How to screen record on iPhone, Android, and desktop

With all of us working to stay efficient across time zones, screen recording can help replace the need for live meetings and enable employees to leverage asynchronous communication to allow people to work efficiently on their own time. Whether you’re a night owl who hits peak productivity at 3 a.m. or an early bird who’s tired of six-hour meeting blocks, screen recording — like with Vimeo Record — is the perfect way to free up time at work or just share a new project with a personal touch.

Almost every device — whether you’re on a Mac, PC, iPhone, or Android — has a built-in way to record your screen. But you also have other options at your disposal if you want to expand your abilities beyond basic screen record settings. We’ll walk you through how to screen record:

• on an iPhone or iPad (iOS)
• on a Mac
• on a PC

• with Vimeo’s screen recorder
• on Android

So whether you want to learn how to record on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device, we have you covered. Let’s get started.

What is screen recording?

Let’s start with a definition. Screen recording is just what it sounds like: a video recording of what’s happening on your screen. You have plenty of options when choosing which tool you’d like to use to screen record, but we’ve found it’s best to keep your use case in mind when deciding which approach is right for you.

For a stripped-down screen share, built-in features with included controls might be a cheap and convenient option for you. But if you’re looking to replace the time investment needed to write a long email, handle customer support tickets with a smile, or share a new creative brief with a client, you might want to look into an external screen recording tool to get the job done.

Many external tools (like Vimeo Record, which you can download now as a free Chrome extension!) often let you capture a video of yourself taken via your webcam to accompany your recording. This allows people to not only hear your tone of voice but also read your facial expressions, which can lend a personal touch and cut down on any work-related miscommunications. So, let’s review your screen recording, screen sharing, and screencasting options.

Why is screen recording useful in business?

Recording your desktop or mobile device’s screen can be a useful technique for upgrading your professional communication efforts. For example, employees at workplaces that embrace video are 75% more likely to rate their organization’s employee engagement highly. Let’s dive a bit deeper into the benefits of creating screen share videos for your workforce.

🗣️ External and internal communications

Whether you’re looking to share a town hall or simply communicate more detailed explanations of products or services, screen recording can be hugely beneficial for your clients, colleagues, and workers. It’s a lot easier to explain concepts when you’re also equipped with video — even if it’s just so viewers can see the presenters’ facial expressions and body language. In fact, nearly 60% of professional teams usde video in sales and customer communications.

🧑‍🏫 Onboarding, training videos, and tutorials

Pre-recorded onboarding sessions, trainings, and tutorials can take your at-work learning materials to the next level. Instead of reading page after page of flat material, video can help to reduce cognitive load by summarizing information into digestible chunks that are much easier to process. Screen recordings are helpful for “showing” and not just “telling” your staff members how to do something critical to their role within the company.

How to screen record on a Mac

Plot twist: there are actually two ways to natively screen record on a Mac (and both are pretty darn simple). Let’s get into it.

🍎 How to natively screen record on a Mac

If you’ve got a relatively new computer (think OS Mojave and up), there’s a hotkey you can access that will start capturing your screen immediately.

1. Simply hit Command + Shift + 5 to launch the screen recording tool. Then select how much of your screen you actually want to record (you can choose your entire screen, a specific window, or a specific quadrant). The default setting will capture your entire screen.
2. Once you’re finished, just hit “Stop” to end your recording! Your video will then pop up at the bottom right corner of your screen, at which point you can select where to save your video.

Heads up: this integration does not capture sound, so if you want to give a verbal walkthrough or showcase a video, the hotkey option might not be for you.

▶️ How to use QuickTime to screen record on a Mac

QuickTime, which comes preloaded on a Mac, allows you to capture a screen recording with internal and external sound. Here’s how to do it:

1. Launch the QuickTime app either from your menu bar or the launchpad.
2. Hit “File” and then “New Screen Recording” to launch the screen record feature. Hit the red “Record” button to start your recording. To stop, just click the screen recording button (“Record”) again!
3. Don’t forget to save! Just click “File” then “Save” to name your recording and select where you want to store it.

How to screen record on a PC

While the Mac has mastered the click-button screen record features, for the PC die-hards in the room, there are still a few built-in ways to capture what’s happening on your screen.

🪟 How to screen record on Windows 10 or 11

1. To get started, head to the Game bar (you can search “Game bar” in your start menu or hit the Windows key + “G” to launch the tool). Once the Game bar is launched, hit the “Record” button. Alternatively, you can hit the Windows key + “Alt” + “R” to begin recording, as long as the Game bar is enabled.
2. You can stop the recording by clicking on the red recording bar at the top of your screen. If it diminishes while you’re recording, hit the Windows key + “G” to bring the Game bar back to the screen. 
3. Recordings are automatically saved as MP4s in the Videos > Capture folder. You can also access your recordings via the Game bar.

👉 How to screen record using Microsoft PowerPoint

While PowerPoint’s minimalist built-in screen recorder may not meet every use case, it is a no-frills, no-fuss recording option that’s well-suited for those looking to capture content quickly. Here’s how to do it:

1. First things first, open PowerPoint. Select the “Insert” drop-down, and then hit “Screen Recording.” Once selected, PowerPoint will minimize, and the screen recording bar will appear at the top of your screen. You can choose to hide or include audio and your cursor in the recording itself. 
   
2. Once you’ve chosen your settings, click “Select area.” Once you’ve selected your area, hit the “Record” button in the bar to start capturing your video, or hit the Windows key + “Shift” + “R.” 
   
3. To stop recording, hit “Stop” or hit the Windows key + “Shift” + “Q.” Next, click the “Record” button in the screen recorder dock. Your video will automatically appear in a slide in your PowerPoint. In order to export it for use outside of your presentation, right click your video and hit “Save media as.” Select the folder where you’d like to save your recording and add your file name. Your video will save as an MP4.

How to screen record on any desktop device

Luckily, any computer that can support Google Chrome as a browser (read: all of them) can also use the Vimeo Record Chrome extension to record your laptop screen or desktop screen. And unlike other screen recorder tools that limit the number of recordings you can access, Vimeo Record gives you unlimited recordings for free, so your team can keep creating and collaborating. Plus, you can upload any video file and use Vimeo tools to organize, manage, and publish your videos.

⏺️ How to screen record with Chrome and Vimeo Record:

1. Download Google Chrome or, if already installed, launch the browser from your toolbar. Download the Vimeo Record Chrome extension. Once saved, pin the extension to your top bar for easy access.
2. Click the Vimeo “V” in your top bar and hit “Start recording.” Allow the extension access to your camera and microphone, and select whether or not you’d like to include footage of yourself in your video. 
3. Choose which window you want to record. You can share your entire screen, a specific application window, or jump to an existing Google Chrome tab. Once you select “Share,” your screen will show a three-second countdown and begin capturing your video. 
4. To end and save your video, hit the “Stop sharing” button at the bottom center of your screen. (If you do not have an existing Vimeo account, you will be prompted to create one.)
5. Once you’ve ended your recording, a pop-up will appear as your video is converted. Once converted, select the privacy settings for your video (located in the top left of the window) and add a title and description. You can also save and host your video in Vimeo’s Video Library.
6. You can edit your Vimeo video directly through the transcript using one take video. You can use AI to cut the fluff and filler words to create more polished screen records and communications.
7. To share your video, you can copy the link generated at the bottom of the window or select one of our many distribution options from the Vimeo interface, including download and publish to social. 

How to screen record on Chromebook

If you want to capture your Chromebook screen, you’re in luck: extensions make it easy. There are plenty of options on the market, but Vimeo Record is our favorite for a low-lift, high-quality screen recorder that allows you to capture audio via your microphone and include a personal touch by embedding your webcam stream right into your video. Here’s how to record your screen on your Chromebook:

1. Launch Google Chrome from your toolbar. 
2. From there, follow steps one through six listed above.

How to screen record on an iPhone or iPad

Creating a recording right from your iPad or iPhone screen only takes a few taps. Here’s how to do it:

1. To enable the feature, head to your “Settings” > “Control Center” > “Customize Controls.” Then tap the Plus icon next to “Screen recording.” 
2. Once it’s enabled, simply swipe up from the bottom edge of your screen to launch the control center. (For iPhone X or later, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen.) 
3. Tap the “Record” icon (it’ll look like a red dot surrounded by a square) to begin your iPad or iPhone screen recording. A three-second countdown will begin. Swipe back up or down to exit the Control Center to return to your home screen. To stop recording, tap the red “Recording” status bar at the top of your screen. Your recording will automatically export to your Photos app.

How to screen record on Android

Android also offers a quick built-in screen recording feature for Samsung and LG users. Depending on your device, here’s how to capture your screen:

📳 How to screen record on Samsung phones

1. To start screen recording on your Samsung device, access your Quick Settings bar. Simply swipe down twice on your notifications panel to access this section, then tap “Screen Recorder.” 
2. Once selected, the tool will begin to capture your screen. Fun fact: Samsung devices let you add a front-facing camera to your footage. Just tap the “Front Camera” icon and a small window will appear, showing your front camera’s view. Nifty! 
3. Your recording will automatically export to your Photos once you tap the “Stop” button.

🤳 How to screen record on LG phones

1. Screen recording on LG is quite similar to the process for Samsung devices. Just launch your Quick Settings bar by swiping down on your notifications panel. 
2. Tap “Screen Recording” to launch the tool, and a short countdown will commence before screen capture begins. Your recording will automatically export to your Photos once you tap the “Stop” button.

Heads up, LG users: you may need to grant the recorder some permissions before it will be able to launch. Copyrighted material (think: Netflix, Hulu, etc.) will be represented as a black screen if you attempt to use the tool while using one of those protected apps.

How to select the right screen recording tool

When you’re looking to record and share screen recordings, you want to make sure you’re using the right tool or program for the job. Here are a couple of things to consider:

• User interface (UI): Are you a screen recording beginner? Are you seeking more controls with advanced capabilities or just a straightforward recording? If your use case is relatively simple, you could likely get the job done with a built-in native tool instead of full video editing software.
• Video features: Each screen recording program has a different strength — for some, it’s ease of use; for others, it’s advanced editing functionality. When you’re choosing your screen recording tool, you want to consider how much of the screen you want to record, if you want the capability to also record yourself explaining the recording, and if you want to record audio. If you need sound included, for example, you wouldn’t opt for the native Mac tool. Determine your need and use case before deciding on a recording program.

Vimeo offers not only a free screen recorder but also automation and AI video tools like a script generator and text-based editor that can help you record videos in fewer takes and upload and share them easily.

A final note on screen recording

If it wasn’t already clear, let’s review the obvious: there are a ton of ways to capture your screen. From built-in features on devices like an iPhone and Android to extension-based desktop tools like Vimeo Record, users have lots of options. Just remember to choose the tool that’s best for your needs. Happy recording!

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