August 2026; see obsproject.com). Record the display or a region that includes the overlay. An isolated window capture may exclude a separate overlay window. Make a short test recording before the full take.
Where the free route stops
It works, but it's two apps doing one job. You install and permission a separate visualizer, remember to launch it before every recording, and position it so it doesn't sit on top of the content you're showing. If you also want clicks marked, that's Show Mouse Clicks in the recorder's own options running alongside KeyCastr, two settings in two places to get right before you hit record. None of that is difficult once, but it adds up across a lot of tutorials, and it's easy to start a take and only notice the overlay was off after you stop.
Built-in overlays: Snapline
Snapline draws both overlays into its own screen recording, so there's nothing extra to install or position:
- Press ⌥⌘R (rebindable) to start recording a region, window, or display.
- On the Record Screen bar, switch on Show Keystrokes to draw a capsule of the keys pressed at the bottom of the movie, rendered in the same ⌃⌥⇧⌘ symbols as the app's Shortcuts pane. Switch on Highlight Clicks alongside it for a ring at every click, on display and region recordings. A window recording still gets the keystroke capsule, but not the rings.
- The first time you enable Show Keystrokes, macOS asks for Input Monitoring, once. If it's refused, the recording proceeds without the capsule and says so; keystrokes are drawn into the movie and never stored or transmitted separately.
- Because the overlays are drawn into the frames themselves, trims, GIF conversion, and shares all keep them.
Snapline is free to try in full for 14 days (after the trial, capture unlocks with a one-time license: no subscription, no account) and requires macOS 14 or later. Screen Recording is the only permission recording itself needs; Input Monitoring is asked for only if Show Keystrokes is switched on.
Questions
Does the built-in Mac screen recorder show keystrokes?
No. ⇧⌘5 and QuickTime Player can show mouse clicks as a circle, but neither has ever had a way to display which keys are being pressed.
What's a good KeyCastr alternative for Mac?
KeyCastr itself is free, open source, and actively maintained, and is the standard choice if you want an overlay that works with any recorder. Snapline is the alternative if you'd rather not run and permission a second app: the same overlay is built into its own recording, with a click-highlight ring alongside it.
Can I show mouse clicks in a screen recording on Mac?
Yes, and unlike keystrokes this one is built in: Show Mouse Clicks in the Screenshot app's or QuickTime's recording options. Snapline's equivalent is Highlight Clicks, alongside its keystroke overlay, on display and region recordings.
Does a keystroke overlay show passwords typed on screen?
It shows whatever keys you press, including into a password field, since it has no way to know what a keystroke was for. Pause the recording, or switch the overlay off, before typing anything sensitive.