macOS 14+

QuikGIF
GIF Screen Recorder for Mac

The fastest way to record your screen as a GIF. Always ready in your menubar.

Download on the
Mac App Store
Unlock everything
Get Pro — $4.99

Prefer a direct download? Get the notarized .zip — same app, no App Store account needed.

Built for speed

Menubar Native

Lives in your menubar, always one click away. No dock icon, no clutter.

Global Hotkeys

Start, pause, and stop recordings without touching your mouse.

Region Select

Draw a rectangle around exactly what you want to capture.

Full-Screen Capture

Record your entire display with one click. No region selection needed.

Window Capture

Click any window to record it — follows the window even as it moves.

Pause & Resume

Pause mid-recording to skip parts you don't need in the final GIF.

Customizable

Frame rate, cursor visibility, loop count, max file size, and output format. Tune every recording to your needs.

💾

File Size Control

Set a maximum file size and QuikGIF automatically reduces quality to fit. Cancel encoding at any time with the hotkey or Cancel button.

Instant Share

Copy to clipboard, save to a folder, or share via the system share sheet. Your GIF is ready in seconds.

Apple Silicon

Native ARM64 binary built with Swift 6 and ScreenCaptureKit.

No Limits

No time limits, no watermarks, no subscriptions. Free to start, Pro unlocks more.

CLI & Scripting

Record from the terminal, process GIFs, and automate demos with the .qgif scripting engine. 25 commands, visual effects, and shell integration.

AI Tool Integration

Built-in MCP server with 20 tools. Record, capture, and automate GIFs from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible AI assistant.

Built-in GIF Viewer

Inspect recordings with frame scrubbing, speed control, and arrow key navigation. Registers as a system-wide Open With handler.

Visual Effects

Spotlight regions, keystroke badges, click indicators, and cursor smoothing. Make polished demo recordings without post-production.

See it in action

Select any region Drag, or hit Space for keyboard mode
Region locked in and ready to record
Region locked in Confirm and start recording
Always one click away in the menubar
One click from the menubar Always within reach, never in your way
General settings — frame rate, cursor, hotkeys
General settings Frame rate, cursor, hotkeys
Appearance settings — visual effects for polished recordings
Appearance Visual effects for polished recordings
Built-in MCP server for Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants
Built-in MCP server Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants
Finished GIF previewed in context, ready to share
Previewed in context See the finished GIF before you share
Built-in GIF viewer with frame scrubbing
Built-in GIF viewer Frame-by-frame scrubbing
Automate recordings with .qgif scripts
.qgif scripts Automate repeatable recordings

How teams use QuikGIF

Bug Reports

Record a quick GIF of the bug in action and paste it directly into your GitHub issue or Jira ticket. Worth a thousand words of reproduction steps.

Documentation & Tutorials

Show exactly how a feature works with a screen recording embedded in your docs, README, or wiki. GIFs autoplay everywhere — no video player needed.

Slack & Team Chat

Drop a GIF into Slack to show a UI change, a demo, or a quick how-to. Inline playback makes it easy for everyone to see without clicking through.

Code Reviews & PRs

Add a GIF to your pull request showing the before and after. Reviewers can see the visual change without checking out the branch.

CLI, Scripting & AI

QuikGIF ships a CLI for automation, a .qgif scripting engine for repeatable demos, and an MCP server that lets AI assistants record your screen.

  • Record app windows from the terminal
  • Optimize GIFs with adaptive color palettes
  • 25-command scripting engine with visual effects
  • Spotlight, keystroke badges, click indicators
  • MCP server with 20 tools for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code
  • Intro/outro title cards and auto-pacing presets
# Install the CLI $ curl -fsSL https://quikgif.com/install.sh | sh   # Record a window $ quikgif record --app Safari --duration 5   # Run a scripted demo $ quikgif script demo.qgif   # Start MCP server for AI tools $ quikgif mcp-server

Contact Support

Having an issue or have a question?

Privacy

QuikGIF does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data.

All recordings are created and saved locally on your Mac. Optional crash reporting and usage statistics are local-only and disabled by default.

FAQ

How do I grant screen recording permission?

On first launch, macOS will prompt you to allow screen recording. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording and enable QuikGIF.

Where are my GIFs saved?

GIFs are saved to the location you choose in the save dialog that appears after each recording.

Can I change the global hotkey?

Yes. Click the QuikGIF menubar icon and open Preferences to customize your hotkey.

Why does QuikGIF need screen recording permission?

QuikGIF uses macOS ScreenCaptureKit to capture the screen region you select. This requires the Screen Recording permission to function.