Last updated: 2026-01-09

For most people, the simplest way to record part of a Mac screen is to use macOS’s built‑in Screenshot toolbar (Shift–Command–5) and choose Record Selected Portion. If you need presenter‑led screen recordings you can reuse, share, and brand across multiple platforms, it’s usually faster to capture your full screen or a window in StreamYard and crop or repurpose the recording afterward.

Summary

• Use Shift–Command–5 to open the Screenshot toolbar and choose Record Selected Portion for native, no‑install Mac recording. (Apple Support)
• For walk‑throughs and demos you plan to repurpose, record in StreamYard so you get layouts, overlays, and multi‑track recordings for editing later. (StreamYard pricing)
• If you want custom‑area async clips, Loom’s desktop app offers a drag‑to‑select mode on specific paid/education/enterprise plans. (Loom support)
• For advanced control and heavy local capture, OBS Studio lets you crop sources and build scenes, at the cost of more setup. (OBS Studio)

How do you record a selected area on Mac with built‑in tools?

If you just want a clean clip of part of your screen and don’t want to install anything, use macOS’s built‑in Screenshot app.

Step 1: Open the Screenshot toolbar
On your Mac, press Shift–Command–5. This opens the Screenshot toolbar with options for screenshots and screen recordings. (Apple Mac Help)

Step 2: Choose ‘Record Selected Portion’
In the toolbar, click the icon that looks like a dotted rectangle with a circle in the corner — this is Record Selected Portion. macOS lets you drag the borders of this rectangle to define exactly what part of the screen you’ll capture. (Apple Support)

Step 3: Adjust options (audio, saving location, etc.)
Click Options in the toolbar to choose:

• Where to save the file
• Whether to show mouse clicks
• Whether to record audio from a microphone (handy for narrated demos)

Step 4: Record and stop
Click Record to start. When you’re done, click the small stop button in the menu bar. Your video appears as a thumbnail in the corner; click to review, trim, or save.

If you’re on an older macOS or prefer it, QuickTime Player can also record a dragged area of the screen: start a new screen recording, then drag to select a region and click Start Recording inside that region. (Apple Support)

This native method is perfect when you only care about a single clip and don’t need branding, layouts, or multi‑participant setups.

When does StreamYard make more sense than native Mac recording?

The macOS tools are great for quick grabs. They’re less helpful when you:

• Need to appear on camera while you present
• Want live‑style layouts with multiple screens or guests
• Plan to reuse the recording in different formats (YouTube, shorts, socials, internal training)

That’s where recording through our StreamYard studio pays off.

In StreamYard, you can:

• Share your screen (entire display, an app window, or a Chrome tab) while you stay on camera in a layout your audience sees. (StreamYard screen sharing)
• Control screen audio vs. mic audio separately, so your voice stays clear even if your demo is loud.
• Capture local multi‑track recordings, giving you separate files per participant for cleaner post‑production edits. (Local recording overview)
• Use overlays, logos, and lower‑thirds as you record, so your output already looks like a produced show.
• Switch between landscape and portrait outputs from the same session, which is perfect when you’re planning to repurpose content into vertical clips.
• Keep presenter notes visible only to you, so you can stay on script without cluttering the recording.

For a typical Mac user in the US—working on a laptop, maybe presenting to a team or building a tutorial—recording in StreamYard often gives you a “ready to publish” asset instead of a raw screen file you still have to dress up.

Can StreamYard record just a section of your screen?

Today, StreamYard’s share dialog on desktop gives you three choices:

• Your entire screen
• An application window
• A Chrome tab (StreamYard screen sharing)

There isn’t a native “draw a rectangle” region mode like macOS Screenshot or Loom’s custom size. Practically, though, most workflows still work smoothly:

• If you want to focus on a specific tool, share only that app window instead of your full desktop.
• If your content runs in the browser, share a single Chrome tab; this keeps everything else off‑camera and, on Mac, is also how you can share tab audio. (Background audio guide)
• If you absolutely need a non‑rectangular region, you can still record in StreamYard, download the file, and do a quick crop in your editor of choice. The benefit is that you keep StreamYard’s layouts, overlays, and guest tracks.

For most teams, selecting a window or tab achieves the same “record only this area” outcome, with the upside of a full studio around it.

How does Loom handle recording a portion of the screen on Mac?

If you’re creating quick async clips—status updates, review walkthroughs, bug reports—Loom is a popular option.

On Mac, Loom’s desktop app supports a Custom Size mode where you drag a frame to record a specific region of your screen. This feature is available on Business, Business + AI, Education, or Enterprise plans, with a minimum area of 251×251 pixels. (Loom custom size guide)

A few implications:

• Loom’s Starter (free) plan focuses on short clips and caps each standard screen recording at 5 minutes with a 25‑video storage limit per person. (Loom pricing)
• Custom‑area recording is part of Loom’s more advanced tiers; if your team is large, the per‑user pricing can add up quickly compared to a workspace‑priced studio like StreamYard. (Loom pricing)

Where Loom fits nicely is when your primary need is individual async messages with instant links and light editing. When your priority shifts to multi‑participant, presenter‑led sessions you’ll reuse everywhere, many teams prefer to centralize that in StreamYard and keep Loom as a supplement, not the main studio.

How do you record only part of the screen with OBS Studio on macOS?

OBS Studio is a powerful, free desktop app for video recording and live streaming. It’s especially popular for long‑form screen capture and gameplay. (OBS Studio)

On a Mac, OBS doesn’t have a “selected area” button the way macOS Screenshot does, but you can get the same effect in two ways:

1. Use a Display or Window Capture source, then crop it

   • Add a Display Capture (full screen) or Window Capture (single app).
   • In the preview, hold Option (Alt) and drag the edges of the source to crop down to the part of the screen you want. (OBS overview)

2. Use a Crop/Pad filter for precise values

   • Right‑click your source → Filters → add a Crop/Pad effect filter.
   • Enter pixel values for left/right/top/bottom to define the captured region. (OBS reference)

OBS gives you huge control over formats and encoders, but that also means managing settings, CPU/GPU load, and local storage yourself. Many non‑technical presenters find a browser‑based studio like StreamYard easier for day‑to‑day demos, using OBS only when they truly need that deeper control.

Which approach should you choose for recording a section of your Mac screen?

Let’s map the options to real‑world scenarios.

1. Fast, no‑install capture for a one‑off clip
Use macOS Screenshot (Shift–Command–5 → Record Selected Portion). It’s built in, private, and quick.

2. Presenter‑led demo you’ll repurpose across channels
Record in StreamYard:

• Share a window or tab instead of your entire screen
• Turn on your camera, add overlays, and layout controls
• Capture multi‑track recordings so you can later crop, reframe, and remix for social, courses, or internal training

3. Async feedback clips for your team
Use Loom if drag‑to‑select custom areas and instant link sharing are core to your workflow and you’re comfortable with per‑user pricing.

4. Long, technical recordings on a powerful Mac
Use OBS Studio when you want to fine‑tune codecs, bitrates, and layouts, and you’re okay investing time in setup.

In practice, many teams pair tools: they use macOS Screenshot for quick grabs, Loom for short async updates, OBS for very specific high‑control tasks—and centralize their “important” screen recordings (webinars, launches, workshops, recurring demos) in StreamYard so everything is branded, well‑produced, and easy to reuse.

What we recommend

• Start with macOS Screenshot if you just need a quick, local recording of a screen section.
• Move to StreamYard for anything presenter‑led, multi‑participant, or destined for public or repeated use.
• Treat Loom as a handy async add‑on when you need custom‑area clips with instant links.
• Reach for OBS Studio only when you truly need deep technical control and are willing to manage the complexity.