Recording your screen is the fastest way to make a tutorial, report a bug, save a stream, or show someone exactly what you're seeing. Every major platform now has screen recording built in — no extra software needed for most cases. Here's how to use each one.

Windows 10 and 11: Xbox Game Bar

Press **Win + G** to open the Game Bar, then click the record button (or press **Win + Alt + R**). It captures the active window with audio.

**Limits:** records one application at a time (not the full desktop), and some app windows (like File Explorer) are blocked. For full-desktop capture, use OBS Studio (free) or PowerPoint's screen recorder (Insert → Screen Recording).

**Where files go:** `Videos/Captures`, as MP4.

macOS: the built-in screenshot toolbar

Press **Cmd + Shift + 5** → choose "Record Entire Screen" or "Record Selected Portion" → click Record. Press **Cmd + Shift + 5** again or click the stop icon in the menu bar to finish.

**Tips:** Options menu sets a 5/10-second countdown and microphone audio. Files save to the Desktop as .mov. For long recordings, watch your disk — screen video grows fast.

iPhone: Control Center recorder

Add "Screen Recording" to Control Center (Settings → Control Center), then tap the record button. A 3-second countdown starts, then everything on screen is captured — including notifications, so enable Do Not Disturb first.

**Audio:** press-and-hold the record button to toggle the microphone on for voiceover. Without it, you get app audio only.

**Stops automatically** on phone calls. Files land in Photos as videos.

Android: built-in screen recorder

Most Android 10+ phones include a recorder in the quick settings shade (swipe down, look for "Screen recorder" or "Screen record"). Samsung, Xiaomi, and Pixel all have their own versions with settings for resolution, frame rate, and audio sources (system, microphone, or both).

**On older devices** without a built-in recorder, AZ Screen Recorder is the standard free third-party option.

Doing it well: the basics of good screen recordings

1. **Clean the stage.** Close personal tabs, mute notifications, hide bookmarks. Viewers see everything. 2. **Record at the output size.** If the video will be watched on a phone, record a phone-sized window — not a maximized 4K monitor the viewer can't read. 3. **Slow down.** Move the cursor deliberately and pause after each click. What feels sluggish live reads as clear on playback. 4. **Do a 10-second test** before the real take. Check audio levels and that the right window is captured.

Recording streams and protected content

Browsers and apps can set a DRM flag that blacks out protected video during recording — Netflix and similar services will capture as a black screen. That's by design, not a bug on your end. Screen recording is for your own content, tutorials, and anything you have rights to capture.

Sharing the recording

Raw screen recordings are big (a 5-minute 1080p capture runs 100+ MB). Compress before sending via chat, or upload to a video host and share the link — same rules as any other video file.

The takeaway

Win+Alt+R on Windows, Cmd+Shift+5 on Mac, Control Center on iPhone, quick settings on Android. Built-in tools cover 90% of needs; OBS covers the rest. Clean the screen, slow down, test first.