How to record your screen on iPhone

The short answer

Your iPhone has a built-in screen recorder — you just need to add it to your Control Center, then tap one button to start recording.

How to add screen recording to Control Center

If you don’t see the screen recording button yet, you need to enable it first:

  • Open Settings
  • Tap Control Center
  • Scroll down and tap the + next to Screen Recording

That’s it. The button is now ready to use.

How to start a screen recording

  1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (or swipe up from the bottom on iPhones with a Home button) to open Control Center
  2. Tap the screen recording button — it looks like a solid circle inside a ring
  3. You’ll see a 3-second countdown, then recording begins
  4. A red indicator appears at the top of your screen to show it’s recording

How to record with sound

By default, screen recording captures your screen but not your microphone. To include your voice or external audio:

  • Long press the screen recording button in Control Center
  • Tap the Microphone icon to turn it on
  • Tap Start Recording

Internal app audio (like game sounds or video playback) is captured automatically.

How to stop recording

You have two options:

  • Tap the red status bar at the top of your screen and confirm Stop
  • Open Control Center and tap the screen recording button again

Your recording is automatically saved to the Photos app.

Tips for better recordings

  • Turn on Do Not Disturb before recording so notifications don’t interrupt
  • Close unnecessary apps to keep things clean and avoid accidental reveals of private info
  • Recordings are saved as .mp4 files, so they’re easy to share or edit

When it’s not working

If screen recording isn’t available or the button is greyed out:

  • Check Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions and make sure Screen Recording is set to Allow
  • Restart your iPhone if the feature seems glitchy
  • Some streaming apps (like Netflix and Disney+) block screen recording for copyright reasons — this is normal and can’t be bypassed