ScreenFlow keeps every raw track inside the document until you delete it
A ScreenFlow document stores the raw screen, camera and audio tracks, and its scratch folder holds recordings in progress. How to find both on a Mac and clean up.
A ScreenFlow recording is stored inside the .screenflow document as the raw screen, camera and audio tracks. Exporting an MP4 does not shrink the document, so a finished tutorial often exists twice: the small export you published and the large document behind it.
find ~ -maxdepth 5 -name '*.screenflow' -prune -exec du -sh {} + 2>/dev/null | sort -hThe scratch folder
While recording, ScreenFlow writes to a scratch location, set under Settings, Advanced, Capture Scratch Disk. To open the folder it is using, hold Shift and choose Help, Open Temp Folder in Finder. Files left there after a crash can be your only copy of a recording, so check them before you delete anything.
Cleaning up finished projects
- Keep the export, and delete the
.screenflowdocument once you are sure you will not edit again. - If you might edit again, move the document to an external drive. It opens from there.
- Point the scratch disk at a fast external drive if your internal disk is small.
Related: screenshots and recordings eating your disk and compress a video on a Mac.
Common questions
Where does ScreenFlow save temporary recordings?
In the Capture Scratch Disk folder set in ScreenFlow's Advanced settings. Holding Shift and choosing Help, Open Temp Folder in Finder opens it.
Why is my ScreenFlow file so large?
The document keeps the raw screen, camera and audio tracks so you can edit them later. Exporting creates a separate, smaller file and does not shrink the document.
Can I delete a .screenflow file after exporting?
Yes, if you will not need to edit that recording again. The exported video plays on its own. Moving the document to an external drive is the middle option.