While most of us are familiar with screenshots, how many know how to record video on a computer or phone screen?

You may need to capture your screen for work, a school presentation, or record a tutorial for your YouTube channel. Be it Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android, we’ve got you covered.

Find out how to record the screen on your device by following our simple step-by-step instructions down below.

How To Record Your Screen

Before we dive into the “how to” guide, let’s start with a few questions.

What is screen recording?
Simply put, it refers to digitally recording anything happening on your phone or computer screen, often containing audio narration.

What are screen recordings used for?
There are some use cases for screen recordings; here are some of the most popular ones:

• Tutorials: Let’s face it. Tech is getting complicated these days. But screen recordings can simplify even the most complex tasks (such as configuring a WordPress installation).
• Customer support: You can use screen recordings to make it easier for tech support to help troubleshoot a problem for you if screenshots don’t suffice.
• Recreation: If you are a gaming enthusiast, you might be interested in screen recording your games and sharing your clips on YouTube or Twitch.

How do you choose screen recording software?

You can choose between an inbuilt screen-recording solution, or if you prefer more flexibility, download a screen-recording software on your device. 

Besides recording what’s happening on the screen, most screen recorders can also record audio. You can also choose between saving the capture to your device or the cloud.

Some screen recorders, such as StoryXpress Recorder and Vidyard, even allow you to record your screen and webcam simultaneously.

How To Screen Record on a Mac

If you use a Mac device with macOS Mojave or later, you can use an inbuilt screen recording solution. The best part, you only need to press a hotkey.

Native Screen Recording

1. Open the app or window you want to capture.

2. Press Shift+Command+5 to open the system’s screen capture tool.

In the iOS capture tool, you can choose to capture the whole screen, a chosen window, or select an exact part of the screen. For the recording there are two options: record entire screen or selected part of the screen. It also has several important points for recording. There are timer for 5 and 10 seconds, microphone option, demonstration of mouse clicks, memory of the last selection, and etc.

3. Chose the mode for recording, and click on the Record button. 

4. Perform the cations that you want to record. Once you are done, press the Stop button.

Your video will appear as a thumbnail on the bottom right of your screen. Click on it and select where to save the video, or ignore it and it will autosave on the desktop. 

QuickTime Screen Recording

An alternative for macOS inbuilt screen recording tool is QuickTime, which is available on all Macs.

1. Open QuickTime Player.
2. On the top left corner choose File, and go to New Screen Recording.
3. Click on the Record button to start capturing.
4. To stop the recording click on Record again.
5. Go to the File menu and select Save, name the video and choose the place for it.

To capture a screenshot on a Mac, press Command + Shift + 4, for the capture of selected area, or Command + Shift + 3 to screenshot the whole screen.

How to Screen Record on Windows

While screen recording is an inbuilt feature in Macs, the same is not the case for Windows PCs. The simplest way to record your Windows screen being offline is by using PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Screen Recording 

1. Open PowerPoint.
2. Go to the Insert menu, nd choose Screen Recording.
3. Select the area you want to record. To record the whole screen, press Windows + Shift + F.
4. To start recording, press the Record button or Windows + Shift + R.
5. To end the recording, click Stop.
6. After recording, you’ll be able to save the recording as a video file, separate from your PowerPoint presentation.

Screen Recording Windows 10

Windows devices come preloaded with the Xbox Game Bar specifically for recording games, but you can still use it for other purposes.

1. Open the game, program, or website you want to record.
2. Click on the Windows sign on the search bar, and type “Xbox” then Enter. Alternatively, press Windows + G on your keyboard.
3. Click Yes; this is a game.
4. To start recording, press Record or Windows + Alt + R.
5. To end the recording, press Stop.

Wave.video Screen Recorder

No matter what operating system you use Wave.video screen recorder works on all devices. On to of the screen recording feature you can benefit from webcam recorder or both at the same time.

Screen recording in. Wave.video is simple:

1. Log in your Wave.video account, or sign up if you don’t have one yet.
2. Go to My Projects, and click on New Recording.
3. Now you see the recording studio, here you can arrang the scene, choose the layout of the recording, add captions, and etc.
   
4. To add your screen to the recording click on Share and choose out of four options: share screen, share video, screen as camera, or video as camera; each option has different features, so we recommend you to test it out.
5. Once all the preparations are done click on Start recording, it is a red button on the top right corner.
6. You can always make a pause in the recording process, click on Pause.
7. To finish it up press End recording.

The recording is finished now to proceed with video click on the Go to Video button. Now you can either switch  to the editing mode with Edit video button or download the recording as it is pick Download video and audio.

How to Screen Record on an iPhone

Screen recording is built into iPhones, but you must activate it first to use it.

1. Go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Click on the + beside the screen recording.
2. Open up the app or website you want to record.
3. Swipe up for the Control Center menu (iPhone 8 or earlier) or swipe down from the top right corner of the screen (iPhone X or later)
4. Tap the crescent moon button to turn on Do Not Disturb. This is important because when recording, you’ll capture everything that shows up on the screen, including notifications.
5. Click on the screen record button to start recording.
6. You can now record the video and audio of whatever is on your screen. You’ll have to turn on your microphone to record external audio (your voice).
7. Press Stop to stop recording.
8. You can find the video in the Photos app.

To capture a screenshot on an iPhone, hold the home button, then press the power button on the side. If you’re using an iPhone X or later, press the lock and volume up buttons simultaneously.

How to Screen Record on an Android

While smartphones equipped with Android 11 or higher come with a ready-to-use recording solution, you’ll need to do some digging to enable it on older android devices. 

Screen Recording on Android 11+

With Android 11 or higher, screen recording is easier than ever. Just follow the steps below;

1. Navigate to quick settings. Alternatively, search for Screen Recorder.
2. Click on the app to open it.
3. Configure your video and audio quality settings, then click done.
4. If it’s your first time using the screen recorder, the app will ask you for permission to access your device. You’ll then choose your sound settings. 
5. Click on Start Recording.
6. Press the Stop Recording button. 
7. Find your recording in your phone Gallery.

To take a screenshot on your android device, simultaneously press the power and volume down buttons. 

Screen Recording on Older Android Versions

Screen recording in pre-Android 11 devices is still possible, but you’ll have to follow the following steps.

1. Go to Settings > About Phone. Locate the Build Number and tap on it seven times. A message saying, “You’re now a developer,” will pop up on the screen.
2. Now go to Settings > Advanced > Developer Options > Feature Flags.
3. Switch on settings_screenrecord_long_press.
4. Long press the screenshot menu until a popup menu appears.
5. Tap on Start Recording, then Start now.
6. After recording, tap stop.
7. Find the video in your gallery.

To make your videos even more compelling, look at the best video thumbnail creators.

How Screen Recordings Can Be Used

Video content (especially for technical tasks such as website setup) is often much easier to consume than static, written content. Below are some of the more common uses for screen recordings.

Technical tutorials

If you are interested in explaining something complicated to your audience but just find writing and screenshotting too tedious, you could just record a video and explain it. People retain up to 95% of the information they learn from videos. They only retain about 10% of what they learn from text. You can provide real value through video content and develop a stronger relationship with your audience simultaneously. 

Learn how to create a how-to video here.

Getting support on software

We all know how annoying it can be when software just doesn’t work as it should – but sometimes explaining how it is wrong is difficult with just words. Enter screen recording. Recording the error will help technical support troubleshoot the issue by providing a clear picture of the problem. It is also much easier to just record your screen than to type up a long support ticket that may not even get the message across.

Demos of your software product (if you are an entrepreneur)

If you are an entrepreneur looking to grow your business beyond just a side hustle, making a video demo of your product in action is one of the best ways to communicate its value. The best combination is to include a screen recording of your software’s functions and a high-level value proposition in your marketing video. Be sure to edit your video and add a killer intro to hook your audience.

Consider adding captions to your video as well. You’d be surprised how many people watch videos without sound, especially in public areas.

About the author: Eddie Litonjua leverages his experience as a strategy consultant to help startup founders identify the best business models, select the right tools and execute their ideas in his blog Passive Income Tree.