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How to record a livestream on Mac [Free and Easy Ways]

Wondering how to record a live stream on macOS? The process is incredibly simple! Read on to discover some of the easiest ways to record livestreams on your Mac device.

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Aileena Ivy Updated on Mar 16, 2023 10:52 AM

What to do to record a livestream on Mac:

  • With the native recording feature of macOS or using recording software, you can successfully record a live video.
  • Enable Mac's built-in Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player for your live recording needs.
  • The AppGeeker Screen Recorder can record live streams on Mac with internal audio, which is not possible with the Mac's built-in recording function.
  • VLC, an open-source media player, also includes a screen capture feature that can be used to make a live stream recording on a Mac.

Try using Screenshot Toolbar and QuickTime Player to quickly record livestreams on your Mac!

Why should you record live streams on a Mac? The ability to reuse the content is the main benefit. Without starting from the ground up, you can attract new viewers by turning recorded videos into other content, such as podcasts. Plus, audiences may browse and see your material whenever they want by storing your broadcasts for on-demand viewing.

You may want to capture what happens during a live broadcast on your Mac for archival or learning purposes. Additionally, you may record live video conferences that you later want to access. And There are numerous methods available if you wish to make a livestream record on Mac. Regardless of your recording technique, the process is really simple and doesn't require specialized skills.

Table of Contents

We've compiled several methods to record a livestream on your Mac in this article. Let's get started right now without further ado!

Read More: How to screen record on Windows 11 

How to record a livestream using built-in screen capture tools on macOS

Actually, macOS has its free capturing feature that allows you to record screen using QuickTime Player or shortcuts. You can record live video from your Mac as well as the microphone sound in these two ways.

Recording a livestream on Mac using inbuilt screenshot hotkeys

If you run Mojave or newer versions of macOS, you can use the integrated screenshot and screen recording features to record video on Mac via keyboard shortcuts. If you are familiar with the Mac keyboard, then it will be a breeze for you to use the hotkeys to record the live broadcast on macOS.

Here is how you can record livestreams on your Mac using hotkeys:

Step 1. Launch hotkeys toolbar

When you press Shift + Command + 5, an onscreen menu with various recording settings will appear. These include taking a still picture, screenshotting a portion, the whole screen, or a window.

Press Shift + Command + 5 on the keyboard to open the Screenshot taskbar.

Step 2. Select recorded area and start recording

Clicking on the fourth button from the right causes the entire screen to be recorded.

But if you wish to capture a section of the screen, select Record Selected Portion button. On display, a box showing what will be captured will popup. Drag it to the chosen screen location. You may also drag the boundaries to make it bigger or smaller.

And if you want to add sound to your recorded livestream, you can click Options and select the audio source in the Microphone option. Then click on Record on the taskbar to start recording.

Select the Record Entire Screen option or custom recording range and then click on Record to start.

Step 3. Stop recording and save it

Once you click the stop icon to end the recording, a file preview will show up on the bottom side of your display where you can move and share it. If you don't hit on the icon, a copy of the clip will also be saved on your desktop as a .mov file.

Recording a livestream on Mac using QuickTime Player

You might wonder how to record livestreams on Mac for no cost if hotkeys are out of order or you don't have Mojave. Fortunately, you don't need to install any program to get livestreams recorded because you can use the free software that comes with every Mac, QuickTime Player.

  • Enable QuickTime Player. Then right-click the File option on your desktop and choose New Screen Recording from the menu that appears.
  • The desktop will display a box for screen recording. Select the white arrow hanging down to access more functions, like using an external or built-in mic make sounds.
  • Determine if mouse clicks should be visible based on the video's anticipated use.
  • Once you are prepared, press the Record icon. If you want to record a portion of the screen, drag the cursor to the region you want to focus on.
  • Hit the Stop square icon to end the recording and the recorded livestream video will be saved to the selected location on Mac.

Click the arrow next to the red button to select whether to record the microphone's sound.

Note:

  • Since the system audio recording is not captured by default when taking a video record on a Mac, we can observe from the QuickTime Player settings that the audio source can only be configured as the internal microphone to capture the sound from external sources via the built-in microphone.

How to record a livestream with audio on Mac via AppGeeker Screen Recorder

It is worth noting that using Mac's built-in tools to record a live broadcast is not possible to record its internal sound, which is a drawback of using the recording function that comes with the Mac. Therefore, to record live streams along with internal sound on Mac, you must select an appropriate third-party tool. And AppGeeker Screen Recorder is one of the most used tools for recording both internal and external sounds.

The AppGeeker Screen Recorder is an all-in-one solution that allows individuals to record all of their desktop activities with audio. It contains all the contemporary features you require to personalize and make your recordings pop out, whether you want to capture online livestreams or the conference on the computer or attempt to make a tutorial using the camera. Moreover, the recorder optimizes sound effects and record button presses for a beautiful output.

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With all these fantastic features, utilizing AppGeeker Screen Recorder to record the Mac screen with sound only requires a few keystrokes instead of using the integrated QuickTime Player.

Install the software first. Next, start the Screen Recorder on your Mac device and activate it.

You will notice many options on the UI as soon as you launch the program. Select Video Recorder to record the on-screen live stream on Mac.

Choose and modify the recording settings. To customize the screen display when recording, select Full or Custom.

Then, depending on your needs, switch on or off the Microphone and System sound to see how it records screen along with high-quality audio.

Open the live stream you want to record on Mac and click the REC button to start recording. To enhance the visual experience, you can add patterns, words, and illustrations as the recording is being done using the tool's built-in features.

When you're finished, click the red square icon to end the recording. While previewing the recorded file, if you are not satisfied, you can use the Clip button or Re-Record to start over. Then, to export the video to your Mac, click Save.

If you want to record live videos on Mac without any stress, using AppGeeker Screen Recorder will meet your various recording needs, including HD video, clear audio, webcam and more, in case you miss any critical information.

Bonus: Record livestreams on Mac via VLC

You're not alone if you were unaware of the VLC media player record screen capability. VLC doesn't promote this feature, and the record button is often concealed from view in the main panel. To activate it, just adhere to these easy steps:

  • Launch VLC on your Mac.
  • In VLC, select View from the menu.
  • Opt for Advanced Controls.
  • The VLC record button should follow the Play button.

With VLC, recording a Livestream is a simple process on Mac. But first, ensure the VLC record button is set to record before proceeding. Hence, ensure that you have already activated the VLC record option before executing the instructions below, as explained in the section above.

Let's go over how to record with VLC after you've activated the record button:

1. Run VLC on your Mac. Locate the Media tab from the navigation pane at the top of your desktop screen and select the Open Capture Device option.

2. Find Capture in the top right corner of Open Source and select Screen.

3. After customizing the frame rate in Settings, click Open and then zoom out to the small recording window.

4. Click Playback > Record on the taskbar to start capturing your screen video.

Conclusion

We looked at some of the quickest ways to record a live stream on Mac with sound in this post. For typical recording tasks on a Mac, standard tools like QuickTime Player and Screenshot tools are good choices.

But, for more sophisticated screen recording, users must switch to various third-party applications. Recording live streams on Mac with internal and external audio is now simple, thanks to tools like AppGeeker Screen Recorder. To produce a flawless piece, use the unique choices that are offered.

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