Guide
How to record a GIF of your screen on Windows and Mac
The screen recorders built into Windows and macOS mostly save video files. To get a GIF, use a screen recorder with GIF export, such as BaseShot (free for Windows and Mac): record an area of the screen, then choose GIF when you export.
With BaseShot
- Download and open BaseShot. It runs from the system tray on Windows and the menu bar on Mac.
- Click the BaseShot icon and choose Record Screen.
- Drag to select only the area you want in the GIF. A smaller area makes a smaller file.
- Click Start Recording, show what you want, then click Done.
- In the editor, trim the start and end. Add zooms or a background if you like.
- Click Export recording and choose GIF under Format.
- Pick a Resolution, a Frame rate, and Compression, then export to a file, the clipboard, or a shareable link.
GIFs don’t include audio. If the clip needs sound, export MP4 instead.
Keep the GIF small and sharp
- Keep it short. A few seconds is usually enough to show one action.
- Record a small area instead of the whole screen.
- Use 720p and 10–15 fps for docs, chats, and READMEs. Use a higher frame rate only for fast motion.
- Under Compression, Smaller file uses 64 colors, Balanced uses 128, and Higher quality uses 256.
- If the file is still too large, share it as an MP4 or a link instead.
Other options
- Windows: ScreenToGif is a free, open-source app that records straight to GIF.
- Mac: the built-in recorder (Shift-Command-5) saves MOV video, which you would need to convert to GIF with another app.