How to Record Screen

Overview

ShareX includes a powerful screen recording feature that lets you capture your desktop, a specific window, or a custom region as a video file. Powered by FFmpeg, it supports multiple output formats including MP4, WebM, and more.

Prerequisites

Before you start recording, make sure FFmpeg is available on your system. ShareX can download it automatically, or you can install it manually from ffmpeg.org.

To check FFmpeg status in ShareX:

1. Open ShareX
2. Go to Task Settings > Screen Recorder
3. Verify the FFmpeg path is set correctly

How to Record Your Screen

Method 1: Using the Main Window

1. Open the ShareX main window
2. Click Capture in the top menu
3. Select Screen recording or press the default hotkey
4. Choose your recording area:
   • Full screen — captures everything
   • Window — captures a specific application window
   • Region — draw a custom rectangle
5. Click Start to begin recording
6. Perform the actions you want to capture
7. Click the ShareX tray icon and select Stop recording, or use the stop hotkey

Method 2: Using Hotkeys

The fastest way to start recording is by pressing the default hotkey Shift + Print Screen. You can customize this in Hotkey settings.

Configuring Output Settings

• Navigate to Task Settings > Screen Recorder > Screen recording options
• Video codec: H.264 (recommended for MP4), VP9 (for WebM)
• FPS: 30 is standard; use 60 for smoother motion
• Bitrate: Higher values = better quality but larger files
• Audio source: Select your microphone or system audio

After Recording

ShareX can automatically perform post-processing tasks:

• Save to a specific folder
• Upload to your preferred hosting service
• Copy the file path to clipboard
• Open in the image/video editor

Configure these in After capture tasks and After upload tasks settings.

Troubleshooting

No audio in recording: Check that you have selected the correct audio input device in Screen Recorder settings.

FFmpeg error: Download FFmpeg manually and set the executable path in ShareX settings.

Choppy video: Lower the FPS or resolution, or switch to a faster video codec.