How to Record Your Screen and Camera at the Same Time on Mac

To record your screen and webcam at the same time on a Mac, you have two options. The free one: open QuickTime Player, choose FileNew Movie Recording, set the camera window to float on top, then record the screen with ⌘⇧5. The easier one: a screen recorder with a built-in camera bubble that you can move, resize and hide while you record.

macOS itself has no camera option in its screen recorder, on any version up to macOS 27. Here’s how each approach works and how to set up the camera so it helps your video instead of covering it.

Why show your face at all

In a client video a camera bubble does two jobs: it tells the client who’s talking, and it carries tone. “We tried the green and it didn’t work” lands very differently with a face next to it. For a design review or a quote walkthrough, that’s often worth more than a perfect frame.

It’s also optional. For a bug report or a two-minute “here’s where the setting is” video, the screen alone is fine.

Option 1: the free QuickTime trick

QuickTime Player can show a live camera preview, and anything visible on screen ends up in a screen recording. Put the two together and you get a rough camera bubble.

It works, with some limits:

The window recording mode in macOS 26 Tahoe and later records one window only, so the floating camera window isn’t included. Use full screen or a portion instead. Our guide to recording one window or part of your screen explains when each mode fits.

What about Photo Booth? It records the camera only, not the screen, so it doesn’t help here.

Option 2: a recorder with a camera bubble

Many third-party screen recorders draw the camera as a bubble over the recording. The bubble is part of the recorder, not a separate window, so it behaves better: it stays in place, doesn’t show window controls and can usually be changed while you record.

What to compare between apps, and how the QuickTime trick measures up:

Feature	Why it matters	QuickTime trick
Shape: round, square, 16:9	Round is less distracting; 16:9 suits talking-head intros	✗ a rectangle with window controls
Size	Small for detailed screens, larger when you’re the main content	✓ drag the window edges
Drag to move	Get out of the way of a menu or a form field	~ the move shows in the video
Hide mid-recording	Turn the camera off for the part where you need the whole screen	✗ not built in
Camera choice	Built-in, USB webcam or iPhone	✓ any camera QuickTime lists
Works with window and area recording	The bubble should stay visible even if you record a single window	~ area yes, window no

Getting the bubble right

A few habits make the difference between a bubble that helps and one that gets in the way.

Position

Put it in a corner your content doesn’t use. On most websites and apps that’s bottom left or bottom right; on a Figma canvas, wherever the artboard isn’t. Before you start, scroll through what you’ll show and check nothing important sits under the bubble.

Size

Smaller than you think. On a laptop screen the viewer is already squinting at your interface; a bubble the size of a coin is enough to see your face. Make it bigger for the first few seconds if you want a personal intro, then shrink it.

When to hide it

Hide the camera when you need every pixel: a dense table, a long form, a full-page design. Bring it back when you switch from showing to explaining. If your recorder can’t hide the bubble, move it rather than recording around it.

Lighting and framing

The bubble is small, so lighting matters more than the camera. A window in front of you beats any webcam upgrade. Our guide to lighting and framing for your camera bubble goes through the setup in five minutes.

Choosing a camera

Any camera macOS sees can be used by most recorders:

• The built-in camera. Fine for most client videos. Raise the laptop so it’s at eye level.
• A USB webcam. Useful if you work on an external display and the laptop is closed or off to the side.
• Your iPhone, through Continuity Camera. The rear camera is usually sharper than a laptop camera. Apple requires an iPhone XR or later with iOS 16 or later, a Mac with macOS Ventura 13 or later, both signed in to the same Apple Account, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on. The full setup and fixes are in how to use your iPhone as a webcam on Mac.

The first time a recorder uses the camera or microphone, macOS asks for permission. If you said no by mistake, turn it back on in System SettingsPrivacy & SecurityCamera (or Microphone, in the same list).

A quick checklist

The short version

There’s no camera option in the macOS screen recorder. For an occasional video, float a QuickTime camera window on top and record the screen with ⌘⇧5. If you record yourself for clients every week, a recorder with a real camera bubble saves the fiddling. For everything else about the built-in recorder, start with how to screen record on Mac, and if you’re comparing recorders with a bubble, see our Loom alternative for Mac.