Raise your hand if you’ve ever wondered how to record your screen.

We have, and we know most people have had moments where they wished screen recording was simpler and faster.

Well, guess what? It is.

Whether you want to record a product or capture gameplay, this guide will help you learn how to screen record on laptop. We also cover the basics of screen recording and share some of the best practices you need to know before you record your screen.

Let’s get started.

What is a Screen Recording?

Screen recording is capturing the screen of your device in a video format. It could be full screen or a particular section of the screen.

While your laptop’s screen can be recorded with or without sound, capturing the video with sound often gives greater clarity and helps deliver information better.

Why Record a Screen?

Videos are full of promise. They have redefined how we work, play, interact with our audience, build a brand, and more. So, when it comes to sharing videos of your screen’s recordings, the benefits are manifold.

The top reason you need to dive deeper into the world of screen recordings is that it makes explaining a concept interesting. No more boring meetings to sit through, long-winded emails to read, or making guestimates about a particular process. Recording your screen helps create better tutorials and in-video explanations.

In addition, screencasting helps streamline collaboration. Rather than falling into a black hole that robs people of their precious time because of back-and-forth emails, Zoom calls, or Slack threads, screen recording delivers the message quickly and precisely.

Besides video tutorials, screen recordings work great for how-to videos, product demos, client walkthroughs, and presentations.

How to Record Your Screen on Windows PC or Mac

While screen recording is an excellent mode to avoid Zoom fatigue and make the most of video tutorials and client walkthroughs, many users struggle to find out how to screen record on laptop.

Read on to find out some of the easiest ways to record your screen.

How to Screen Record on Windows

Using Xbox Game Bar

Xbox Game Bar is built into Windows 10. You can record your Xbox gameplay – whether you play it directly on your PC or stream from an Xbox console. But you can also capture your screen using Xbox Game Bar.

Step 1: When you want to record your screen, click “Windows + G” to open the Game Bar.

Step 2: Click “Start recording” from the Game Bar widgets and controls that appear on the screen. You can also use the “Windows + Alt + R” shortcut to record the screen directly.

A floating bar will now appear. To stop the recording, click the stop icon on the floating bar.

Step 3: Once you stop the recording, you’ll be notified that the game clip has been recorded. Click on it to view the screen recording.

Pro Tip: To record your screen with sound, make sure the microphone is on. You can also adjust the settings by going to “Settings > Gaming > Captures”.

Using PowerPoint

Step 1: Open PowerPoint, go to “Insert” and click “Screen Recording” from the menu toolbar.

Step 2: Select the area or press “Windows + Shift + A”.

Note: PowerPoint records both audio and mouse pointer. If you don’t want any of them in the screen recording, click their respective buttons on the control dock to turn them off.

Step 3: You can pause and resume the recording. To stop it, click the stop icon.

Step 4: To save the screen recording on PowerPoint, right-click the image of the recorded video and select “Save Media as” from the options.

How to Screen Record on Mac

Using macOS Screenshot Tool

If you use a MacBook, you can use the built-in screen-recording feature.

Step 1: Once you’re on the screen you want to record, press “Shift + Command + 5”. This will open the screen capture tool. On the toolbar, you can choose to record the entire screen or a custom portion.

Step 2: Click “Options” to choose the screen recording storage location, timer and other options.

Step 3: Click the “Stop” button to end the recording and you’d see a thumbnail of your recording appear on the screen. Double-click the file to play it.

Using QuickTime Player

Another option to record your macOS screen is the QuickTime Player.

Step 1: Open QuickTime and go to “File”. Then select “New Screen Recording” from the drop-down.

Step 2: To begin the recording, click the red Record icon. To end the recording, click the Record icon again.

Step 3: Finally, to save the recording, click “File” and choose “Save” from the options.

How to Record your Screen on Any Device with Wave.video

Unsurprisingly, the above-mentioned built-in tools work great at recording your laptop’s screen. However, for some brands and content creators, going beyond the ordinary is essential to create attention-grabbing screen recordings. So, what may come to aid here is a professional tool like Wave.video’s online video recorder.

Using our app, you not just record your screen with sound but can also bring in guests and record their opinions, edit your clips and share them across the web – all of this and more in a few simple clicks.

Plus, our video recorder is web-based. Thus, you can record any screen from any device – no need to look for built-in apps and learn the shortcuts to make them work quicker.

So, how do you record your screen with our web-based video recorder? It’s time to check that out!

Step 1: Create a New Recording

Sign into your Wave.video account and on the “My Projects” page, click the “+ Create” tab. Then, select “Video recording” from the drop-down.

Step 2: Set Up your Screen Recording

Then set up your video recording by inviting guests, preparing scenes, adding backgrounds, sound effects, etc.

Step 3: Record your Screen

After setting up your screen, click the “Start recording” button on the top right to begin capturing your screen with sound. You can easily pause and resume the screen recording any time you want. Finally, click the “End recording” button on the top right to end the screen recording.

Step 4: Edit and Share the Screen Recording

One of the biggest upsides of using Wave.video for your screen recordings is that you can edit and share the clips with the world without any hassles. Just click the video and select the option you want from the toolbar on the left.

You can edit, preview or even add the clip to a landing page.

If you choose to edit the screen recording, you will find multiple features to polish it. From layouts to overlays, stickers, audio and captions, you can use several capabilities to enhance the quality of your recorded video.

Recording a Screen – 6 Best Practices

Boosting your creative team’s productivity becomes a reality with Wave.video. As much as we love our free video recorder, we also want you to keep these best practices in mind as you create and share screen recordings quickly and easily:

1. Clean it Up

Make sure to clean up your screen recordings by removing those uhms and uhhs, and trim the notifications or pop-ups you might have forgotten to disable as you recorded your screen.

2. Add Voiceover

Add narration or voiceover as you edit your screen recordings to level them up.

3. Create a Plan

Have a plan or script to avoid rambling or recording more than what’s needed.

4. Focus on Audio too

Use a quality microphone to elevate your screen recording. Nothing lessens your recorded video’s impact as much as a poor sound. So, focus on the audio as much as the visual appeal.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

Rather than taking up the entire frame, record only what’s necessary. It will add less clutter and more impact to your recordings.

6. Mind the Cursor

If you’re using your mouse cursor as a focal point, don’t move it too fast. You don’t want your audience to skip the video or end up with screen dizziness.

Your Turn…

Learning how to record your screen is a fantastic way to create impactful videos.

But creating and sharing screen recordings may often feel like a herculean task, especially when you don’t know what tools to use and how.

With the tools and tips mentioned here, brands and businesses can create better screen recording videos to solve problems, demonstrate products, deliver feedback, train employees, etc.

On that note, if you’re keen on learning about converting viewers into customers through screen recordings, here’s a helpful guide: How to Use Screen Recording to Convert Viewers into Loyal Customers.