> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.tella.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Record a video using the Mac app
> Record native 4K screen recordings with system audio using the Tella Mac app.
[Tella for Mac](https://tella.com/mac "https://tella.com/mac") records natively in **4K** with built-in **system audio** capture. Record from your dock, then edit and share on the web.
## Install and sign in
1. Download Tella for Mac from the [direct download link](https://mac.tella.tv/Tella.dmg) or by clicking **Record** in the web app and choosing **Tella for Mac**.
2. Open the downloaded `.dmg` file and drag Tella to your Applications folder.
3. Launch Tella from Applications and sign in with the same account you use on the web.
The Mac app requires **macOS 13.1 (Ventura)** or later.
## Start a recording
1. Click the Tella icon in your dock or menu bar.
2. Choose what you want to record: your screen, camera, or both.
3. If recording your screen, hover the screen button and click the **chevron** next to it. The popover lists your **Displays** and open **Windows**. Click one to record it, or click **Select area** at the bottom and drag to capture just part of the screen.
4. Click the **red record button**. Tella counts down **3, 2, 1** with a sound, then starts recording. You can turn either off in **… → Settings → General** (**Countdown before recording** and **Play countdown sounds**).
If your **camera is on**, you must also have a **microphone selected** before you can start recording. The record button stays disabled until a mic is picked. This applies whether you're recording camera only or camera + screen. Screen-only recordings don't require a mic.
Tella records your camera and screen as **two separate streams** and excludes the Tella UI from the final video. This gives you a clean recording that you can arrange with layouts in the editor.
## Pause and resume a recording
You can pause your recording at any time and resume when you're ready, with no need to start a new clip just because you need a moment.
1. While recording, click the **pause button** in the recording controls.
2. The recording pauses. Take your time: gather your thoughts, check your notes, or handle an interruption.
3. Click the **resume button** to continue recording from where you left off.
The paused section is removed, so your final video plays as one continuous take. This is different from [clips](/docs/help/recording/use-clips), where you stop and start separate segments. Use pause when you need a break within a single segment, and clips when you want to re-record or change your setup between segments.
## Use speaker notes
Open the **…** menu in the top right of the recorder window and choose **Speaker notes**. A **floating notepad** appears that you can drag anywhere on screen and resize. Write your script, bullet points, or talking points. They're visible to you but never appear in the final video, and the notepad's own menu adds a teleprompter that scrolls the text for you.
This is especially useful during screen recordings, since the notepad floats above your other windows without being captured. See [speaker notes](/docs/help/recording/use-speaker-notes-while-recording) for details.
## Record system audio
The Mac app captures system audio natively, with no extra software required, and it's **on by default**. The **music note icon** in the bar at the top of the recorder window shows the current state; click it to turn system audio off or back on before you start recording. It also lives in **… → Settings → Recording** as **Record computer audio**. This captures all desktop sound (app audio, browser audio, etc.) alongside your microphone.
System audio is captured as part of your screen recording, so a camera-only clip won't include it.
See [record system audio](/docs/help/troubleshooting/record-system-audio) for setup details and troubleshooting.
## Record with multiple monitors
If you have multiple displays connected, Tella lets you choose which screen to record. Pick it from the **Displays** list in the screen popover (hover the screen button and click the **chevron**), or use **Select area** to capture a region on any connected monitor.
## Camera effects
The Mac app supports the video effects available for your macOS version and selected camera. Hover the camera button and click the **chevron** next to it, then use the **Apple Effects** section. **Center Stage** toggles straight from the menu. **Portrait** and **More effects…** open the macOS **Video Effects** panel, where you turn Portrait blur on, and, on macOS 15 or later, pick a **Background** (color gradient, system wallpaper, or your own photo) if your camera supports it. A checkmark in Tella's menu shows which effects macOS is currently applying. See [change your camera background](/docs/help/recording/blur-your-camera-background) for details.
## Record in 4K
The Mac app can record your screen at up to **4K**, well beyond what browser-based recording can encode. Quality is a setting, not automatic: by default the screen records at **Medium (1080p)** and the camera at **Medium (720p)**.
To change it, open the quality menus in the bar at the top of the recorder window: the display icon sets **Screen** quality (Low 720p, Medium 1080p, High 1440p, Very High 4K) and the camera icon sets **Camera** quality (Low 360p, Medium 720p, High 1080p, Very High 4K). The same pickers live in **… → Settings → Recording**.
Higher quality means bigger files and more work for your Mac. If you record your screen at 4K with a built-in camera at the same time, Tella may warn you that your camera can't keep up. Lower one of the two.
## Finish and edit
When you're done recording:
1. Click the **red stop button** to end the recording.
2. Click **Preview** (it appears next to the record button once the clip is saved) to open your video in the web editor.
3. From the editor, you can trim, add layouts, apply zooms, and more, then share a link or export.
In quick mode there's no Preview button: Tella opens the view page with the share link copied as soon as you stop. See [quick mode](/docs/help/recording/record-faster-with-quick-mode).
Videos recorded with the Mac app support **auto zoom**, which generates zooms based on where you clicked during the recording. See [add a zoom](/docs/help/editing/add-a-zoom) for details.
## Mac app vs. web app
| Feature | Mac app | Web app |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Max resolution | 4K (native) | Limited by browser |
| System audio | Built-in | Browser tab audio only |
| Pause recording | Yes | No |
| Area selection | Drag to select any region or window | Browser screen-share picker (screen, window, or tab) |
| Speaker notes | Floating notepad (not captured) | Fixed panel |
| Auto zoom in editor | Yes | No |
| Background blur | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-monitor | Yes | Depends on browser |
| Clips | Yes | Yes |
## Troubleshooting
* **Can't record?** Check your macOS permissions: see [screen, camera, and mic permissions](/docs/help/mac-app/cant-record-on-mac-check-screen-camera-and-mic-permissions).
* **Low disk space warning?** See [low disk space](/docs/help/mac-app/mac-app-low-disk-space-warning).
* **Can't edit your recording?** Make sure you're signed into the same account on both the Mac app and the web. See [troubleshooting Mac app editing](/docs/help/troubleshooting/cant-edit-video-recorded-with-mac-app).
* **Audio sync issues with XLR microphones?** See [fix audio sync](/docs/help/troubleshooting/fix-audio-sync-for-xlr-microphones).
## Related topics
- [Mac app system requirements](/docs/help/mac-app/mac-app-system-requirements.md)
- [Record a video using the web app](/docs/help/recording/record-a-video-using-the-web-app.md)
- [I can't edit the video I just recorded on the Tella Mac app](/docs/help/troubleshooting/cant-edit-video-recorded-with-mac-app.md)
- [Record a video using the Chrome extension](/docs/help/recording/record-a-video-using-the-chrome-extension.md)
- [Record camera only on Mac](/docs/help/recording/record-camera-only-on-mac.md)