Auto zoom for Mac screen recordings
The macOS Screenshot app records the screen but does not zoom in on clicks. Screen2Shot does it after you stop: record with ⌥⇧⌘9, and Studio zooms in where you clicked and follows the pointer before you save the video. Auto Zoom is part of PRO; recording needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
How to add auto zoom to a recording
- Press ⌥⇧⌘9 to record the display under the pointer, or choose Record Area… in the menu and drag a rectangle. Recording starts at once, with no countdown.
- Click through what you want to show. Screen2Shot keeps where and when you clicked; its own windows and the pointer stay out of the video, and the pointer is drawn again from the recorded movement.
- Press ⌥⇧⌘9 again, or choose Stop Recording in the menu. Studio opens with the recording playing.
- In the sidebar, Auto Zoom → Zoom in where you click is on by default with PRO. Change Depth to zoom in closer or less.
- Choose Save Video…. The MP4 has the same frames and the same zooms as the preview.
Clicks that come close together become one zoom, so the view does not jump back and forth between them. The zoom centres on the click that matters most: a double-click, a text selection or an opened menu counts for more than a plain click. Studio adds the zooms on top of the recording rather than into it, so switching Auto Zoom off gives you the plain take back.
Built-in macOS options and their limits
The Screenshot app (⇧⌘5) and QuickTime Player record the whole screen or a selected part of it for free. In the Screenshot app, Options → Show Mouse Clicks draws a black circle around the pointer when you click. Neither app zooms in; for that, the video has to go through a video editor, where each zoom is placed by hand. Recording with sound is covered in how to record the screen on a Mac with audio.
| macOS Screenshot app | Screen2Shot Free | Screen2Shot PRO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record the whole screen or an area | ✅ | ✅ macOS 15 or later | ✅ macOS 15 or later |
| Mark clicks on the pointer | ✅ black circle (Show Mouse Clicks) | ❌ | ✅ Click bounce |
| Zoom in where you clicked | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ Auto Zoom |
| Record system audio | ✅ macOS 27 or later | ✅ macOS 15 or later | ✅ macOS 15 or later |
Checked on 2026-09-29. Sources below.
What people use it for
- Product demos and release videos, where the viewer has to see which button was pressed.
- Tutorials and onboarding clips with small interface text.
- Bug reports that show the exact field or menu the problem starts in.