How to Record Your Computer Monitor: Methods, Tools, and What to Consider

Recording what's happening on your computer screen — whether it's a tutorial, a gameplay session, a bug you want to report, or a video call — is something most people need to do at some point. The good news: every major operating system includes at least basic screen recording built in. The better news: if those tools fall short, there's a wide spectrum of third-party options to fill the gap.

Here's how it all works, and what actually determines which approach suits your situation.

What "Recording Your Monitor" Actually Means

Screen recording (also called screencasting) captures everything displayed on your monitor as a video file. This is different from a screenshot, which grabs a single still image. A screen recording produces an MP4, MOV, MKV, or similar video file that can be saved, shared, or edited.

Most screen recorders can capture:

• Full screen — everything on your display
• A specific window — just one app or browser tab
• A custom region — a box you draw manually

Many also support audio capture from your system (what you hear through speakers) and/or your microphone — which is useful for voiceovers and commentary.

Built-In Screen Recording Tools by Operating System

Windows

Windows 10 and 11 include the Xbox Game Bar, accessible with Win + G. It can record video of whatever application is active. It works well for games and many standard apps, but it has a significant limitation: it cannot record the desktop itself or File Explorer — only open applications.

For more flexible built-in capture, Snipping Tool (updated in Windows 11) now includes a screen recording feature. It lets you select a region and record it directly, with no third-party software needed.

macOS

Mac users can open a screen recorder natively using Shift + Command + 5. This brings up a toolbar with options to record the entire screen, a selected window, or a custom portion. You can also toggle microphone input on or off. Recordings save as .mov files by default.

QuickTime Player offers the same functionality and has been part of macOS for years — so older Macs running earlier versions of macOS still have a viable built-in option.

Linux

Linux doesn't ship with a universal screen recorder, but many desktop environments include one. GNOME (used in Ubuntu by default) supports screen recording via Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R for quick captures, and newer versions offer a more complete built-in recorder. Other distributions vary widely, and users often reach for tools like OBS Studio, which has strong Linux support.

Third-Party Screen Recording Software: Where the Spectrum Widens 🎬

Built-in tools cover the basics, but they often lack features like scheduled recordings, annotation tools, webcam overlay, multi-track audio, or output format control. That's where third-party software becomes relevant.

The options span a wide range:

OBS Studio deserves specific mention because it's free, cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux), and used by everyone from casual users to professional streamers. It supports multiple scenes, audio mixing, and a range of output formats. The tradeoff is a steeper learning curve than simpler options.

Key Variables That Affect Your Setup 🖥️

What "recording your monitor" looks like in practice depends heavily on several factors:

Frame rate and resolution: Recording at 1080p/60fps generates larger files and requires more CPU or GPU resources than 720p/30fps. If your machine is older or has limited RAM, this matters.

Audio sources: Do you need to record system audio (what plays through your speakers), microphone input, or both? Not every tool handles both cleanly on every OS. Windows, in particular, has historically made system audio capture more complicated than macOS.

Output format: MP4 is the most universally compatible format. Some tools default to formats like .mkv or .flv that need conversion before sharing or uploading.

Use case: A gamer recording long sessions needs different settings than someone capturing a 2-minute bug report. Tutorials with annotations require different tools than passive game captures.

Storage: Screen recordings at high quality consume significant disk space. One hour of 1080p/60fps footage can easily exceed 10–20GB depending on the encoder and bitrate settings.

Hardware Considerations for External Monitor Recording

If you're trying to record the output of an external source — like a gaming console, a camera feed, or a second device displayed on your monitor — standard software screen recorders won't work. You'll need a capture card, which is a hardware device that intercepts the HDMI or DisplayPort signal and sends it to your computer as a recordable video stream.

Capture cards connect via USB or PCIe and come in external and internal variants. They're commonly used for console gaming capture but apply to any scenario where the content originates outside the PC.

What Shapes the Right Approach for Any Given User

The method that works best depends on the intersection of several things at once: your operating system and its version, whether you're recording your own screen or an external signal, what you plan to do with the footage, how much system performance headroom you have, and whether you need audio — and from which sources.

A basic Windows 11 user capturing a software walkthrough has very different needs from a content creator on a Mac editing tutorial videos, or a Linux user streaming live gameplay. The tools exist across that entire spectrum — but which point on that spectrum fits your situation is something only your own setup can answer.