> ## 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 app settings: a complete reference

> Every setting in Open Recorder: service status, folder paths, the auto-zoom recording option, and quick buttons for macOS permission controls.

Open Recorder's Settings panel gives you quick access to service health, folder paths, recording options, and macOS permissions. Open it from the toolbar inside the studio window or from the app's menu bar menu.

## Service

The Service section shows the status of the local Rust background process that Open Recorder depends on for file management and export operations.

| Field        | Description                                                                                                                      |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Status**   | The service name and version — for example, `open-recorder-service 0.1.0`. Shows `Unavailable` if the service cannot be reached. |
| **Platform** | Always `macOS`.                                                                                                                  |

**Check Service** — Click this button to manually ping the Rust service and refresh the status display. Use it any time the status shows `Unavailable` to confirm whether the service has recovered.

<Note>
  The Rust service runs entirely on your Mac. It does not make outbound network requests, and no data leaves your machine.
</Note>

## Folders

The Folders section shows where Open Recorder saves your files. Each row displays the full path and provides a folder icon button that opens the location in Finder.

| Folder          | Default path                                           |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Recordings**  | `~/Movies/Open Recorder`                               |
| **Screenshots** | `~/Pictures/Open Recorder`                             |
| **Projects**    | `~/Library/Application Support/Open Recorder/Projects` |

Click the folder icon next to any row to open that directory in Finder immediately.

<Note>
  These folders are created automatically the first time you record or take a screenshot. You cannot change them from within the app.
</Note>

## Recording

### Create zooms automatically

When this toggle is **on** (the default), Open Recorder analyzes cursor telemetry collected during a recording and automatically generates zoom regions on the timeline as soon as the recording stops. The zoom regions are placed at moments where the cursor paused or moved to a point of interest.

When this toggle is **off**, no zoom regions are added automatically. You can still add zoom regions manually on the timeline at any time.

<Tip>
  Disable automatic zooms if you prefer a clean timeline and want full control over where zooms appear, or if your recording involves rapid cursor movement that produces too many regions.
</Tip>

## Permissions

The Permissions section gives you direct buttons to the macOS settings panes that Open Recorder requires, and a shortcut to re-run the first-launch permission flow.

| Button                 | Action                                                                                                                                     |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Screen Recording**   | Opens System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording so you can grant or review capture access.                                   |
| **Accessibility**      | Opens System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility so you can grant or review cursor-tracking access.                              |
| **Review Permissions** | Re-opens the onboarding screen, which shows the current state of each permission and provides buttons to open the relevant settings panes. |

<Note>
  If you grant Screen Recording permission for the first time, macOS requires you to quit and relaunch Open Recorder before recordings will work.
</Note>