Fix Screen Recording and Input Monitoring permissions on macOS

Updated 2026-09-02 · v0.2.10

Nothing records, keystrokes never appear, or everything worked until a macOS update — it is almost always permissions. This page explains which ones the app needs, why, and how to fix each symptom.

The two required permissions

The other three are optional and only requested when you use them: Microphone (your voice), Camera (the webcam bubble), Notifications (update available, export finished).

Granting them on first launch

The first time you open the app, a window lists exactly which permissions are missing, each with a button that opens the matching System Settings pane directly — no hunting through menus.

1. Click the button next to a missing permission. System Settings opens on the right pane.
2. Turn on the switch for "7 Screen Studio". If the app is not listed yet, click + and pick it from your Applications folder.
3. Return to the app. For Screen Recording, macOS usually requires a relaunch before the grant takes effect — quit fully and reopen if the app still reports it missing.

Granting them by hand

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, then:

• Screen & System Audio Recording — enable "7 Screen Studio"
• Input Monitoring — enable "7 Screen Studio"
• Microphone / Camera — only if you use a mic or the webcam

Common symptoms

The permission is on but the app says it is missing

macOS only re-reads screen-recording status when a process starts. Quit the app completely — from the menu bar icon, not by closing a window — and open it again.

Permissions vanished after a macOS update

Major macOS updates can reset entries in Privacy & Security. Re-check both required permissions; if the app is still listed but switched off, switch it back on and relaunch.

macOS keeps asking for screen recording again

macOS 15 re-prompts periodically for every screen-recording app, including ones already granted. That is the operating system, not the app losing its grant — accept it and the permission stays in place between prompts.

Auto-zoom does not follow the cursor

The classic sign of missing Input Monitoring: video records fine, so it looks like the app is broken, when in fact it simply never learns where you clicked. Enable the permission and relaunch.

If the permission is on and the camera still will not move, check the zoom level in the Recording tab — 1.0× deliberately switches auto-zoom off.

Shortcuts do nothing

Three causes, in order of likelihood: missing Input Monitoring; the combination is already taken by another app or by macOS itself (the app warns you when you assign a taken one); or you are inside an app that grabs the whole keyboard, such as a virtual machine or remote-desktop software. Reassign them in Settings → Shortcuts.

Stuck in a region overlay or the annotation layer

Press ⌥⌘0. It cancels every active mode and hands the pointer back. Esc also closes the region overlay.

Window recording mode lists no apps

The window list comes from the same API as the screen-recording permission. An empty list almost always means Screen Recording was never granted, or the app has not been relaunched since it was.

A quick self-test

To confirm everything is in place: press ⌥⌘1 to record the full screen, move the mouse and click a few times, type a shortcut, then stop. The recording should show the screen (Screen Recording), the camera zooming toward your clicks (Input Monitoring) and keystroke labels under the frame (also Input Monitoring). Whichever is missing tells you which permission is missing.

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Recording system audio · FAQ