Open recording setup
Select Record in the main toolbar or use the default Ctrl+Shift+9 shortcut.
BetterScreenShot remembers your recording choices for the next session. Choices in the Record dialog can override the defaults saved in Settings.
Choose what to record
- Area: Draw a specific recording region.
- Display: Record one connected display.
- Window: Record a selected application window.
For area recording, BetterScreenShot can show a thin boundary around the selected region. The boundary and BetterScreenShot's protected controls are intended to help you record without appearing in the final output where Windows capture protection is supported. If exclusion is critical, make a short test recording before the real session.
Choose output settings
Frame rate
Available choices include 10, 15, 24, 30, 50, and 60 FPS. Thirty FPS is a practical default for tutorials and general screen activity. Higher frame rates create smoother motion but require more processing and storage.
Format
- WebM: Efficient local recording and editing.
- MP4: Broad playback compatibility. Encoding support depends on the available Windows hardware or software codec path.
- GIF: Silent animated image for short demonstrations. GIF does not contain audio.
Quality
Choose Low, Medium, High, or Very high. Higher quality increases file size and processing load.
Output size
Use Native for the selected source resolution, or choose a smaller scale or output limit when you want a lighter file. Custom output is useful when a platform has a specific size requirement.
Aspect ratio
Free keeps the selected source shape. Fixed choices such as 16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:3, and 5:4 help prepare recordings for presentations, vertical social media, square posts, or traditional displays.
Countdown
Choose Off, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds. Optional countdown sounds can be configured in the expanded audio and input options.
Cursor, clicks, and keystrokes
Recording setup can include:
- The pointer.
- Click effects.
- Keyboard shortcut overlays.
- Printable key overlays, when deliberately enabled.
- Automatic hiding of an idle pointer.
Keystroke overlays are visual aids, not key logging. Raw keys are processed transiently in memory and are not written to a keystroke log. Printable keys require a privacy acknowledgement and can be disabled by Windows enterprise policy.
BetterScreenShot cannot automatically hide every password or secret displayed by another application. If you reveal a password, token, private message, or sensitive document on the recorded screen, it may appear in the recording. Prepare the desktop and close sensitive content before you begin.
Microphone and computer audio
Expand Audio & input options to choose:
- No microphone or a specific microphone input.
- Mono microphone recording.
- No computer audio or the current Windows output.
- Input and output status before recording.
If audio is missing:
- Confirm the intended device is selected.
- Check Windows Privacy & security > Microphone.
- Confirm the device is not muted or disconnected.
- Make a five-second test recording.
- Check whether the correct audio track is enabled in the media editor.
Bluetooth headsets and docking stations can change the active Windows device when they connect. Recheck the selection after changing hardware.
Camera bubble
Enable Camera bubble to add a webcam overlay.
You can:
- Choose the camera device.
- Preview it before recording.
- Select a circle, rounded-square, or rectangle shape.
- Mirror the preview.
- Allow click-to-expand behavior.
- Move and resize the bubble while recording.
Windows asks for camera permission when needed. The preview stays local and is marked as capture-protected where Windows supports that behavior.
If the preview is blank, close other apps using the camera, check Windows camera permission, reselect the device, and try a short test.
Prepare your desktop
Before recording:
- Close or hide passwords, personal messages, notifications, and confidential documents.
- Open Windows Focus Assist if you want to reduce notifications.
- Confirm available disk space.
- Check the selected source, aspect ratio, audio, and camera.
- Make a short test when audio, camera, or capture exclusion is important.
BetterScreenShot can remind you to open Focus Assist. It does not silently change undocumented Windows notification settings.
During recording
Protected controls can show elapsed time, pause/resume, stop, pointer mode, and drawing tools. Depending on your settings, controls can appear at a selected screen position or remain in the system tray.
Use Pointer for normal interaction. Recording annotation tools place visual marks into the recording. Return to Pointer when you need to interact with the recorded application.
Keep the display awake and hide desktop icons or widgets through Recording settings when those options suit the session.
Stop and finalize
Use the protected recording controls or tray action to stop. BetterScreenShot finalizes the current recording and adds it to History. Finalization time depends on duration, resolution, frame rate, format, audio, camera, storage speed, and encoding support.
Do not end BetterScreenShot from Task Manager while finalization is in progress.
Edit and export
The media editor can:
- Trim the beginning and end.
- Remove internal ranges through conversion.
- Adjust supported audio tracks.
- Keep or edit camera overlay information when the recording project contains it.
- Export MP4, WebM, or GIF.
- Use stream-copy trimming when the selected source and boundaries allow it.
Lossless or stream-copy trimming may move the exact start to a nearby verified keyframe. Use conversion when exact internal cuts or format changes are required.
Recover an interrupted recording
BetterScreenShot writes progressive project data while recording. If the app or computer stops unexpectedly:
- Reopen BetterScreenShot.
- Open Recovery Center if it appears.
- Select the recoverable recording.
- Recover it before clearing History, resetting settings, reinstalling, or deleting files.
Discard permanently removes only the selected recovery copy. Make sure it is not the only copy you need.
Performance expectations
CPU, memory, GPU, and disk use rise during recording because frames, audio, camera input, effects, and encoding are active. Usage should drop after recording stops and finalization finishes.
Higher use is expected with:
- 4K or multi-display sources.
- 50 or 60 FPS.
- Very high quality.
- MP4 conversion.
- Camera and multiple audio tracks.
- Live effects and annotations.
Investigate when high CPU or GPU continues several minutes after the recording and editor are closed, memory grows without settling, the interface becomes unresponsive, or output loses frames or audio.