macOS menu bar app · Free for personal use
Your Mac screen,
as a tiny GIF.
GifCap lives in your menu bar. Record full screen, a window, or drag-select any area — then trim, copy, and paste a crisp animated GIF anywhere. No export queue. No timeline. No megabytes.
v1.0 · macOS 13 Ventura or later · Apple Silicon & Intel · 2 MB download · Windows version in the works
Runs 100% offline · no account · no telemetry
Paste into
No upload, no cloud. Your recordings never leave your Mac.
Zero learning curve. Cmd+Shift+5 habits transfer instantly.
Always ready. Lives in your menu bar — one click away.
Drag & drop anywhere. GIF goes right where you need it.
No watermarks. The free tier is fully usable, forever.
Optimized output. Small files, sharp frames, 256-color palette.
Why not LICEcap or Kap?
Both are fine tools. Here's where GifCap is different.
GifCap
LICEcap
Kap
Download size
~2 MB
~2 MB
~90 MB Electron
Frame trimmer
✓
✗
✗
Auto-stop timer
✓
✗
✗
Global hotkey
✓
✗
✗
Menu-bar always ready
✓
✗
✓
macOS Sequoia support
✓
partial
✓
Window thumbnail grid
✓
✗
✗
Built for sharing, not editing suites.
No timelines, no export queues, no 4 GB screen recordings. Record, trim, copy, paste. Done.
Three capture modes
Grab the full screen, pick any window from a live thumbnail grid with a search filter, or drag-select a precise area — complete with a marching-ants border and a live dimension badge.
Auto-stop timer
Set a duration and GifCap stops automatically. Click the menu-bar icon for a recording panel whose circular countdown ring tracks the last few seconds, so you can finish your demo with confidence.
New
Frame trimmer
Trim the start and end of your recording after the fact. Skip every 2nd or 3rd frame to slash file size without re-recording. Single-frame result? Copy it as a PNG instead.
New
Tiny files by design
Tune frame rate (5–24 fps) and resolution scale (25–100%) before you record. A 30-second demo lands in kilobytes. The control panel shows exact output dimensions as you adjust.
Countdown before recording
Choose 1–30 seconds of lead-in. A fullscreen circular countdown ring gives you time to get positioned. Hit Escape or Cancel at any point to abort without starting the capture.
Copy or drag to export
Copy the GIF to your clipboard (press C) and paste into Slack, email, GitHub, or Notion. Or drag the preview straight into Finder. Press S to open a save dialog, or R to record again immediately.
Global hotkey & right-click
Press ⌘⇧G anywhere to start or stop recording without touching the menu bar. Right-click the menu bar icon to jump directly into Screen, Window, or Area mode. Requires Accessibility permission — GifCap guides you through it on first launch.
Power user
Instant animated preview
The encoded GIF plays back immediately after stopping. See the final dimensions, file size, and frame count before you share. No waiting, no separate export step.
Menu bar native
No Dock icon, no background processes. GifCap waits quietly in your menu bar until you need it, then disappears again when you're done.
Auto-copy mode
Enable Auto-copy and the GIF lands in your clipboard the instant you stop recording — no preview window, no clicks. Perfect for repeat captures when you've already nailed your framing.
Power user
Screen to clipboard in four steps.
Built on Apple's ScreenCaptureKit — crisp capture with no intermediate video file written to disk.
Click the menu bar icon
Pick a capture mode: full screen, a window from the thumbnail grid, or drag-select an area. Adjust fps, scale, and optional auto-stop timer. Skip the panel with ⌘⇧G, or right-click the icon to jump straight into any mode.
Countdown, then record
An optional countdown ring gives you time to get positioned. The menu-bar icon shows the elapsed time as you record — click it for a panel with the live frame count and Stop button. If you set an auto-stop duration, a circular ring counts down to zero.
Trim & preview
Stop recording and the animated preview opens instantly. Drag the trim handles to cut the clip. Skip frames to shrink the file. Capture a single frame? Copy it as a PNG.
Copy or drag anywhere
Press C to copy the GIF to your clipboard, then paste it into Slack, email, or a GitHub issue. Drag the preview into Finder, press S to save to a file, or hit R to record again.
Keyboard shortcuts
⌘⇧G
Start / stop recording (global)
S
Save GIF — opens file dialog
C
Copy GIF (or PNG for single frame)
R
Record Again (in preview window)
Space
Play / pause GIF preview
← →
Step back / forward one frame
⎋
Cancel countdown or area selection
⌘↩
Apply trim (in preview window)
⌘Z
Undo applied trim (in preview window)
↩
Start recording (from control panel)
⌘⌫
Discard recording (in preview window)
Made for developers, designers, and teams.
Anywhere you'd write a paragraph to describe something visual — paste a GIF instead.
Bug reports
Record the exact interaction that triggers the bug. The reviewer sees the problem immediately — no "steps to reproduce" guessing games.
Attach to Jira · GitHub Issues · Linear · Shortcut
Feature demos
Share a new UI flow before the PR even lands. Drop a 10-second GIF into Slack and the whole team sees the interaction — no meeting required.
Post to Slack · Discord · Notion · Google Chat
Team docs & onboarding
Embed a how-to clip directly in Confluence, Notion, or Google Docs. Record once, your teammates get it right every time — without a support ticket.
Embed in Confluence · Notion · Google Docs · Figma comments
Client emails
Explain a feature or walk through feedback in 15 seconds. GIFs render inline in Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail — no "download the attachment" friction.
Drop into Gmail · Outlook · Apple Mail · HubSpot
Design reviews
Annotate a micro-interaction that's hard to describe in a Figma comment. Show the hover state, the transition, the exact timing — captured right from the prototype.
Comment on Figma · Zeplin · Abstract · Storybook
Changelogs & release notes
Lead with a GIF instead of a bullet list. Your release notes become the kind of thing people actually read — and share.
Publish to GitHub Releases · Notion · Changelog.md · Twitter/X
Free for humans. Fair for companies.
Personal use is free forever — no key, no account, no watermarks. Using GifCap at work? Buy a seat for each computer.
Personal
$0
Free forever
- All features, no watermarks
- No account, no trial timers
- Unlimited recordings
- Free updates
For Work
Business
$19
One-time · per computer · lifetime
- Everything in Personal
- Licensed for commercial use
- One seat per computer — add seats anytime
- License key delivered by email
- Priority email support
One key for your whole team — each computer claims a seat, and you can free a seat anytime when a machine is retired.
Need 10+ seats? Email for volume pricing. Questions? 11plustwo@gmail.com
Need 10+ seats? Email for volume pricing. Questions? 11plustwo@gmail.com
Two small things on first launch.
GifCap is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens with a normal double-click — then macOS will ask for permission to record your screen.
Opening the app the first time
Drag GifCap into Applications, then double-click it. GifCap is signed with a registered Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens straight away — no “unidentified developer” warning. (If your browser kept the download in quarantine and macOS still hesitates, right-click the app and choose Open once.)
Screen Recording permission
macOS will ask for Screen Recording access (
System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording). Grant it, relaunch GifCap, and you're set. GifCap only records when you explicitly start it — it never runs in the background.
Common questions.
Why GIF and not video?
GIFs autoplay everywhere — emails, Slack, GitHub, Notion, Linear, Jira — with no player, no unmute button, and no attachment-size drama. For short UI demos and bug reports they're still unbeatable.
How small are the files really?
At the default 10 fps and 50% scale, a typical 15-second demo is well under a megabyte. The frame-skip in the preview can halve that again without re-recording anything.
Is there a recording time limit?
No hard limit — GifCap records until you press stop (or until the auto-stop timer fires). For email-friendly file sizes, keeping clips under 30 seconds works well.
What is the auto-stop timer?
Enable it in the control panel and set a duration. GifCap stops recording automatically when the time is up. A circular countdown ring in the menu-bar recording panel shows the remaining time so you can finish your demo naturally.
How does the global hotkey work?
Press ⌘⇧G from anywhere on your Mac to start recording with your last-used settings. Press the same shortcut again to stop. The countdown leads in first if you have it enabled. Setup: macOS requires Accessibility access for global hotkeys. GifCap will open System Settings to that page on first launch — just add GifCap to the list, then relaunch. You can also do it manually in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
Will macOS say GifCap is "damaged" or can't be opened?
No — GifCap is signed with a registered Apple Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so a normal download opens with a double-click and no scary warnings. If a download tool ever leaves the app in quarantine and it still won't open, right-click (or Control-click) the app and choose Open once, or run
xattr -cr /Applications/GifCap.app in Terminal. It's a one-time step.Does it capture the cursor?
Your choice — there's a cursor visibility toggle right in the control panel.
What does it need to run?
macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple Silicon or Intel. The download is a universal binary about 2 MB. No Homebrew, no runtime dependencies, no account required.
Is there a Windows version?
It's in active development — check back soon. Want an email when it ships? Join the waitlist.
How does the business license work?
Buy a seat for each computer that uses GifCap at work ($19 each, one-time payment). You receive a single license key by email — paste it into GifCap on each machine to activate. Each machine claims a seat under its own name, and you can free a seat anytime when a computer is retired. Personal use needs no key at all and never goes online.
Can I export to video or WebP?
GifCap produces .gif files — the universal format that autoplays everywhere with no player required. For a single captured frame, the Copy button gives you a PNG instead. MP4 or WebP export is not currently on the roadmap, though video files are typically 3–5× larger and require a video player to preview inline in most tools.
Can I evaluate it before buying a business license?
Yes — the personal tier is fully featured with no trial timer, no watermarks, and no account required. Download it, use it as much as you like, and only buy a business license if you decide to use GifCap at work. There's no crippled "trial mode."
How do I update GifCap?
Download the latest version from this page and drag it into your Applications folder, replacing the old one. Your license and settings are preserved. There's no auto-updater — updates are infrequent and announced on the download page.
What is Auto-copy mode?
Enable Auto-copy in the Options section of the control panel. When active, GifCap skips the preview window entirely — the moment you stop recording, the finished GIF lands in your clipboard automatically. It's a power-user mode for repeat captures where you already know exactly what you want and just need to paste quickly.