Click Screen on
Pick the display. The camera stays on too.
Takes Screen recorder
Record your screen and your camera on a Mac. Free.
Takes records the screen and your face as two synced files, so you pick the layout later, in the edit. No watermark, no account.
take-03-camera.movcamera + mictake-03-screen.movscreen + mic, 60 fpsHow it works
Two files with one key.
Press ⌘R
3, 2, 1. Both files start at the same time.
Read your script
The teleprompter is on your screen, but not in the file.
Star the keeper
Record again until it's right. Keep the best.
What you get
Made for tutorials and demos.
Two files, not one
Screen full size, face in a corner, or cut between them. Decide later.
60 fps, cursor on
The whole display, at its full resolution.
Your script stays private
Takes leaves its own window out of the screen file.
Free, no watermark
MIT licensed. No account, no trial.
Is it for you?
When Takes fits, and when it doesn't.
Takes fits if you…
- record tutorials, product demos or code walk-throughs at your Mac
- want your face and your screen as separate files
- want a teleprompter while you record
- want to ask for the edit instead of doing it on a timeline
Pick another app if you…
- need the sound your Mac playsTakes records your mic, not system audio.
- want to record one window or one areaTakes records a whole display.
- want a share link right after you stopTakes keeps the files on your Mac.
- use Windows or an Intel Mac
Guide
How to record your screen and yourself on a Mac.
From the first permission to a finished tutorial.
Allow the screen, camera and mic
The first time you record, macOS asks for the camera and the microphone. Click Allow. For the screen, open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording and turn on Takes. macOS may ask you to quit Takes and open it again.
You do this once. After that, ⌘R starts both recordings.
Get the screen ready
A clean screen makes a better tutorial. Before you record:
- Close what you won't show. Mail, chats and other tabs pull the eye.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb in Control Center, so no banners pop up during the take.
- Make things bigger. Zoom the app you show, or pick a larger text size in System Settings › Displays. Viewers often watch on a phone.
- Pick the display. With two screens, choose the one to record in Takes. Keep the Takes window on the other one, or at the top of the same one, under the camera.
Record the screen and the camera together
On the record screen, click Screen off so it says Screen on. Pick the display, the camera and the mic. Press ⌘R: a 3-2-1 countdown runs, then the camera and the screen record at the same time.
You still see your script. Takes leaves its own window out of the screen recording, so the teleprompter never shows up in the file. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the scroll speed while you talk, and Space to pause.
Record as many takes as you need. Star the best one. You will cut the rest later, or ask Takes to.
The two files you get
Each take gives you two files in the video's folder in ~/Movies/Takes, for example take-03-camera.mov and take-03-screen.mov.
- Screen: the whole display at its full resolution, 60 frames a second, with the cursor.
- Camera: your camera at a high bitrate (about 20 Mbit/s at 1080p), so detail survives the edit.
- Audio: both files carry your mic. Any editor can line them up by the sound.
Both are HEVC (H.265) .mov files. They open in QuickTime, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.
Turn it into a tutorial
Because the screen and your face are separate, the layout is a choice you make after recording. Ask the chat in Takes, in plain words:
- "Show the screen full size, with me in a round corner."
- "Cut between me and the screen when I start the demo."
- "Cut the silences and the false starts."
Claude Code builds the edit with ffmpeg and saves it as a new version in the edits folder. Comment on a frame to change it. How the AI editor works.
Takes vs. QuickTime and ⇧⌘5
macOS can record the screen on its own: press ⇧⌘5. To show your face too, many people float a QuickTime camera window over the screen. That works, but your face is then part of the screen picture, at one size and in one place. You can't move it or take it out later.
Takes records the two apart and adds a teleprompter. ⇧⌘5 can do one thing Takes can't: record a single window or part of the screen.
Get started
One line in Terminal.
It installs Takes, ffmpeg and Claude Code, signs you in and opens the app. Run it again to update.
NeedsApple silicon, macOS 15+, and a paid Claude plan (Pro or Max) for the AI parts.
Rather click?Download the .dmg, then click Finish setup in the sidebar.
Free and openMIT licensed. Read the code on GitHub.
Questions
Screen recorder questions.
Is the Takes screen recorder free?
Yes. Takes is free and MIT licensed, with no account and no watermark. Only the AI parts (scripts, edits, posts) need a paid Claude plan, Pro or Max.
Can I record my screen and my webcam at the same time on a Mac?
Yes. Click Screen on in Takes and press ⌘R. The camera and the screen record at the same time, as two synced files.
Does Takes record system audio?
No. Takes records your microphone, not the sound your Mac plays. For a demo with app sounds, use another recorder.
Can I record only one window or part of the screen?
No. Takes records a whole display. With two displays, you pick which one.
Will my teleprompter script show up in the recording?
No. Takes leaves its own window out of the screen file, so you can read your script while you record.
Which format does it record?
HEVC (H.265) .mov files. The screen records at its full resolution and 60 frames a second. The camera records at about 20 Mbit/s at 1080p.
Where are the recordings saved?
In ~/Movies/Takes on your Mac, one folder per video. Nothing goes to a cloud.
Does it work on Windows or on an Intel Mac?
No. Takes needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 15 or later.
More about Takes
One app, from script to post.
Takes homeStoryboard, record, edit and post, in one app.
TeleprompterRead your script while the camera records.
Vertical video9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, on a Mac.
AI video editorCuts, captions and 9:16, when you ask in plain words.
Teleprompter apps comparedEight Mac apps, side by side, with our gaps.