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App is just crashes when starting to screen record on Apple Silicon. #1021
Hi @uwussimo
Thanks for the report! We couldn't reproduce this so we need a few details:
OpenScreen version (About) and macOS version
Your Mac model and display setup (built-in Retina? external monitors?)
When exactly it crashes: when you press Record, after picking in the macOS share picker, or after the countdown? Were you recording a whole display or a single window?
Which options were on: microphone, system audio, camera (which model?), Editable cursor
The crash report: open ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports and attach the newest Openscreen*.ips (or any helper .ips) from the time of the crash
If you can, start the app from Terminal and reproduce the crash, then paste the output:
/Applications/Openscreen.app/Contents/MacOS/Openscreen
Hey @EtienneLescot
Even though this is closed, I'm experiencing the exact same thing:
MacOS 27
Macbook Pro M1 Pro
built-in Retina
all permissions granted
it crashes as soon as I select the I want to record, either a window or the full screen
nothing in particular in DiagnosticReports and here is the output when starting it from Terminal
❯ /Applications/Openscreen.app/Contents/MacOS/Openscreen
RECORDINGS_DIR: /Users/quentin/Library/Application Support/openscreen/recordings
User Data Path: /Users/quentin/Library/Application Support/openscreen
Global shortcut registered: CommandOrControl+Shift+O
[content-protection] OFF for the HUD window — macOS 27.0.1 never displays a content-protected window, so enabling it would make this window permanently invisible. It may therefore appear in screen captures. Set OPENSCREEN_FORCE_CONTENT_PROTECTION=1 to re-test.
[content-protection] OFF for the HUD window — macOS 27.0.1 never displays a content-protected window, so enabling it would make this window permanently invisible. It may therefore appear in screen captures. Set OPENSCREEN_FORCE_CONTENT_PROTECTION=1 to re-test.
Hi @qeude, thanks a lot for the details and for offering to help, that is exactly what we were missing.
We could not reproduce it on macOS 26.5, and we don't have a Mac on macOS 27 yet. Your log stops right after launch, but that does not tell us much: the version you have prints nothing at all in this part of the flow, whether the pick works, fails or never comes back. We are fixing that for the next version. Until then, could you help us narrow it down?
If an exit code: line (or a zsh: ... line) shows up when it "crashes", the app really quit. Please paste everything from that Terminal.
If nothing shows up, the app is probably still running with its recording bar hidden. Then click the OpenScreen icon in the Dock or in the menu bar (or press Cmd+Shift+O). Does the recording bar come back? If it does, does its source button show what you picked, or still "Screen"?
3. What did you click first: the Record button, or the Screen button next to it?
4. The system log, right after it happens:
/usr/bin/log show --last 5m --info --style compact --predicate 'process CONTAINS[c] "openscreen" OR eventMessage CONTAINS[c] "openscreen"' > ~/Desktop/openscreen-log.txt
Please skim it before attaching, it can contain window titles.
5. Any crash report at all, including the helper processes:
ls -lt ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports | grep -i openscreen | head
If anything is listed (for example openscreen-screencapturekit-helper-...ips or Openscreen Helper (Renderer)-...ips), please attach the newest one.
6. One thing to try: this starts OpenScreen with its own source picker instead of Apple's:
It needs the Screen Recording permission (you said everything is granted, so it should be fine). Can you pick a screen and record that way? If yes, the problem is in how we use Apple's picker on macOS 27, and you also have a way to record in the meantime.
❯ ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING=1 /Applications/Openscreen.app/Contents/MacOS/Openscreen; echo "exit code: $?"
RECORDINGS_DIR: /Users/quentin/Library/Application Support/openscreen/recordings
User Data Path: /Users/quentin/Library/Application Support/openscreen
Global shortcut registered: CommandOrControl+Shift+O
[content-protection] OFF for the HUD window — macOS 27.0.1 never displays a content-protected window, so enabling it would make this window permanently invisible. It may therefore appear in screen captures. Set OPENSCREEN_FORCE_CONTENT_PROTECTION=1 to re-test.
[content-protection] OFF for the HUD window — macOS 27.0.1 never displays a content-protected window, so enabling it would make this window permanently invisible. It may therefore appear in screen captures. Set OPENSCREEN_FORCE_CONTENT_PROTECTION=1 to re-test.
exit code: 0
The crashes happens if I do both of these:
Click record > Select a window or full screen > Crash
Vorssaint's Quit on close option quits an app once it decides the app has no window left. OpenScreen's recording bar floats above other windows, and Vorssaint does not count floating windows. About 1.4 s after the bar hides for Apple's picker, Vorssaint sends a normal Quit request, and OpenScreen obeys it. That is why you got exit code: 0 and no crash report.
In your third attempt, the picker returned your choice, the bar came back, and the countdown had started, but the quit still came 0.7 s later. With OpenScreen's own picker (OPENSCREEN_MAC_SOURCE_PICKER=legacy), the same thing happens when its source window closes, which is why you saw the "3".
We reproduced both cases on macOS 27 with Vorssaint 3.4.1. Without Vorssaint, v2.0.0 records fine there, and nothing in this is specific to macOS 27.
Could you add OpenScreen to Vorssaint's exceptions (Quit on close, Exceptions, Add app…), or turn Quit on close off, and tell us if recording works? With the exception, both pickers worked for us, with Vorssaint still running.
We reported it to Vorssaint: vorssaint/vorssaint-utils#2941. We are also adding this to our FAQ, with a command to see which app sent a quit request:
@uwussimo, if you are still around: do you use Vorssaint, or another utility that quits apps when their last window closes? Running the command above right after OpenScreen disappears will tell.
Activity
EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 4, 2026
Hi @uwussimo
Thanks for the report! We couldn't reproduce this so we need a few details:
OpenScreen version (About) and macOS version
Your Mac model and display setup (built-in Retina? external monitors?)
When exactly it crashes: when you press Record, after picking in the macOS share picker, or after the countdown? Were you recording a whole display or a single window?
Which options were on: microphone, system audio, camera (which model?), Editable cursor
The crash report: open ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports and attach the newest Openscreen*.ips (or any helper .ips) from the time of the crash
If you can, start the app from Terminal and reproduce the crash, then paste the output:
/Applications/Openscreen.app/Contents/MacOS/Openscreen
EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 7, 2026
0 information, closing
qeude commentedon Oct 10, 2026
Hey @EtienneLescot
Even though this is closed, I'm experiencing the exact same thing:
it crashes as soon as I select the I want to record, either a window or the full screen
nothing in particular in
DiagnosticReportsand here is the output when starting it from TerminalDon't hesitate if I can help with that
EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 10, 2026
@qeude thank you for the details, reopening
fix(macos): log each step of Apple's picker flow and any lost process
EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 10, 2026
Hi @qeude, thanks a lot for the details and for offering to help, that is exactly what we were missing.
We could not reproduce it on macOS 26.5, and we don't have a Mac on macOS 27 yet. Your log stops right after launch, but that does not tell us much: the version you have prints nothing at all in this part of the flow, whether the pick works, fails or never comes back. We are fixing that for the next version. Until then, could you help us narrow it down?
1. Which version are you on?
2. Does the app really quit, or just disappear? Start it like this, then reproduce:
exit code:line (or azsh: ...line) shows up when it "crashes", the app really quit. Please paste everything from that Terminal.3. What did you click first: the Record button, or the Screen button next to it?
4. The system log, right after it happens:
Please skim it before attaching, it can contain window titles.
5. Any crash report at all, including the helper processes:
If anything is listed (for example
openscreen-screencapturekit-helper-...ipsorOpenscreen Helper (Renderer)-...ips), please attach the newest one.6. One thing to try: this starts OpenScreen with its own source picker instead of Apple's:
It needs the Screen Recording permission (you said everything is granted, so it should be fine). Can you pick a screen and record that way? If yes, the problem is in how we use Apple's picker on macOS 27, and you also have a way to record in the meantime.
Thanks again!
qeude commentedon Oct 10, 2026
2.0.0EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 10, 2026
EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 10, 2026
@qeude thanks a lot, your log had the answer. OpenScreen is not crashing: another app is asking it to quit.
Every attempt in your log has the same sequence:
Vorssaint's Quit on close option quits an app once it decides the app has no window left. OpenScreen's recording bar floats above other windows, and Vorssaint does not count floating windows. About 1.4 s after the bar hides for Apple's picker, Vorssaint sends a normal Quit request, and OpenScreen obeys it. That is why you got
exit code: 0and no crash report.In your third attempt, the picker returned your choice, the bar came back, and the countdown had started, but the quit still came 0.7 s later. With OpenScreen's own picker (
OPENSCREEN_MAC_SOURCE_PICKER=legacy), the same thing happens when its source window closes, which is why you saw the "3".We reproduced both cases on macOS 27 with Vorssaint 3.4.1. Without Vorssaint, v2.0.0 records fine there, and nothing in this is specific to macOS 27.
Could you add OpenScreen to Vorssaint's exceptions (Quit on close, Exceptions, Add app…), or turn Quit on close off, and tell us if recording works? With the exception, both pickers worked for us, with Vorssaint still running.
We reported it to Vorssaint: vorssaint/vorssaint-utils#2941. We are also adding this to our FAQ, with a command to see which app sent a quit request:
@uwussimo, if you are still around: do you use Vorssaint, or another utility that quits apps when their last window closes? Running the command above right after OpenScreen disappears will tell.
docs(faq): explain why a quit-on-close utility can quit OpenScreen on…
docs(readme): point macOS users whose OpenScreen quits to the FAQ entry
qeude commentedon Oct 11, 2026
Oh wow, wouldn't have thought about this, nice catch! All great now 😄
EtienneLescot commentedon Oct 12, 2026
Glad it's sorted! Closing, since the quit came from Vorssaint's Quit on close, not from OpenScreen.