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Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit framework is the current API for capturing selected screen content and audio in apps. On macOS, the typical flow is to discover shareable content, choose a display or window with an SCContentFilter, configure an SCStream, request permission, start capture, and process the resulting CMSampleBuffer objects. The details below focus on Apple’s macOS sample; its setup requirements are not a universal minimum for every ScreenCaptureKit platform or use.
What Apple’s Screen Capture API does
ScreenCaptureKit is Apple’s framework for capturing selected screen content and audio and delivering media to an app as CMSampleBuffer objects with associated metadata. Apple describes it as replacing ReplayKit for screen streaming and mirroring, so a broadcast extension is no longer necessary for that use. Apple lists the framework across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS; the implementation steps and prerequisites in this article concern macOS.
The framework separates source selection, output configuration, and sample processing. That division lets an app capture a display or a window, set its desired output properties, and handle screen, system audio, and microphone streams as needed.
What you need for the macOS sample
- A Mac running macOS 15 or later and Xcode 16 or later for Apple’s cited sample. These are that sample’s prerequisites, not proof of the minimum OS version for every ScreenCaptureKit feature or project.
- A macOS app target with an
NSScreenCaptureUsageDescriptionexplanation in the target’s Info pane. Tell users why the app needs screen recording access. - A permission flow that requests screen recording access before capture. On the first run, the cited sample prompts for permission; after granting it, restart the app.
Apple supports ScreenCaptureKit on multiple operating systems, but the cited macOS sample does not establish identical setup steps or feature availability on iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, or visionOS. Check the API reference for the deployment targets and capabilities your app supports.
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How to capture a screen on a Mac with ScreenCaptureKit
Use this sequence for a macOS capture implementation. The types are the framework’s building blocks; Apple’s sample provides the complete platform-specific code and callback details. Do not treat this outline as a copy-and-run Swift file: app lifecycle, permission handling, stream delegate setup, and sample processing must be implemented for your application.
- Discover sources: request
SCShareableContentto obtain the displays, running apps, and windows that can be captured. - Choose capture scope: build an
SCContentFilterfor the display or window. Add exclusions if the capture should omit particular content. - Configure output: create an
SCStreamConfigurationand set the required dimensions, frame interval, pixel format, and audio options. - Set up the stream: create an
SCStreamfrom the filter and configuration, register the output types and handlers your app needs, then start capture. - Process media: handle delivered sample buffers. Screen, system audio, and microphone output can be handled separately.
- Adapt when needed: Apple’s sample demonstrates applying a new content filter or configuration to a running stream when the selected source or output requirements change.
Let people choose with the system picker
Apple recommends SCContentSharingPicker as the system UI for choosing what to share and managing active streams, rather than building a custom source-selection interface. It can provide a clearer user choice of content while your app remains responsible for configuring and consuming the stream.
Keep scope distinct from output settings
The filter answers what content is included: for example, a display or an individual window, optionally with exclusions. The stream configuration answers how the capture is delivered: dimensions, frame timing, pixel format, and audio settings. A correct source filter does not by itself guarantee the resolution, frame rate, or audio output you want.
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Permissions and first-run behavior
Request screen recording permission before attempting capture and provide NSScreenCaptureUsageDescription in the target’s Info pane to explain the purpose. Apple’s macOS sample reports that first launch prompts for access and requires an app restart after permission is granted. Build that restart into your user guidance: a permission change may not make the already-running process capture immediately.
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Permission is a user-controlled boundary, not a setting to bypass. If capture does not start, confirm that the user granted screen recording access for the app and relaunch it as the sample requires. Keep the explanation aligned with the feature the user invoked.
Configure video, audio, and buffering
Video timing and queue depth
Apple’s sample demonstrates setting capture dimensions, a frame interval, and queue depth. Its example uses a 60 fps interval and a queue depth of five. The sample describes three as the default queue depth and says it should not exceed eight frames. These are sample values, not a universal prescription: higher queue depth consumes more memory but may allow processing to continue without stalling the display stream.
Choose dimensions and timing for the output you actually need. Higher resolution or more frequent frames can increase the amount of media your app must process. Measure the behavior on the Macs and workloads you support rather than assuming one configuration fits all.
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Audio capture is disabled by default. Enable it in the stream configuration only when the feature needs audio. ScreenCaptureKit provides separate options for system audio, excluding the capturing app’s own audio, and microphone capture; treat these as distinct choices in both configuration and sample handling.
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Apple’s 2022 WWDC22 session described audio samples up to 48 kHz stereo and video samples up to a display’s native resolution and frame rate. Those are capability statements made in that session, not independent benchmark results or guarantees for every device, configuration, or current operating-system release. The same session characterized ScreenCaptureKit as performance-focused and GPU-enabled with lower CPU overhead than existing capture methods; that too is Apple’s 2022 description, not a measured promise for an individual app.
Other capability areas
Apple’s update history identifies HDR capture, microphone capture, screenshots, and recording output among ScreenCaptureKit capability areas. It notes the sharing picker and screenshots in its June 2023 entry. Because the cited material does not provide a complete feature-by-feature minimum OS matrix, verify exact availability for the deployment versions you target.
Design choices and trade-offs
| Decision | Choose based on | Trade-off to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Display or window | Whether the feature needs an entire display or a specific app/window | A narrower filter limits captured scope; exclusions can further refine what is included. |
| Resolution and frame interval | The output’s visual detail and motion needs | More demanding output requires the app to handle more media; validate on target hardware. |
| System audio | Whether the capture needs computer playback | Audio is off by default and must be enabled explicitly. |
| Microphone | Whether narration or live voice is part of the capture | It is a separate capture option from system audio. |
| Queue depth | How much buffering helps your sample-processing workload | More buffering uses more memory; Apple’s sample advises not exceeding eight frames. |
| Source selection UI | Whether users need to pick and manage shared content | Apple recommends the system picker instead of a custom source picker. |
Troubleshooting ScreenCaptureKit
No permission prompt or capture access
- Check the usage explanation: confirm
NSScreenCaptureUsageDescriptionis present in the macOS target’s Info pane and explains the app’s need. - Check the user’s choice: ensure screen recording access was granted to the app.
- Restart after approval: the cited Apple sample requires restarting after granting access. Relaunch before diagnosing the stream setup.
The wrong content appears
Revisit the SCShareableContent results and the SCContentFilter. Confirm that the filter targets the intended display or window and that exclusions do not remove needed content. If users should choose dynamically, use SCContentSharingPicker.
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Audio is missing
Audio capture is off by default. Check that the intended system audio or microphone option is enabled in SCStreamConfiguration and that the app registered and processes the corresponding output. Also distinguish system audio from microphone input; enabling one does not imply the other.
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Capture stalls or memory use rises
Inspect the processing path and queue depth. Apple notes the memory-versus-stalling trade-off: larger queues use more memory and may help avoid stalling while samples are processed. The sample’s maximum recommendation is eight frames; do not assume that increasing the queue is always the right fix.
A feature is unavailable on a target OS
Do not infer a minimum OS release from the sample’s overall prerequisites or from a dated update-history entry. Check the current API reference for the exact symbol or capability and the deployment versions you ship.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Screenshotting a website is a different job
ScreenCaptureKit is for capturing selected screen content from an app running on Apple platforms. If your goal is a repeatable screenshot or PDF of a website URL rather than a recording of the user’s Mac screen, a website screenshot API is a better fit. ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server; its URL-based capture is a separate workflow from ScreenCaptureKit.
Or skip the browser setup
For a website screenshot, ScreenshotNeo takes one GET request with a URL and returns an image or PDF. This cURL example saves a WebP screenshot of Stripe; replace the target URL as needed. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpCookie and consent banners are accepted like a visitor and removed, along with supported newsletter popups and chat widgets, before capture; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks and CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does ScreenCaptureKit require a broadcast extension?
Apple says ScreenCaptureKit replaces ReplayKit for screen streaming and mirroring, so a broadcast extension is no longer necessary for that use.
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Yes. Use an SCContentFilter for a display or window, with optional exclusions.
Is ScreenCaptureKit available only on macOS?
No. Apple lists support for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS, though the setup described here is specific to the cited macOS sample.
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