Here’s a clear breakdown of QuickTime recording shortcuts on macOS:
🎥 Screen Recording (using macOS built-in tools)
QuickTime itself doesn’t have dedicated shortcuts, but Apple added Shift + Command + 5 to bring up the Screen Capture/Recording toolbar:
- Shift + Command + 5 → Open recording controls (choose “Record Entire Screen” or “Record Selected Portion”)
- Command + Control + Esc → Stop recording immediately
👉 These are the fastest built-in shortcuts. Behind the scenes, they use QuickTime’s recorder.
🎤 Audio/Video Recording (inside QuickTime Player)
No direct global hotkeys exist, but within QuickTime Player:
- Option + Command + N → New Screen Recording
- Control + Option + Command + N → New Audio Recording
- Command + Option + N (older versions) → New Movie Recording
⚠️ Note: Pause is not available in QuickTime. You can only Start or Stop. To mimic “pause,” record multiple clips and merge them in QuickTime (Edit → Add Clip to End).
✅ If you want real Pause/Resume hotkeys
You’ll need a third-party app like:
- OBS Studio (free, customizable hotkeys)
- ScreenFlow / Camtasia (paid, professional, with pause/resume support)
Do you want me to write you an AppleScript + Automator/Shortcuts workflow so you can trigger QuickTime recording with a single keystroke (like F9 to start, F10 to stop)? That’s possible.