ScreenCaptureKit is Apple’s modern API for capturing selected Mac displays, windows, video, and audio. A typical app discovers shareable content with SCShareableContent, selects it with an SCContentFilter, sets video and audio behavior in SCStreamConfiguration, then receives CMSampleBuffer objects through an SCStream. Apple describes ScreenCaptureKit as the replacement for ReplayKit when you need screen streaming or mirroring.
The macOS sample discussed here requires macOS 15 or later and Xcode 16 or later. Those are the sample’s prerequisites, not a universal minimum for every ScreenCaptureKit deployment; check the API reference for the OS versions your app supports.
What the Apple Screen Capture API does
ScreenCaptureKit is a framework for capturing chosen screen content and delivering media to your app. You can capture an entire display, an individual window, or an app’s content, and you can request system audio and microphone input in addition to video. Samples arrive as CMSampleBuffer values with timing and format metadata, so your app can encode them, display them, stream them, or write them to a file.
Apple lists ScreenCaptureKit across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. The setup and code below are specifically for a macOS app because Apple’s detailed sample and permission flow are macOS-focused.
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How a ScreenCaptureKit capture works
- Discover sources. Ask
SCShareableContentfor displays, applications, and windows currently available to capture. - Choose a scope. Create an
SCContentFilterfor a display or window, optionally excluding applications or other content. - Configure output. Set dimensions, frame interval, pixel format, queue depth, and audio options on
SCStreamConfiguration. - Create and register the stream. Initialize
SCStream, add output handlers for screen, audio, and microphone sample types, and start capture. - Process samples. Convert or encode each
CMSampleBuffer, dispatch expensive work off the capture queue, and stop the stream when finished.
Use Apple’s SCContentSharingPicker when people must choose what to share. It supplies the system source-selection UI and manages active streams, avoiding a custom picker that could expose more content than the user intended.
Project and privacy setup on macOS
Requirements
- A Mac running macOS 15 or later for the cited Apple sample.
- Xcode 16 or later for that sample.
- A macOS app target that links ScreenCaptureKit and the frameworks used by your media pipeline.
Declare the reason for capture
Add NSScreenCaptureUsageDescription to the target’s Info pane (or directly to Info.plist). Use a plain-language explanation such as “This app captures the selected screen or window for recording and streaming.” The system uses this text when asking for access.
Grant permission and restart
On first capture, macOS asks the user for Screen Recording access. The Apple macOS sample says the app must be restarted after permission is granted. Build a clear state in your UI for “permission required,” send the user to System Settings, and explain that a restart may be necessary before trying again.
Minimal Swift capture example
The following example shows the core flow: pick the first available display, capture its video, and print the incoming sample timestamps. A production app should present a source picker, validate permission, and send samples to an encoder or file writer instead of only logging them.
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import Foundation
import ScreenCaptureKit
import CoreMedia
final class DisplayCapture: NSObject, SCStreamOutput, SCStreamDelegate {
private var stream: SCStream?
func start() async throws {
let shareable = try await SCShareableContent.excludingDesktopWindows(false,
onScreenWindowsOnly: true)
guard let display = shareable.displays.first else {
throw NSError(domain: "DisplayCapture", code: 1,
userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "No display is available"])
}
let filter = SCContentFilter(display: display, excludingApplications: [], exceptingWindows: [])
let configuration = SCStreamConfiguration()
configuration.width = display.width
configuration.height = display.height
configuration.minimumFrameInterval = CMTime(value: 1, timescale: 60)
configuration.queueDepth = 5
configuration.showsCursor = true
configuration.capturesAudio = false
let newStream = SCStream(filter: filter, configuration: configuration, delegate: self)
try newStream.addStreamOutput(self, type: .screen, sampleHandlerQueue: DispatchQueue(label: "screen.samples"))
stream = newStream
try await newStream.startCapture()
}
func stop() async throws {
try await stream?.stopCapture()
stream = nil
}
func stream(_ stream: SCStream, didOutputSampleBuffer sampleBuffer: CMSampleBuffer,
of type: SCStreamOutputType) {
guard type == .screen else { return }
let time = sampleBuffer.presentationTimeStamp
print("Video sample at (time.seconds)s")
// Encode, display, or write the sample here.
}
func stream(_ stream: SCStream, didStopWithError error: Error) {
print("Capture stopped: (error.localizedDescription)")
}
}
let capture = DisplayCapture()
Task {
do {
try await capture.start()
} catch {
print("Unable to start capture: (error.localizedDescription)")
}
}The exact initializer overloads and availability can vary with the SDK you target. Compile against your deployment SDK and consult the current ScreenCaptureKit API reference when supporting older releases.
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Capturing a window or app instead of a display
After discovering shareable.windows or shareable.applications, build a filter for the selected object rather than the display. A window filter limits capture to that window’s content; a display filter captures everything in the selected display unless you provide exclusions. Keep selection and output configuration separate: the filter answers “what,” while SCStreamConfiguration answers “how.”
For user-driven selection, prefer SCContentSharingPicker. It gives users the system-controlled choice of display, window, or app and lets them manage an active share. Your app can then apply the resulting content filter to an existing stream.
Video configuration and buffering
Frame rate and dimensions
Set width, height, and minimumFrameInterval to match your encoder or network target. The sample uses a 60 fps interval and the display’s dimensions. Apple’s WWDC22 session says ScreenCaptureKit can deliver video up to a display’s native resolution and frame rate, but that is a 2022 capability statement, not an independent benchmark or a guarantee for every Mac and configuration.
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Queue depth
Apple’s sample uses a queue depth of five. The documented default is three, and the sample guidance says not to exceed eight frames. A larger queue consumes more memory but can keep capture moving while your processing code catches up; a smaller queue limits memory but makes stalls more likely to affect the stream. Measure your own encoder and network path before changing it.
Pixel format and dynamic range
Choose a pixel format that your downstream pipeline accepts. Apple’s update history identifies HDR capture as a capability area, but the available formats and minimum OS release depend on the SDK and deployment target, so verify those details in the current API reference.
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System audio and microphone capture
Audio capture is disabled by default. Set the relevant configuration options before starting the stream, then register output handlers for the audio sample types you need. Apple’s sample demonstrates separate handling for screen, system audio, and microphone output, including an option to exclude the app’s own audio.
configuration.capturesAudio = true
configuration.excludesCurrentProcessAudio = true
try newStream.addStreamOutput(self,
type: .audio,
sampleHandlerQueue: DispatchQueue(label: "audio.samples"))
try newStream.addStreamOutput(self,
type: .microphone,
sampleHandlerQueue: DispatchQueue(label: "mic.samples"))Only enable microphone capture when the user expects it, and describe that behavior in your UI. The WWDC22 session attributes support for audio samples up to 48 kHz stereo to Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit team; treat that as a dated capability statement rather than a promise about every device, source, or processing path.
Changing a running capture
ScreenCaptureKit supports applying a new content filter or configuration to a running stream. This is useful when a user switches from a display to a window, changes resolution, or turns audio on. Coordinate updates on the stream’s control path, stop accepting assumptions about the old dimensions, and reconfigure your encoder when the format changes. If your pipeline cannot handle a live format change safely, stop, rebuild, and restart the stream.
Reliability, performance, and cost decisions
- Capture scope: a window or app filter reduces unrelated content and simplifies privacy review; a display filter is appropriate for presentations or full-desktop recording.
- Output size: native-resolution frames preserve detail but increase memory, encoding work, and bandwidth. Downscale when the destination does not need native pixels.
- Frame interval: 60 fps is useful for games and cursor movement; a slower rate can reduce processing load for static software screens.
- Media: screen-only capture is simpler. System audio and microphone add synchronization, permissions, and mixing decisions.
- Buffering: increase queue depth only when measured processing stalls justify the extra memory.
- Privacy: let the system picker define the source where possible, and never assume that a display-wide filter is equivalent to a single-window share.
Apple positions ScreenCaptureKit as performance-focused and says it leverages Mac GPUs with lower CPU overhead than existing capture methods. That statement comes from WWDC22; it is not a comparative test result for your application.
Troubleshooting common failures
No sources are returned
Check that a display or window is actually available, that the app is running in a normal logged-in user session, and that the source has not disappeared between discovery and filter creation. Refresh SCShareableContent before retrying.
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Permission errors or a black/empty capture
Confirm the app has Screen Recording access in macOS privacy settings and that NSScreenCaptureUsageDescription is present. Follow the sample’s restart requirement after granting access. If the user selected a window that closed, ask them to choose a new source.
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Move encoding and file/network writes off the sample callback queue, reduce output dimensions or frame rate, and inspect memory use. A modest queue-depth increase can absorb short processing spikes, but Apple’s sample guidance limits the value to eight frames.
Audio is missing
Audio is off by default. Enable the appropriate configuration, register the matching output type, and verify that the selected source and macOS permissions allow the audio path you requested. Handle system audio and microphone as separate streams when your mixer needs independent control.
The app crashes after a format change
Rebuild or reconfigure your encoder when dimensions, pixel format, or audio format changes. Do not continue feeding samples under assumptions from the previous configuration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Testing checklist
- Test display, window, and app selections, including a window that closes during capture.
- Test permission denied, permission granted followed by restart, and permission revoked while the app is running.
- Test screen-only, system-audio, microphone, and combined capture paths.
- Test native and reduced dimensions, 60 fps and slower intervals, and sustained recording long enough to expose memory growth.
- Verify that your UI clearly indicates what source and audio devices are active.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does ScreenCaptureKit record the desktop without user permission?
No. macOS requires the user to grant Screen Recording access, and your app must explain its need with NSScreenCaptureUsageDescription.
Can I capture only one application window?
Yes. Discover windows or applications with SCShareableContent and create an SCContentFilter for the selected item instead of an entire display.
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Is ReplayKit required for Mac screen streaming?
Apple describes ScreenCaptureKit as replacing ReplayKit for screen streaming and mirroring, so a macOS implementation can use ScreenCaptureKit directly.
Can ScreenCaptureKit create a finished MP4 file by itself?
It delivers CMSampleBuffer media to your app. You must connect those samples to an encoder or media writer suited to your output format.
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