How to Record and Replay Mouse Actions on Mac for Free

You need your Mac to click the same buttons every day. Same export. Same form. Same 47-step workflow.

You want to record those clicks and replay them. And you want to do it without paying for anything.

Good news: macOS has built-in tools that can record mouse actions. Bad news: they all have limitations you should know about before investing time.

This guide walks through four methods—from completely free to free trial—so you can pick the one that matches your comfort level and needs.

Method 1: Automator’s Watch Me Do (Built-in, Free)

Automator ships with every Mac. Most people don’t know it has a recording feature called Watch Me Do.

How to Record Mouse Actions with Automator

1. Open Automator from your Applications folder
2. Create a new Workflow
3. Click the Record button in the top-right corner
4. Perform your mouse actions—clicks, drags, scrolls
5. Click Stop when done
6. Click Run to replay

Each recorded action appears as a block in your workflow. You can reorder, delete, or adjust individual steps.

Automator Pros:

• Built into macOS, no download required
• Visual interface for reviewing recorded steps
• Can combine Watch Me Do with other Automator actions
• Save as an application for one-click execution

Automator Cons:

• Recording is unreliable with fast actions
• Breaks when windows move or resize
• No loop or repeat functionality
• No scheduling built in
• Apple has deprecated Automator in favor of Shortcuts
• No random timing—playback looks robotic

Best for: One-off recordings of slow, simple workflows where window positions stay fixed.

The Catch

Automator’s Watch Me Do was never designed for serious automation. It records UI events at a basic level, and playback fails when anything changes on screen. Apple hasn’t updated this feature in years, and Automator itself is being phased out.

For anything beyond the simplest recording, you’ll hit walls fast.

Method 2: AppleScript + System Events (Built-in, Free)

AppleScript is macOS’s built-in scripting language. Combined with System Events, it can click at specific screen coordinates.

Basic Click Script

Open Script Editor (in Applications → Utilities) and paste this:

-- Click at coordinates (500, 300)
tell application "System Events"
    click at {500, 300}
end tell

-- Wait 1 second
delay 1

-- Click at another position
tell application "System Events"
    click at {800, 400}
end tell

A More Complete Example

This script opens Safari, waits for it to load, and clicks a bookmark:

tell application "Safari"
    activate
end tell

delay 2

tell application "System Events"
    -- Click the bookmarks bar
    click at {200, 85}
    delay 1
    -- Click a specific bookmark
    click at {200, 120}
end tell

AppleScript Pros:

• Built into macOS, nothing to install
• Full scripting power—variables, loops, conditionals
• Can interact with apps that have AppleScript dictionaries
• Schedule via Calendar events or launchd

AppleScript Cons:

• Requires coding knowledge
• No visual recorder—you manually find coordinates
• Debugging is painful
• Syntax is unusual and error-prone
• Screen coordinate math is tedious
• No built-in way to record and convert to script

Best for: Developers comfortable with scripting who need loops and conditionals in their automation.

Finding Screen Coordinates

The hardest part of AppleScript mouse automation is figuring out where to click. You can use the Digital Color Meter app (in Utilities) to read cursor position, or run this in Terminal:

# Show mouse position continuously
while true; do
  osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get position of the mouse'
  sleep 1
done

This is the fundamental limitation of the scripting approach: you’re mapping out coordinates by hand instead of just pointing and clicking.

Method 3: Hammerspoon (Free, Open Source)

Hammerspoon is a free automation tool for macOS that uses Lua scripting. It’s significantly more powerful than AppleScript for mouse automation.

Setting Up Hammerspoon

1. Download from hammerspoon.org
2. Move to Applications and launch
3. Grant accessibility permissions
4. Edit ~/.hammerspoon/init.lua

Mouse Click Script

-- Click at position (500, 300)
hs.eventtap.leftClick(hs.geometry.point(500, 300))

-- Wait 1 second
hs.timer.usleep(1000000)

-- Click at another position
hs.eventtap.leftClick(hs.geometry.point(800, 400))

-- Type text
hs.eventtap.keyStrokes("Hello world")

A Repeating Workflow

-- Replay a sequence every 30 minutes
local function myWorkflow()
    hs.eventtap.leftClick(hs.geometry.point(500, 300))
    hs.timer.usleep(500000)
    hs.eventtap.leftClick(hs.geometry.point(800, 400))
    hs.timer.usleep(500000)
    hs.eventtap.keyStrokes("export")
    hs.eventtap.keyStroke({"cmd"}, "return")
end

-- Run every 30 minutes
hs.timer.doEvery(1800, myWorkflow)

Hammerspoon Pros:

• Completely free and open source
• Lua is easier to learn than AppleScript
• Powerful API for mouse, keyboard, windows, and more
• Built-in scheduling and timers
• Active community with lots of examples
• Can respond to events (hotkeys, Wi-Fi changes, app launches)

Hammerspoon Cons:

• Requires Lua programming knowledge
• No visual recorder—you write code from scratch
• Steep learning curve for non-developers
• Coordinate-based clicking has the same fragility issues
• Documentation can be overwhelming

Best for: Power users and developers who want full scripting control and don’t mind writing Lua code.

Method 4: ClickMimic (7-Day Free Trial)

The three methods above all require you to write code or fight with Automator’s limited recorder. ClickMimic takes a different approach: visual recording.

How ClickMimic Works

1. Start your free trial
2. Click Record and perform your workflow
3. Click Stop—every action appears on a visual timeline
4. Click Play to replay

No coordinates to look up. No scripts to write. No syntax errors to debug.

What Sets It Apart

Visual timeline: Every click, keystroke, and pause shows up on an editable timeline. Drag to reorder, delete mistakes, adjust delays.

Random timing: Add variation between actions so playback looks human, not robotic. “Wait 1-3 seconds” instead of “wait exactly 2 seconds.”

Built-in scheduling: Set recordings to run at specific times—no Calendar hacks or launchd plists required.

Keyboard + mouse in one recording: Capture clicks, drags, scrolls, and typing in a single workflow.

ClickMimic Pros:

• No coding required—record visually
• Editable timeline with drag-and-drop
• Random delay support for natural playback
• Built-in scheduling
• Works with any macOS application
• Records mouse and keyboard together

ClickMimic Cons:

• Free trial lasts 7 days (then $10/mo or $70/yr)
• No conditional logic or branching
• Requires accessibility permissions

Best for: Anyone who wants to record and replay mouse actions without learning a scripting language.

Start your free trial and record your first workflow in under 5 minutes.

Comparison: All Four Methods

Which Method Should You Choose?

Choose Automator if you need a quick, one-time recording and don’t care about reliability or scheduling.

Choose AppleScript if you’re comfortable writing code and need conditionals or app-specific scripting.

Choose Hammerspoon if you’re a developer who wants full control and doesn’t mind learning Lua.

Choose ClickMimic if you want visual recording, reliable replay, and built-in scheduling without writing any code. Try it free for 7 days.

FAQ

Can I record mouse clicks on Mac without installing anything?

Yes. Automator’s Watch Me Do feature and AppleScript are both built into macOS. Automator gives you a basic visual recorder. AppleScript gives you coordinate-based clicking with full scripting control. Neither requires a download.

What’s the most reliable free mouse recorder for Mac?

Hammerspoon offers the most reliable free automation. But “reliable” comes with a caveat—you’re writing Lua scripts, not recording visually. For reliable recording without code, ClickMimic’s free trial is the most practical option.

Can I loop a mouse recording to repeat automatically?

Automator can’t loop. AppleScript and Hammerspoon can loop through code. ClickMimic has built-in loop and repeat controls in the UI—set a recording to replay 10 times, or loop indefinitely on a schedule.

Do recorded macros work after a Mac restart?

AppleScript and Hammerspoon scripts persist and can be set to run at login. Automator workflows are saved as files. ClickMimic saves recordings and restores schedules automatically after restart.

Related Guides

• How to Record Mouse Clicks on Mac — Detailed guide to click recording with ClickMimic
• Mac Macro Recorder: Complete Guide — Everything about macro recording on macOS
• Free Macro Recorder for Mac — More free options for macro recording

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Want visual recording without the scripting headaches? Start your free trial and automate your first workflow in under 5 minutes.