How to screen record on iPad

Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Centre, tap the Screen Recording button and wait for the three-second countdown. Touch and hold the button first to switch on the microphone. Recordings are saved in Photos.

Jump to the step-by-step guide

Online Screen Recorder

Free, no sign-up, no watermark. Pick what to record to begin.

What do you want to record?

Pick one to start. You can add or switch sources any time.

Your browser will ask for permission. Recordings stay on this device, nothing is uploaded.

Pick what to record

Then tap the red button

Screen recording on an iPad

Every iPad running a recent version of iPadOS has a screen recorder in Control Centre. It records everything on the display, including your taps, apps and games, and can add your voice from the microphone. There’s nothing to download, and the steps are the same on an iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air or iPad Pro.

A website can’t record an iPad’s screen: Safari and the other iPad browsers don’t let pages capture the display, so recorder.video can’t either. What it can do on an iPad is record your camera and microphone, which is covered near the end. For a screen recording with your face in the corner, use a computer and the screen and webcam recorder.

How to screen record on an iPad from Control Centre

Add Screen Recording to Control Centre

Open Control Centre, tap the plus at the top left, tap Add a Control and choose Screen Recording. On older iPadOS versions, add it in Settings > Control Centre instead.
Open Control Centre

Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen. With a keyboard attached you can still swipe; Control Centre opens over whatever app you’re using.
Turn the microphone on or off

Touch and hold the grey Screen Recording button, a filled circle inside a ring, and tap Microphone to switch your voice on or off.
Start recording

Tap the Screen Recording button and wait for the three-second countdown, then close Control Centre. Everything on the screen is recorded from then on.
Stop and find the video

Tap the red recording indicator at the top of the screen and tap Stop, or open Control Centre and tap the red button. The video is saved in the Photos app.

Record your voice with the microphone

The microphone is off unless you turn it on. Touch and hold Screen Recording in Control Centre, tap Microphone so it turns red, then start recording from the same panel. The setting sticks for later recordings until you change it.

For a narrated walkthrough, speak a little closer to the iPad than usual. The microphones are on the top edge (or the side, in landscape on some models), so a case or a hand over them muffles your voice. Wired or Bluetooth headsets with a microphone work too.

Why your iPad screen recording has no sound

There are two different sounds in a screen recording: the iPad’s own audio (apps, games, videos) and your voice. Each fails for different reasons.

No voice: the Microphone setting was off. Turn it on from the long-press menu before the next recording.
No app sound: the iPad’s volume was down, or the app blocks recording. Streaming apps and some music and call apps protect their audio, so they record silently or not at all.
Video calls: FaceTime and many calling apps often leave the other person’s voice out of screen recordings, so test first and expect only your side. Always ask before you record a call.

Recordings appear in Photos with your other videos, newest first. Open one, tap Edit and drag the yellow handles at either end of the timeline to cut the start and the end, then tap Done. You can also crop the picture there, which is handy for hiding the status bar.

Share with the share button: AirDrop sends it to a Mac or iPhone nearby, and Mail, Messages or a cloud drive work for everyone else. Long recordings are large, so AirDrop or a cloud drive is usually quicker than email.

Record the iPad screen from a Mac instead

A Mac can record an iPad over a cable, which is useful for a long demo or when you want the file on the computer straight away. Connect the iPad and unlock it, trusting the computer if asked. Open QuickTime Player, choose File > New Movie Recording, click the arrow next to the record button, and select the iPad as both the camera and the microphone. Click record.

The guide to recording video on a Mac covers QuickTime’s other options.

What recorder.video can do on an iPad

Open recorder.video in Safari on the iPad and it works as a camera and voice recorder: Camera and Audio only are offered, and the screen options are hidden because the browser can’t share the screen. You can record yourself with the front camera, read from the teleprompter, trim the take and download it, with nothing uploaded.

Downloads go to the Files app. To move a video into Photos, open it in Files, tap the share button and choose Save Video. Stay in Safari while recording: switching apps can stop the camera.

Troubleshooting iPad screen recordings

The Screen Recording button is missing

Add it with the first step above. If it still won’t start, Screen Time content restrictions or a school or work profile may block screen recording; check Settings > Screen Time or ask whoever manages the iPad.

The recording stopped by itself

Recording stops when storage runs low or the iPad locks with very little space left. Free some space in Settings > General > iPad Storage before a long recording.

Part of the screen is black

Protected video, such as most streaming apps, is blacked out on purpose. You also can’t screen record while you’re mirroring the iPad to a TV or Mac with AirPlay.

Recording questions

Can you screen record on an iPad?

Yes. Every iPad on a recent iPadOS has Screen Recording in Control Centre. Add the control if it isn’t there, then tap it to record.

Why is my iPad screen recording silent?

Your voice is recorded only when Microphone is on in the Screen Recording long-press menu. App sound can be missing if the volume was down or the app blocks recording, as streaming and calling apps often do.

Where do iPad screen recordings go?

Into the Photos app, with your other videos. From there you can trim them with Edit or share them with AirDrop, Mail or a cloud drive.

Can I screen record Netflix on iPad?

No. Streaming apps protect their video, so a screen recording shows a black picture or no sound. That’s by design, and recording paid content to share would break the service’s terms.

How do I stop a screen recording on an iPad?

Tap the red indicator at the top of the screen and tap Stop, or open Control Centre and tap the red Screen Recording button.

Can I record my iPad screen and my face together?

The built-in recorder has no camera overlay. Record on a computer instead, where recorder.video puts your webcam in a bubble over the screen.