How to Record Your iPhone Screen and Save It as a Video

Your iPhone can record everything happening on your screen as a video — no extra app needed. This is useful when you want to show someone how to do something on a phone, save a video call moment, capture a game clip, or save a social media video that does not have a download button.

The feature is called Screen Recording. It is built into every iPhone running iOS 17 or later. And it saves the video directly to your Photos app when you stop recording.

Before you can use it, you need to add the Screen Recording button to your Control Center — the panel of quick-settings buttons you swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen. You only have to do this setup one time.

When you start a screen recording, your iPhone records everything: the screen, any sounds coming from the phone, and optionally your own voice through the microphone. This means if you are recording a tutorial or explanation, you can talk out loud while you record and your voice will be included.

The recording continues even if you switch between apps, which is helpful if you are showing someone a multi-step process. A red bar appears at the top of your screen the entire time you are recording so you always know it is on.

Screen recordings can get large in file size if they are long, so consider keeping recordings under a few minutes when possible. You can trim the video in your Photos app afterward if you want to shorten it before sharing.