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Why is screen recording permission not working on my Mac?

Diagnose and fix macOS screen-recording permission problems: test capture, reset the app's TCC consent so macOS asks again, and verify recording works.

macOSvideotccutilpermissionsscreencaptureprivacyscreen-recordingMedium risk
Reset the app's screen-recording consent with tccutil so macOS prompts for permission again.

What this covers

On macOS, apps must be granted Screen Recording permission before they can capture your display. When that permission gets stuck — usually because the app was denied once and never re-prompted — recordings come out black or the app silently fails. This guide walks through confirming the problem, resetting the permission, and verifying capture works again.

Symptom

?Screen recordings are black or empty, capture apps show a blank preview, or the app never shows the macOS permission prompt no matter what you do in System Settings.

Confirm screen recording is actually broken

Before changing any settings, capture a short fixed-length recording to a file on your Desktop. If the resulting .mov is black, empty, or missing your windows, macOS is silently denying screen-recording permission. A clear, normal recording means the permission is fine and the problem lies elsewhere.

macOSRecord the Screen to Video with screencapture -VLow riskStep 1

Capture a fixed-length screen recording straight to a .mov file from the Terminal.

Command
$ screencapture -V 10 ~/Desktop/screen-capture.mov
Full explanation & undo →

Reset the app's screen-recording permission

When an app can no longer ask for screen-recording consent (for example because it was once denied and macOS never re-prompts), the fix is to clear its entry in the TCC privacy database. After the reset, relaunch the app — macOS will show the consent prompt again, and choosing Allow restores recording.

macOSReset App Privacy Permissions with tccutilMedium riskStep 2

tccutil resets the TCC privacy database entries — the fix for apps that can no longer ask for camera, microphone, or screen-recording consent.

Command
$ tccutil reset Camera && tccutil reset ScreenCapture com.example.app
Full explanation & undo →

If the prompt still never appears, reset related privacy permissions

Some recording tools also depend on camera or microphone consent, and a stuck denial there can make the whole flow feel broken. Resetting those permissions as well forces macOS to ask again for each one. Only do this if the screen-capture reset alone didn't resolve the problem.

macOSReset Privacy Permissions with tccutilLow riskStep 3Optional

Clear mistakenly denied camera, microphone, or automation permissions so macOS asks again.

Command
$ tccutil reset Camera
Full explanation & undo →

Verify captures work again

Take a quick region capture of a known part of your screen and open the resulting file. If the PNG shows the exact area you selected with real content — not a black rectangle — screen capture and its underlying permission are working again. Re-run the recording test from step 1 to confirm video capture too.

macOSCapture a Screen Region to a File with screencapture -RLow riskStep 4

Screenshot an exact x,y,width,height rectangle silently, ideal for scripts and repeatable documentation shots.

Command
$ screencapture -x -R 100,100,900,600 ~/Desktop/crop.png
Full explanation & undo →
!Resetting permissions clears the app's stored consent, so you'll need to approve the prompt again. Use the app's bundle ID when resetting a specific app so you don't wipe consent for everything.

How to confirm it worked

A region capture and a short screen recording both produce files with real, visible content.

Sources

  • screencapture - capture screen image or video
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents the -V flag that records the screen to a video for the given number of seconds.
  • tccutil(1) — macOS man page
    Xcode Man Pages (mirror) · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Documents tccutil reset [service] [bundle id] to reset privacy permissions for all apps or one app.
  • tccutil — reset TCC privacy database (macOS man page)
    SS64 · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Lists valid service names such as Camera, Microphone, ScreenCapture and the optional bundle identifier argument.
  • screencapture(1) man page
    Xcode Man Pages (keith.github.io) · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Man page for screencapture listing `-R<x,y,w,h>` (capture a rectangle at the given coordinates) and `-x` (do not play sounds) among its options.

Last verified: 2026-09-21