The ability to record one’s Mac screen has found widespread use, from creating instructional videos and presentations to preserving precious memories. After recording your screen, you must stop and save the file. QuickTime Player is a powerful and widely used screen recording tool, and in this article, we’ll look at many methods to stop a recording on a Mac. To keep your screen recordings intact for editing or sharing, you must know how to stop the recording session properly.

Stop Screen Recording on Mac Quicktime Player

Stop Screen Recording on Mac Quicktime Player

Knowing how to end a recording gracefully is essential, whether you’re capturing a software demo, video game footage, or a video conversation. We’ll show you a few different ways to put an end to recording your Mac’s screen. First, we’ll go through how to stop screen recording on a Mac QuickTime player using hotkeys, which is much faster than going through the application’s menus. Second, if QuickTime Player is unresponsive or having technical difficulties, we will show you how to quit it forcibly. Finally, we’ll look at the Activity Monitor as a potential means of stopping the screen recording process.

Use Hotkeys

Hotkeys are a quick and easy way to do it if you’re in a screen recording session on a Mac and decide you want to stop it. Without digging through menus or interfaces, you may terminate the recording process with a few keystrokes. Let’s have a look at the shortcut keys and detailed instructions needed to end a screen recording on a Mac. Here’s how to end a recording and utilize shortcuts on a Mac:

Step 1: Pressing “Command” + “Control” + “Esc” at the same time will stop the screen recording process.

Press Command + Escape + Control

Press Command + Escape + Control

Step 2: A dialogue window asking to confirm the decision to end the recording will appear.

Step 3: Click “Stop” on the dialogue box to end the screen recording.

Step 4: Go to where you instructed your Mac to save the recording to review later.

Force Quit Application

Force closing the program might be useful if you have trouble ending the screen recording using hotkeys or if QuickTime Player stops responding. In such a case, a surefire way to stop the recording is to quit the program forcibly. Let’s look at how to end the screen recording by closing QuickTime Player unexpectedly.

Step 1: To access the Force Quit Applications window, press the “Command” key, “Option,” and “Esc” all at once or choose the force quit option from the Apple icon.

Step 2: Find “QuickTime Player” in the list of programs that pop up and click on it.

Force Quit Quicktime Player

Force Quit Quicktime Player

Step 3: Use the “Relaunch option” option.

Step 4: QuickTime Player will be force-closed to end the screen recording.

Step 5: The recording will be stored automatically, and you may find it anywhere you tell your Mac to save it.

Use Activity Monitor

If pressing hotkeys or closing QuickTime Player doesn’t end the screen recording, the Activity Monitor may be used to locate the offending process and end it. Using this system program, you may take full command of your Mac and put an end to the screen recording process. Below we’ll show you how to utilize Activity Monitor to halt the recording process in its tracks.

Step 1: Get started with Activity Monitor by going to “Applications” > “Utilities” > “Activity Monitor.”

Step 2: Find “QuickTime Player” or any process connected with screen recording in the Activity Monitor window and click it to select it.

Select Quicktime Player

Select Quicktime Player

Step 3: Click the “X” in the Activity Monitor window’s top left corner to close it.

Step 4: A popup will request confirmation. Use the “Force Quit” option.

Step 5: When you press this button, the recording on your screen will immediately stop.

Step 6: Verify that the recording was saved to the correct folder on your Mac.

Alternative Way to Record on Mac via FocuSee

If you require a more robust solution than what you get from built-in programs like QuickTime Player, FocuSee is your best option. This program is an excellent replacement for Quicktime Player, making screen recording on a Mac a breeze while adding useful features. FocuSee’s features and how to stop a recording are covered here.

FocuSee captures high-quality audio and video from your Mac screen. Its straightforward design and high-tech features are preferred by many.

Get It Free

FocuSee has several useful functions, including:

Follow the steps below to screen recording with FocuSee:

Please download FocuSee for free to start the wonderful experience of recording silent videos on Windows and Mac computers.

Step 1. Launch FocuSee on your computer > Enter your account and password to create an account, or log in to FocuSee.

Step 2. Find the Device Setup and turn off the speaker and microphone here.

Step 3. It supports three recording options. You can select the option you want to record and start recording the video.

Choose a Recording Mode

Choose a Recording Mode

Step 4. FocuSee focuses on capturing screen recordings and can automatically handle post-production. After recording, you can also flexibly further customize the output by changing the background, adjusting the cursor style, adding captions, editing zoom effects, and applying other enhancements to create a refined, professional video.

The Background Setting

The Background Setting

Step 5. Export the recorded video as an MP4 or GIF file, or easily share it via a link.

FAQs about Stop Screen Recording on Mac

1. Can I stop a screen recording on Mac without using any applications?

Yes, you can stop a Mac screen recording using the built-in hotkey combination “Control + Command + Esc.” The recording will end immediately, and your file will be saved.

2. What should I do if QuickTime Player becomes unresponsive and I can’t stop the screen recording?

A hard shutdown may sometimes fix QuickTime Player. You may forcibly quit QuickTime Player by using the “Command + Option + Esc” keyboard shortcut, selecting it from the list of currently running applications, and then clicking the “Force Quit” button.

3. How can I customize the output format of my screen recordings in Gemoo Recorder?

Screencasts using Gemoo Recorder may be exported to several formats, including MP4, MOV, and GIF. Gemoo Recorder allows you to change the format of your recordings by accessing the “Output” settings under the “Preferences” menu.

Final Thought

Depending on the scenario and the resources, there are a few different ways to terminate a screen recording on a Mac. This article discussed many methods for ending a screen recording on a Mac, including using QuickTime Player, shortcut keys, forcibly closing the program, and the Activity Monitor. Use these strategies to stop screen recordings on your Mac effectively.

In addition, we presented Gemoo Recorder as a substitute application for screen recording on Mac, emphasizing its robust capabilities and user-friendliness. Gemoo Recorder’s many sophisticated features are the flexibility to choose between many output formats and the ability to stop and restart recordings. Users may easily and reliably capture what they see on the screen. Apple’s built-in tools and third-party software like Gemoo Recorder may cancel a screen recording session on a Mac. Pick the approach that appeals to you most, and then follow our detailed guidelines.

author

Senior writer of the iMobie team as well as an Apple fan, love to help more users solve various types of iOS & Android-related issues.