With millions of users worldwide, Netflix has been a popular platform to watch movies and series. It has a great selection of movies and TV shows that you can stream on your Mac. But if you want to record its content, be it for later watching or video content purposes, you can’t do it directly on the platform due to copyright restrictions.
To screen capture Netflix content, you’ll need to use alternative methods that work around these limitations. For those interested, we'll cover several techniques for screen recording Netflix on your Mac and any potential issues you should be aware of.
In this article
Part 1. Why You Can't Screen Capture on Netflix
If you try to screen capture or screen record on Netflix, you'll immediately notice that the result is often a black, blank screen. While you can still hear the audio, the video content itself does not appear. It happens because Netflix employs Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology to prevent unauthorized recording and copying of its content.
DRM is designed to protect the intellectual property of content creators and ensure that their work is not distributed without permission. Even if your intention is harmless, like you just want to share a tiny bit of the film content on your social media, DRM restrictions remain in place to safeguard the rights of the original creators.
So, when you screen record Netflix on Mac, it results in a black screen instead. Although it's annoying, these protections help control how content is distributed and ensure it is used according to the creator's terms.
Part 2. How to Screen Record Netflix on Mac without Black Screen
To screen record Netflix on your Mac without encountering the black screen issue, the trick is to disable hardware acceleration first and use a plug-in to make sure you can also capture Netflix audio in your screen recording. Then, you can start screen recording with one of the best screen recorders for Mac—Wondershare Filmora.
1. How to Disable Hardware Acceleration
- Step 1: Disable Hardware Acceleration on your browser
Go to Settings by clicking the three-dot menu (⋮) in the upper-right corner and select "Settings".
Navigate to the Advanced > System section. Toggle off the option labeled “Use hardware acceleration when available” to disable the hardware acceleration.
- Step 2: Restart your browser.
To ensure that the new settings take effect, close Chrome completely and then reopen it.
2. How to Install and Set Up BlackHole Plug-in
- Step 1: Install the BlackHole plug-in
Visit Existential Audio to download the BlackHole plug-in. If you prefer not to donate, select "I can't afford to donate". Then, enter your email address and name and click "Subscribe for Free Mac Download". Use the link in your email to download the installer.
Once you've downloaded it, double-click the installer file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
- Step 2: Set up the BlackHole plug-in
Search for "Audio MIDI Setup" and select it to open the settings. If the Audio Devices window doesn't appear, go to Window > Show Audio Devices.
Click the "+" button at the bottom-left corner and select Create Multi-Output Device. In the right panel, select both your Mac's built-in speakers and BlackHole. Make sure BlackHole is listed below the built-in speakers in the right panel. If it appears first, uncheck and recheck it to correct the order.
Then, Control-click the Multi-Output Device and select Use This Device for Sound Output. After that, you can start recording using a screen recorder.
3. How to screen record Netflix on Mac
After you've disabled Hardware Acceleration and installed the BlackHole plug-in, you should now be ready to record Netflix using a screen recorder without encountering the black screen issue. The best option to record Netflix stream on a Mac is using Filmora Screen Recorder.
With Filmora, you can customize the screen ratio and size—whether it's the entire screen, a specific window, or a designated area—and use the Record Timer to schedule your screen recordings. Once you've finished recording, Filmora will automatically take you to its feature-rich editing interface.
You can trim, cut, or enhance your recorded video with various editing tools in case you need to remove unwanted sections, adjust the length, or improve the quality of your recording. You can also export the final video in various formats to ensure that both the video and audio quality are preserved according to your preferences.
Here's how to screen record Netflix on Mac using Filmora:
- Step 1: Select "Screen Recorder" on Filmora startup window
Launch Filmora on your Mac and select “Screen Recorder” on the startup window.
- Step 2: Select the recording area
After accessing the screen recorder tool, you can select the desired recording area. Under the "Square" icon, you have three options: "Full Screen," "Custom," and "Target Window." Or, you can also manually adjust the the aspect ratio to fit your needs.
- Step 3: Choose the type of recording
In Filmora, you can enable the "Microphone" if you want to capture your voice as well during the recording. Additionally, you can toggle the "System Audio" and "Camera" settings on or off according to your needs.
If you only want to record the Netflix content and its audio, you can enable the System Audio and disable the other settings.
- Step 4: Adjust recording settings
Next, click on "Settings" at the bottom left corner of the recording window to customize additional settings. Here, you can adjust the countdown timer, configure the frame rate and video quality, set a recording timer, set up keyboard shortcuts, and more.
- Step 5: Start recording Netflix content
Now, navigate to the Netflix website and open the video you wish to record. Once the video is ready to play, return to Filmora's screen recorder and start recording.
Filmora will provide a countdown, so you can have a few seconds to prepare and start playing the video on Netflix at the right moment.
- Step 6: Stop the recording and start editing (optional)
When you're finished, stop the recording by clicking the Stop button or pressing the shortcut key if you have set one.
You will then be directed to Filmora's editing interface. Here, you can make necessary edits to your recording.
If you need to cut certain parts, move the playhead to the start of the section you want to remove, and click the Cut tool. Then, move the playhead to the end of that section and click the Cut tool again. Finally, select and delete the unwanted section.
If you want to adjust the length, you can trim the clip by dragging the edges of the clip in the timeline to shorten or extend it. Simply move your cursor to the edge of the clip until you see the trim handles, then click and drag to adjust the start or end points.
Once you've made the desired adjustments, you can export the final video in your preferred format.
Part 3. Alternative Methods to Screen Record Netflix on Mac
While Filmora offers the best option for screen recording Netflix on a Mac, there are other methods you can consider. Here are some recording method alternatives you can explore.
Method 1: Using QuickTime Player
- Step 1: Launch QuickTime Player on Mac from your Applications folder.
- Step 2: Go to the menu bar and click File > New Screen Recording.
- Step 3: You can open the Options button next to the record button to choose whether to record audio. Then, select the area of the screen you want to capture or choose to record the entire screen. Click Record to begin recording.
- Step 4: Click the stop button in the menu bar to finish recording. The recording file will be automatically saved to your Mac.
Method 2: Using OBS
- Step 1: Download and install OBS Studio first on your Mac. Then, open OBS Studio and click the + button in the Scenes box to create a new scene.
- Step 2: Click the + button in the Sources box and choose Display Capture or Window Capture to select the Netflix window.
- Step 3: Adjust your recording settings under Settings > Output to set the video quality and format.
- Step 4: Click Start Recording to begin capturing the Netflix content. Click Stop Recording when done and save your file.
Method 3: Using Screencast-o-Matic
- Step 1: Download Screencast-O-Matic and launch the software. Select Record.
- Step 2: Choose the area of the screen to record or opt for full-screen capture. Then, configure audio and video settings as needed.
- Step 3: Click the Rec button to start recording your favorite Netflix film or TV show. Click Done to finish and save your recording.
Part 4. Considerations and Best Practices
Although there are some ways to screen record Netflix on Mac, it's still important to follow copyright laws and Netflix's terms of service. Unauthorized recording and sharing of Netflix content can lead to legal issues and violate the rights of content creators. Always use recordings for personal purposes only or check if there are specific restrictions on certain shows.
Also, be aware of potential problems like poor video quality or audio issues. To avoid these, make sure your recording settings are set for high quality, and check that your audio sources are correctly set up. Using a reliable screen recording tool like Filmora and ensuring your computer can handle the recording will help you get the best results.
Conclusion
Netflix doesn't allow you to directly screen record or screen capture on its platform. It will only result in a black screen on your recording. However, you can work around this restriction by disabling the Hardware Acceleration on your browser and installing the BlackHole plug-in on your Mac.
After that, you can normally screen record Netflix on Mac using screen recorder like Filmora. Filmora’s all-in-one features make it a solid choice for capturing and editing your recordings within the same program, so you can maintain the quality of your recording.