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Getting Started

Learn how to install Retrace, grant permissions, and start recording your screen history.

Updated December 2025

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What is Retrace?

Retrace is a screen recording app for Mac that silently captures your screen in the background, creating a searchable visual history. Think of it as a "Time Machine" for your screen. You can search through your history to find anything you've seen, even if you forgot to save it.

Note
Retrace is designed with privacy first. All recordings are stored locally on your Mac and encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption. Nothing is ever uploaded to the cloud.

System Requirements

  • macOS 15.0 (Sequoia) or later
  • Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, or newer)
  • At least 2GB of available storage (more recommended for longer history)
Important
Retrace requires Apple Silicon and does not support Intel-based Macs.

Installation

  1. Download Retrace from retracesteps.com/download
  2. Open the downloaded .dmg file
  3. Drag the Retrace icon to your Applications folder
  4. Open Retrace from your Applications folder

Granting Permissions

When you first launch Retrace, it will ask for Screen Recording permission. This is required for Retrace to capture your screen.

To grant Screen Recording permission:

  1. In the Retrace setup window, click Grant Access
  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording
  3. Find Retrace in the list and toggle it ON
  4. Return to Retrace to continue setup
Tip
If you accidentally denied permission, you can grant it later from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording.

Encryption Setup

Next, Retrace will set up encryption to protect your recordings. Click Set Up Encryption when prompted.

macOS may ask for your password to authorize storing the encryption key in your Keychain. This is a one-time step. The key protects all your captured data with 256-bit AES encryption.

Note
You don't need to remember the encryption key. It's stored securely in your macOS Keychain and Retrace retrieves it automatically.

Your First Recording

After setup, Retrace begins recording automatically. You'll see the Retrace icon in your menu bar (top right of your screen).

  • Recording active: The icon appears at full brightness
  • Recording paused: The icon appears dimmed
Note
A quick popup will appear near the menu bar confirming that Retrace is running and showing you the keyboard shortcut to open your timeline (⌘ + ⇧ + T).

Opening Your Timeline

To view your recorded history, click the Retrace menu bar icon or use the keyboard shortcut:

⌘ + ⇧ + T

Your timeline will show all captured frames. You can scroll through time, search by text (using OCR), and click any frame to view it in detail.

Default Storage Settings

By default, Retrace keeps 30 days of recording history. Older recordings are automatically deleted in the background to keep your storage usage predictable.

You can change this at any time in Storage Settings. Options include 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, or Forever (no automatic deletion).

Tip
30 days is usually enough for most users. If you find yourself needing to look back further, you can extend your retention period at any time.

Next Steps