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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openrecorder.xyz/llms.txt

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Open Recorder exports recordings as QuickTime MOV files. The export dialog lets you choose a resolution and frame rate, applies your current background styling, and renders everything locally — no files are uploaded anywhere. Once rendering is complete, a save panel appears so you can pick exactly where the file lands on disk.

Open the export dialog

1

Open the recording in the project library

Select the recording you want to export from the project library and open it in the editor.
2

Click Export Video

Click the Export Video button in the editor toolbar. The export dialog opens, showing a summary card with your current resolution, frame rate, and format settings.
3

Review the options

The dialog defaults to 1080p resolution and 30 FPS. Adjust these before clicking Export — you cannot change them once rendering starts.

Configure export settings

Resolution

The resolution setting controls the short-edge pixel count of the output canvas. The aspect ratio comes from whichever preset is active in the editor (16:9 by default).
OptionDescription
480pScales the short edge to 480 px
720pScales the short edge to 720 px
1080p (default)Scales the short edge to 1080 px
4KScales the short edge to 2160 px
All output dimensions are rounded to even numbers for video codec compatibility.

Frame rate

OptionDescription
15 FPSSmallest file size
24 FPSCinematic motion
30 FPS (default)Smaller file, smooth playback
60 FPSBest for fast cursor movement

Background

The background styling you set in the editor — gradient, solid color, wallpaper, or transparent — is baked into the export at render time. Padding, border radius, shadow, and inset settings all apply.

Cursor overlay

If you enable the cursor overlay in the editor, the cursor track captured during recording is composited directly into the exported video as a stylized animated cursor.
The cursor overlay is only available when Accessibility permission was granted before the recording started. If you did not grant Accessibility access, no cursor telemetry was captured and the overlay option will not appear.

Render and save

1

Click Export Video

Click Export Video in the dialog. Rendering begins immediately and a progress bar tracks how far along the render is.
2

Wait for rendering to complete

When rendering finishes, the dialog moves to the Save Export phase and a save panel opens automatically. Choose a folder and filename, then click Save.
3

File is written to disk

Open Recorder copies the rendered file to the path you chose. The dialog shows Export Complete and a Show in Finder button when the save succeeds.

Canceled save panel

If you dismiss the save panel without saving, the dialog enters the Export Ready state. The rendered temporary file is kept on disk. Click Save Again to re-open the save panel and save without re-rendering. Click Discard Export to discard the rendered file and return to the options view.

Cancel export

You can stop a render in progress by clicking Cancel Export in the progress UI. The temporary file is deleted and the dialog returns to the options view so you can adjust settings and try again.

Export file location

The exported MOV file is saved to whichever folder you choose in the save panel. The original recording in ~/Movies/Open Recorder is never modified by the export process.
If trim regions on the timeline remove the entire recording, export will fail with the message “Timeline edits remove the entire recording.” Remove or shorten your trim regions, then try again.