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Documentation Index

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

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Open Recorder stores everything locally on your Mac. Recordings go to your Movies folder, screenshots to your Pictures folder, and project metadata to Application Support. No files are synced to any cloud service — if you want to back up your work, you copy the folders yourself.

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Folder structure

ContentDefault path
Recordings~/Movies/Open Recorder/
Screenshots~/Pictures/Open Recorder/
Project files (.openrecorder)~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/Projects/
Project index~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/Projects/index.json
Recent screenshots index~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/screenshots.json
Open Recorder creates all of these directories automatically the first time it needs them. You do not need to create them manually.

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Recordings folder

Each recording is saved as a .mov file inside ~/Movies/Open Recorder/. The file name is derived from the project title with special characters replaced by hyphens, followed by a Unix timestamp — for example, Product-Demo-Screen-Window-1748822400.mov. This naming scheme keeps file names safe across all file systems while still being human-readable. You can open this folder directly from the Recordings folder action card on the Screen Recordings tab in the project library.

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Screenshots folder

Each screenshot is saved as an image file inside ~/Pictures/Open Recorder/. File names follow the same sanitized-title-plus-timestamp pattern used for recordings. Open this folder from the Screenshots folder action card on the Screenshots tab in the project library.

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Project files (.openrecorder)

Every capture gets a matching .openrecorder file written to ~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/Projects/. These files are plain JSON and contain:
  • The project title shown in the library
  • The absolute path to the recording or screenshot file
  • The display or window name used for capture
  • Timestamps for when the project was created and last updated
  • The full editor configuration — zoom regions, trim regions, annotation regions, clip split times, clip speeds, and background settings
The .openrecorder file is updated automatically every time you make a change in the editor. Open Recorder uses an 800 ms debounce before writing, so rapid edits are batched into a single save rather than writing on every keystroke.
If you want to share a project with someone on the same Mac, you can hand them the .openrecorder file. They can open it via Open project → Choose file in the library, as long as the media file is at the path stored inside it.

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Project index (index.json)

Open Recorder maintains a single index.json file that lists all registered projects in recency order — most recently touched first. The index stores summary data for each project (id, title, paths, timestamps, and a missing flag) so the library can display the full list without opening every individual .openrecorder file. The missing flag is evaluated live each time you open the library: Open Recorder checks whether the recording or screenshot path stored in the index actually exists on disk and sets the flag accordingly. Index writes are atomic — Open Recorder uses a safe write strategy that prevents a partial write from corrupting the index if the app quits unexpectedly mid-save.
The index is an implementation detail — you do not need to edit it manually. If the index becomes out of sync, click Refresh in the project library to rescan and update the state.

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Recent screenshots index (screenshots.json)

Open Recorder also maintains a separate screenshots.json file at ~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/screenshots.json. This is a lightweight index of up to 100 recent screenshot paths used to populate the screenshot recents list quickly. It stores only the file path and creation timestamp — no editor state. Entries beyond the 100-item limit are dropped automatically.

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Backing up your captures

Because everything is local, backing up is straightforward:
  • Recordings: copy ~/Movies/Open Recorder/ to a backup drive or cloud storage folder of your choice.
  • Screenshots: copy ~/Pictures/Open Recorder/ the same way.
  • Project metadata: copy ~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/ to preserve all .openrecorder files, the project index, and the screenshots index.
If you restore files to the same paths, Open Recorder will find them automatically — no re-importing needed. If you restore to a different Mac or a different user account, you may need to update the absolute paths inside each .openrecorder file to match the new home directory.

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Opening folders from the app

The project library provides direct shortcuts to each folder in Finder:
  • Screen Recordings tab → Recordings folder action card opens ~/Movies/Open Recorder/
  • Screenshots tab → Screenshots folder action card opens ~/Pictures/Open Recorder/
There is no in-app button to open the Projects folder directly, but you can navigate there in Finder via Go → Go to Folder and paste ~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/Projects/.