Permissions
The macOS privacy dance: every permission OwnClip asks for, exactly what it's for, and where to find each one in System Settings.
What we use & where it lives
Click any path to copy itCapture full screen, a window, or a region. The only permission OwnClip cannot work without.
Record voice narration over your screen. Skip it for silent recordings or system-audio-only.
Power the floating webcam bubble and every Camera AI effect: blur, virtual backgrounds, Smart Framing, Auto-Light.
Transcribe recordings on-device using Apple's Speech framework. Powers transcript-driven cuts and SRT export.
Scroll capture (a screenshot of a whole page that scrolls) and bringing the window you picked to the front. Not needed for the global shortcuts such as ⌃⌥⌘R: they work without it.
OwnClip runs a 2-second permission watchdog whenever you record. If you grant or revoke a permission while the app is running, OwnClip notices automatically. There is no need to restart unless noted below.
Step-by-step
Step 1 of 5: Screen Recording — the only one OwnClip can't live without
Screen Recording — the only one OwnClip can't live without
Required to capture your screen, a window, or a region. OwnClip's first-time setup asks for it, and macOS shows a dialog. Click Allow, or open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and switch OwnClip on. After that, macOS may need OwnClip to quit and reopen before it can record. OwnClip then shows a Restart OwnClip button, and macOS itself may show a Quit & Reopen button. Click whichever you see, since it depends on your macOS version. Nothing you have done so far is lost.
- Without this, every capture mode fails; there is no fallback
- If the permission still looks off after you switch it on, quit OwnClip from the menu bar and open it again
- On current macOS, the pane is called "Screen & System Audio Recording"
Allow apps to record the contents of your screen and listen to system audio while in use.
Click the toggle to try it. This is a picture of the macOS pane, not the real one.
All 5 steps as a list
1. Screen Recording — the only one OwnClip can't live without
Required to capture your screen, a window, or a region. OwnClip's first-time setup asks for it, and macOS shows a dialog. Click Allow, or open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording and switch OwnClip on. After that, macOS may need OwnClip to quit and reopen before it can record. OwnClip then shows a Restart OwnClip button, and macOS itself may show a Quit & Reopen button. Click whichever you see, since it depends on your macOS version. Nothing you have done so far is lost.
- Without this, every capture mode fails; there is no fallback
- If the permission still looks off after you switch it on, quit OwnClip from the menu bar and open it again
- On current macOS, the pane is called "Screen & System Audio Recording"
2. Microphone — for narration on top of your screen
Optional. Grant access if you want your voice on the recording. The first time you toggle 'Microphone' in OwnClip’s recorder, macOS shows the standard prompt. Denied it? Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable OwnClip, and the next recording will pick it up.
- Recordings still work without mic; system audio is captured separately
- Mid-recording revocation is detected automatically; the mic track stops cleanly
3. Camera — for the webcam bubble
Optional. Required for the floating webcam bubble and every Camera AI effect: background blur, virtual backgrounds, Smart Framing, Auto-Light, Beauty filter. Camera frames are processed entirely on your Mac's Metal GPU; nothing is uploaded.
- Required only if you turn the camera on; pure screen recordings don't need this
- The webcam bubble is overlaid live onto the recording, not on top of it
4. Speech Recognition — for transcription
Optional. Powers the editor's transcript view, transcript-driven cuts, and SRT/JSON export. OwnClip uses Apple's on-device Speech framework in its on-device mode, so no audio leaves your Mac. The first time you transcribe, macOS may also download the language model for the recording's language.
- Apple Speech, not cloud Whisper. Purely on-device
- If your recording's language has no on-device model, install it via System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation
5. Accessibility — for scroll capture
Optional. Unlocks scrolling-page screenshots, where OwnClip scrolls the page for you. The global shortcuts (⌃⌥⌘R record, ⌃⌥⌘P pause, ⌃⌥⌘S screenshot, and the rest) don't need it: they work from any app without this permission. You can change them in Settings → Hotkeys.
- Without it, global shortcuts such as ⌃⌥⌘R still work: they need no permission
- Without it, Scroll Capture shows an alert and refuses to start
- After granting: quit OwnClip from the menu bar and open it again (required)