How to Record Part of Your Screen (or a Single Window) on Mac

You do not always want your whole screen in a recording — sometimes you just need one window, one panel, or a specific corner. Here is how to record only part of your Mac screen.

Quick answer

Press Shift + Command + 5, click Record Selected Portion, drag the box to frame the area you want, and click Record. Only that region is captured.

Record a selected portion with the built-in toolbar

1. Press Shift + Command + 5.
2. Click Record Selected Portion in the toolbar.
3. Drag the edges and corners of the selection box to frame the exact area.
4. Click Record to capture just that region.
5. Click the stop button in the menu bar to finish — the clip saves to your Desktop.

This works well for a fixed rectangular area, but the selection is locked once you start, and it is not aware of app windows — if you move or resize the window, the recording does not follow it.

Record a specific window with smart selection

Mac Screen Recorder adds smart selection, so you can choose to record your full screen or a specific window cleanly. Combined with Auto Zoom & Smart Follow, the recording can also zoom into where the action happens inside that window — useful for tutorials and demos where you want viewers focused on one area.

• ✓Smart selection — record the full screen or a specific window.
• ✓Auto Zoom that follows your cursor and clicks within the captured area.
• ✓Click effects and custom cursors to keep attention where it matters.
• ✓Export to MP4, WebM, or GIF with no watermark.

The bottom line

For a one-off rectangular grab, the built-in Shift + Command + 5 toolbar is all you need. For window-aware capture with automatic zoom and a polished result, Mac Screen Recorder is built for it — for a one-time $19.