Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, email recordcake@xeviora.com and a human will answer — usually within two business days.
What does Recordcake do that the built-in recorder does not?
macOS can record the screen with ⌘⇧5. Recordcake picks up where that stops: it keeps a full-quality master and turns it into the exact files Steam, YouTube, the App Store, TikTok or a README GIF ask for — right size, frame rate, codec and bitrate, under each platform's duration and file-size limit — all in one export.
Which platforms are covered?
54 presets in seven groups: app and game stores (Steam, Epic, the Mac and iOS App Stores, Microsoft Store, itch.io, Product Hunt), video platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, Bilibili), social (X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Bluesky, Mastodon, Discord, Slack), ads, docs and support, web and README, plus full-quality masters. Every preset and what the platform expects is on the Platforms pages.
Do I have to record again for each platform?
No. Recordcake always keeps the original recording at full resolution and a high bitrate. Platform specs are applied later, in the Library, so you can come back months later and export the same demo for a platform you did not have in mind when you recorded.
Can I use a video I already have?
Yes. Drag a video file into the Library, drop it on the Dock icon, or use Import… — it goes straight into the same export workspace as a recording, with trimming and every preset available.
What is free, and what is in Pro?
Free: recording a display, window or area with system audio and microphone, click highlights, keystrokes, camera picture-in-picture, pause and resume, the Library, importing videos, trimming, all 54 presets with their duration and file-size checks, saving your own preset templates, and exporting one preset at a time. Pro: exporting every preset you ticked in one click, and exports with a background, rounded corners and shadow. Nothing is watermarked and nothing is time-limited in the free version.
Is Recordcake a subscription?
No. Recordcake is free to download, and Recordcake Pro is a single one-time in-app purchase — not a subscription. Nothing renews, there are no tiers, no ads and no account to create. Pro is tied to your Apple Account and supports Family Sharing.
How does the 14-day trial work?
Start it from inside the app — it is a free item on the Mac App Store, so there are no payment details to enter and nothing to cancel. For 14 days you get all of Pro. After that Recordcake simply returns to the free version; everything you exported stays yours.
I bought Pro. How do I get it on a new Mac?
Install Recordcake from the Mac App Store, sign in to the App Store with the same Apple Account, and choose Recordcake › Restore Purchases from the menu bar. The same command is in Settings › General and at the bottom of the Pro window.
Recordcake says it has no Screen Recording permission, but I already turned it on
macOS only applies that permission when the app restarts. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, turn on Recordcake, then quit Recordcake and open it again. The permission does nothing until you do.
Why does the menu bar show a purple icon and “Stop Sharing” while I record?
That indicator belongs to macOS, not Recordcake. Since macOS 14, the system shows it whenever any app captures the screen — Zoom, OBS and QuickTime trigger the same one — and Apple labels the button “Stop Sharing” no matter whether the app is sharing or recording. Recordcake never sends your screen anywhere: the capture is written straight to a file on your Mac. To stop, use Recordcake’s own Stop button in the floating controls, the main window or the menu bar; the system button works too, it just ends the recording the same way.
Where do my recordings go?
Into the Recordcake folder inside Movies. The Library is simply a view of that folder: rename or delete a file in the Finder and the Library follows. Exports land next to the recording unless you pick another folder in Settings › Export.
Why does a preset say my recording is too long or too large?
Because the platform would reject it. App Store previews must be 15 to 30 seconds, X caps a post at 2 minutes 20 seconds, and so on. Recordcake checks before you export: trim the recording, or let it cut the export at the limit, instead of finding out after the upload fails.
Why does showing keystrokes need Accessibility access?
Keystrokes can only be observed through the macOS Accessibility permission. It is optional: without it, Recordcake just does not show keys, and everything else still records normally. Click highlights do not need it.
Does anything leave my Mac?
No. Recording, trimming and converting all happen on your Mac. Recordcake has no account, no cloud and no analytics. The only network request it makes is when you open an official spec page from the app, which simply opens our website in your browser.
Which Macs can run Recordcake?
Any Mac on macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Recordcake uses ScreenCaptureKit for recording and system audio, which is why older systems are not supported.
Still stuck on something?
Go to SupportComing soon to the Mac App Store