MotionShineShort answer: to cut the start or end, open the clip in QuickTime Player, choose Edit, then Trim, drag the yellow handles and click Trim. That is free and already on your Mac. To zoom in on clicks, style the cursor, add captions or blur a password, you need an editor built for screen recordings, such as MotionShine, which opens the editor with zooms and the cursor already in place after you stop.
Apple's steps come from its QuickTime Player User Guide and its Screenshot page, read on 18 October 2026. Those pages show no publish date, so menus can change with an update. What other guides say is named as theirs.
What do you want to change?
| Edit | QuickTime Player | An editor made for screen recordings (MotionShine) |
|---|---|---|
| Cut the start or end | Yes, Edit, then Trim | Yes, trim in the editor |
| Split into clips, rearrange, rotate or flip, remove the sound or the picture | Yes, Apple lists each of them | Split (C) cuts a zoom, text or picture at the playhead; the rest is not covered here |
| Clean up your voice, add music, record a voice over | Not listed | Yes, in the editor |
| Zoom in where you click | Not listed on Apple's page | Every click becomes a zoom you can change |
| Restyle the cursor and click effects | Not listed | Yes, in the Cursor tab |
| Background, padding, rounded corners | Not listed | Yes, in the Background tab |
| Captions | Not listed | Yes, made on your Mac, saved in the video or as .srt and .vtt |
| Blur or highlight a part of the screen | Not listed | Yes |
A cell that says "not listed" means Apple's page for QuickTime Player does not list it, not that no Mac tool can do it.
Method 1: trim from the thumbnail right after you record
When you stop a recording with Shift-Command-5, a small thumbnail appears in the bottom right corner for a few seconds if Show Floating Thumbnail is on. Click it to open a window where you can trim the recording or share it, as Apple's Screenshot page describes. Miss the few seconds, and you open the file in QuickTime Player instead. How to screen record on Mac lists that setting with the rest.
Method 2: trim in QuickTime Player
Apple's steps for a whole movie:
- Open the recording in QuickTime Player.
- Choose Edit, then Trim.
- Drag the yellow handles on the trimming bar. The part outside the handles is cut.
- Click Trim.
Apple adds a tip: click and hold a handle to see individual frames, which helps you cut on the exact frame.
To trim one clip inside a longer recording, choose View, then Show Clips, double-click the clip, drag the yellow handles around the part you want to keep and click Trim.
Method 3: split, rearrange and remove in QuickTime Player
Apple's guide says QuickTime Player can split a movie into several clips and handle each one on its own. Its guide lists separate pages for rearranging clips, adding a clip, rotating or flipping, and removing audio or video. That covers a tidy-up of one recording: cut the middle, drop a mistake, change the order. It does not cover zoom, cursor or text.
Method 4: iMovie
Apple says iMovie lets you create and fine-tune a movie, add video and sound effects, and share it. Its page does not list individual features, a price or system requirements. A third-party guide from ScreenSnap says iMovie adds titles, transitions, speed changes, audio editing and picture-in-picture, and says it cannot blur or redact sensitive information, and has no automatic zoom. Check that in the app before you rely on it.
iMovie suits a recording you want to treat as a normal video, with a title and music. Its page does not mention zooms that follow your clicks.
Method 5: an editor made for screen recordings
A screen recording has something a camera clip does not: the app can know where the cursor was and when you clicked. An editor built for this can use it.
In MotionShine, you stop the recording and the editor opens with the zooms and the smooth cursor already in place. From there, per the app's own docs:
- Zooms. Every click became a zoom on the timeline. Select one to change its level or timing, or delete it. Drag the zoom frame on the preview to choose what it shows, or let it follow the cursor. Press Split (C) to cut a zoom in two at the playhead.
- Cursor. Pick a style, a colour or gradient and a size, and turn on click effects or click sounds. You can upload your own picture as the cursor.
- Background. A wallpaper, gradient, colour or picture, with padding, rounded corners and a shadow.
- Captions. Made on your Mac from your voice or a voice over. Fix any word in the list, pick a style, and export them inside the video or as separate .srt and .vtt files.
- Export. MP4 or GIF, with a preset for where the video is going. It runs in the background so you can keep editing.
The free version exports up to 720p at 30 fps with no watermark and no time limit. Any paid plan unlocks 1080p, 1440p, 4K and 60 fps. MotionShine runs on macOS 13 and later.
Free browser tools for the small jobs
Some edits do not need an editor at all. These run in your browser, and your file stays on your computer:
- Video trimmer to cut the start and end of a clip.
- Crop video to remove black bars or change the shape.
- MOV to MP4 when a site does not take the .mov your Mac saves.
- Video compressor when a clip is too big to send.
- MP4 to GIF, then the GIF cutter to cut the GIF to the part you want.
How do I hide a password or private info in a recording?
Do it before you record if you can. In Shift-Command-5, choose Record Selected Portion so the frame leaves the sensitive part out, or close the window first. The ScreenSnap guide says the free built-in tools cannot blur or redact after the fact, so a recording that already shows a password needs an editor with a blur. MotionShine has blur and highlight in the editor. Its setup window also has an optional "Pause for passwords and banking" permission.
Which tool should you use?
| Your job | Use |
|---|---|
| Cut the start or end of a clip | QuickTime Player, or the video trimmer |
| Tidy one recording: cut the middle, reorder, rotate | QuickTime Player |
| Make a normal video with titles and music | iMovie, or an editor |
| A demo or tutorial with zooms, a clean cursor and captions | An editor made for screen recordings |
| Share a short loop | MP4 to GIF, then the GIF cutter |
Keep QuickTime Player if
Your edit is a trim, a split or a reorder, and the clip is for one person. It is free, it is built into macOS and it does those well. Move to an editor when the same fixes come up every time you record, such as zooming in so people can see the click, or when people will watch the video and it has to look clean.
FAQ
Can you edit a screen recording on a Mac for free?
Yes. QuickTime Player is built into macOS and trims, splits and rearranges clips. iMovie is another Apple app for fuller editing. MotionShine is a free Mac screen recorder with an editor; its free version exports up to 720p with no watermark and no time limit.
How do I trim a screen recording on Mac?
Open it in QuickTime Player, choose Edit, then Trim, drag the yellow handles and click Trim. You can also click the thumbnail that appears right after you stop.
How do I cut out the middle of a screen recording?
Split the movie into clips in QuickTime Player, then remove the clip you do not want. Apple's guide lists splitting, rearranging and removing as separate pages.
How do I add zoom to a screen recording on Mac?
Apple's QuickTime Player page does not list a zoom effect. Use an editor that makes zooms from your clicks, such as MotionShine, where every click becomes a zoom you can change.
How do I add captions to a screen recording on Mac?
Apple's QuickTime Player page does not list captions. MotionShine makes them on your Mac from your voice and lets you fix any word.
What file does a Mac screen recording save as?
A .mov file. Use the MOV to MP4 converter if a site needs MP4.
