How to Screen Record on iPhone (iOS 27): Sound and Fixes

Knowing how to screen record on iPhone is handy when you want to show a bug, save a tutorial, walk someone through a setting, or keep a clip that's hard to describe in words. The feature is built into iOS. All you need is the Screen Recording button in Control Center.

Quick answer: swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, tap the gray Record button, and wait for the three-second countdown. Close Control Center and do what you want to capture. To stop, tap the red recording indicator at the top and tap Stop. The video is saved in the Photos app. Want your voice in it? Touch and hold the Record button first and turn on the Microphone.

Every step here follows Apple's guides to recording the screen on iPhone, taking a screen recording, and customizing Control Center, which I checked again on November 8, 2026. Apple's security releases page listed iOS 27.2 as the latest iPhone software that day. If you only need a still image, see how to screenshot on iPhone instead.

Which screen recording method should you use?

Pick the row that matches what you want, then jump to that section.

Before you record: a quick checklist

A minute of setup saves you from capturing a notification, running out of space, or finishing a tutorial with no voiceover.

1. Silence notifications. Turn on Do Not Disturb or another Focus. Anything that appears on screen, including message previews, is recorded.
2. Check storage. Open Settings > General > iPhone Storage and make sure you have room. If storage is tight, clear cache on iPhone or delete apps you don't use first.
3. Set the orientation. Choose portrait or landscape before you start. There's no separate orientation setting; rotating halfway through usually looks messy.
4. Decide on the microphone. Touch and hold Record and check whether the Microphone is on. Turn it on to narrate; turn it off for app sound only. The setting sticks, so check it every time.
5. Close anything you don't want seen. If you swipe between apps, everything you pass through is captured.
6. Stop screen mirroring. Apple says you can't record your screen and use screen mirroring at the same time.
7. Charge up for a long clip. Recording uses battery, so plug in if you expect more than a short demo.

The recording, microphone, mirroring and Photos steps below come from Apple's pages. The Focus, storage, orientation and charging notes are general practice.

How to screen record on iPhone (step by step)

According to Apple Support, record your screen like this:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center.
2. Tap the gray Record button, then wait for the three-second countdown.
3. Exit Control Center to record your screen.
4. To stop, tap the Screen Recording button at the top of your screen, then tap Stop. Or open Control Center and tap the red Record button.

The recording is saved to the Photos app.

On iPhone SE, swipe up from the bottom to open Control Center and press the Home button to close it. Apple's Access Control Center page groups iPhone SE with iPhone 8 and earlier for that gesture. On Face ID models, including iPhone Duo, swipe down from the top-right corner. Swiping too close to the top center opens Notification Center instead.

Apple's iPhone User Guide adds a slightly more specific way to stop, depending on the model:

• If your iPhone has a Dynamic Island: tap the red circle, then tap stop.
• On other models: tap the red timer at the top left of the screen, then tap Stop.

Use the three-second countdown to close Control Center so the clip starts on the screen you want to show. You'll still usually catch a second of Control Center at the start, which is easy to trim later.

How to add Screen Recording to Control Center

If you don't see the Record button, add it. In current iOS, you edit Control Center from inside Control Center itself:

1. Open Control Center (swipe down from the top-right corner, or up from the bottom on iPhone SE).
2. Tap the plus (+) button in the top-left corner of Control Center to start editing.
3. Tap Add a Control at the bottom of the screen to open the controls gallery.
4. Find Screen Recording and tap it to add it.
5. Drag it where you want it, then swipe up from the bottom center of the screen to finish (or press the Home button on iPhone SE).

While editing, you can drag controls to rearrange them, resize them with the handle at the lower right, or remove any you don't use. Put Screen Recording on the first page so you don't have to swipe through extra groups.

Older guides tell you to go to Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. That menu belongs to older iOS versions. On current iOS, Settings > Control Center is mainly where you turn Access Within Apps on or off. Leave that switch on, or you can't open Control Center inside an app.

Internal audio vs the microphone

There are two kinds of sound in a screen recording:

• Internal audio (the sound your iPhone plays): games, videos and app sounds. This is captured when the app allows it, even if the microphone is off. There is no separate "internal audio" switch. Apple notes that you can capture sound, and that some apps might not allow you to record audio or video.
• Microphone audio (your voice and the room): this is off by default. Touch and hold the Record button, then tap Microphone to turn it on. Apple describes this as turning on the microphone to add audio.

Leave the microphone off for a clip without narration. If the app allows capture, its sound should still be in the video. Turn the microphone on to talk over the same clip. Both can appear together: the app's sound (when allowed) plus whatever the mic picks up.

The microphone setting remembers your last choice, so check it before each recording. Streaming and calling apps often block audio, video or both, which can leave a black screen or silence. That's the app's choice, and there's no iPhone setting that overrides it. If you're narrating, speak a little closer to the phone.

Example: to walk a parent through a setting, turn the mic on, narrate each tap, then share the clip over Messages. For gameplay without talking over it, leave the mic off and let the game's audio come through if the game allows it.

How to screen record with sound (microphone audio)

To add your voice, follow Apple's steps:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen.
2. Touch and hold the gray Record button.
3. Tap the Microphone button to turn it on.
4. Tap the gray Record button (Apple's iPhone User Guide labels this Start Recording), then wait for the three-second countdown.
5. Exit Control Center to record your screen.
6. To stop, tap the Screen Recording button at the top of the screen, then tap Stop, or tap the red Record button in Control Center.

The microphone setting stays on until you turn it off the same way.

If you have a broadcast app installed, the same menu may offer to send a live broadcast there. Apple's written steps save a normal video file to Photos, which is what you want if you plan to trim and share the clip later.

How to start a screen recording with the Action button

On iPhone models that have an Action button in place of the Ring/Silent switch, you can turn it into a screen recording shortcut. Apple's Action button guide lists Controls as one of the actions you can assign.

1. Open the Settings app and tap Action Button.
2. Swipe through the actions until you reach Controls.
3. Tap the button below the action and choose Screen Recording from the list of controls.

Apple notes that for Controls, Shortcut and Accessibility, you have to pick a specific option or the Action button does nothing. After that, press and hold the Action button to start a recording. Stop it from the indicator at the top of the screen, the same as any other recording.

If your iPhone has a Ring/Silent switch instead, use Control Center.

Where screen recordings are saved

Apple's support article says to open the Photos app and select your screen recording in your Library. The iPhone User Guide is more specific:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Tap Collections.
3. Scroll down to Media Types, then tap Screen Recordings.

Recordings are saved as videos, so they also appear with your other clips in the Library. You can search for "screen recording" in Photos if that's faster.

If you use iCloud Photos, the recording also syncs to your other Apple devices, so you can edit it on a Mac. See how to screenshot on Mac for the Mac side of screen capture, including the Shift-Command-5 screen recording toolbar.

How to trim and share a screen recording

Most recordings start and end with Control Center, so a quick trim makes them look cleaner. These steps match Apple's guides to editing videos on iPhone and trimming video length.

Trim the recording

1. Open the recording in Photos.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Drag the left and right ends of the frame viewer under the video to set the new start and end points.
4. Tap Done, then tap Save Video to keep only the trimmed version, or Save Video as New Clip to keep both.

To undo a trim, open the video, tap Edit and tap Revert. A video saved as a new clip can't be reverted to the original length.

Crop out the status bar

To hide the clock, battery or recording indicator, open the video in Photos, tap Edit, and use the crop tool to cut the top of the frame. Save it as a new clip if you want to keep the uncropped version.

Share it

Open the recording in Photos, tap the Share button, and pick Messages, Mail, AirDrop or another app. Long recordings can be large files, so AirDrop or an iCloud link is usually smoother than email. If the file is too big, trim it first. Apple doesn't publish a fixed size-per-minute figure; the file grows with the length of the clip and what's on screen.

Common screen recording mistakes

Most disappointing clips come down to a missed tap or a leftover setting:

• Holding Record when you meant to tap it. A tap starts the countdown. A touch and hold opens the menu with the Microphone switch. Tap once to start; hold first if you need to check the mic.
• Leaving Control Center open through the countdown. The recorder captures whatever is on screen when the countdown ends. Swipe Control Center away during those three seconds.
• Leaving the microphone off when you wanted narration. Internal app sound (when allowed) is not the same as your voice. Touch and hold Record and turn the Microphone on if you plan to talk.
• Leaving the microphone on when you didn't want it. Because the setting persists, a later recording can pick up your voice or background noise. Check the mic each time.
• Recording a streaming or DRM-protected app. Many paid video services and some calling apps block capture, leaving a black screen, no sound, or both. Record a different app to confirm the recorder works. Don't try to bypass the block.
• Leaving notifications on. Banners, including message previews, become part of the video. Turn on a Focus first.
• Trying to record while screen mirroring. Apple says the two can't run at the same time. Stop mirroring, then record.
• Forgetting Access Within Apps. If Control Center only opens from the Home Screen, you can't start a recording from inside the app you wanted to capture.

Screen recording not working: troubleshooting table

If the recording fails, has no audio or shows a black screen, match your symptom to a row and try the fix.

Apple lists Screen Recording as a Game Center restriction under Content & Privacy Restrictions (Game Center settings). If a parent set a Screen Time passcode, you'll need them to change it. A work or school iPhone may also block recording, and only that organization can change it.

If a clip has no sound, turn the microphone on when you want your voice, then test another app. If the test has sound, the original app is blocking capture. Also check volume, Silent mode, and whether audio is going to Bluetooth headphones. For a black screen, record the Home Screen or Settings for a few seconds; if that looks normal, the other app is blocking video.

If a recording never appears in Photos, free up storage, stop mirroring, restart the iPhone and install any iOS updates. See how to turn off iPhone for the button combination on each model. If the phone freezes mid-recording, force restart it.

Apple doesn't document a pause control. Recording is start and stop. To cut a middle section, record the whole clip and trim it in Photos.

Model notes: iPhone 17, 16, 15, 14, 13 and older

The steps are the same on every iPhone running current iOS, including iOS 27. What differs is how you open Control Center and where the stop indicator appears:

• iPhone 17, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13 and other Face ID models (plus iPhone Air and iPhone Duo): swipe down from the top-right corner.
• iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation): swipe up from the bottom edge.

On models with the Dynamic Island, tap the red circle to stop. On others, look for the red timer in the status bar. Models with an Action button can also start recordings from that button, as shown above.

Using Android as well? See how to screenshot on Android for that platform's built-in recorder and screenshot options.

FAQ

Wrapping up

Once Screen Recording is in Control Center, capturing your screen takes two taps. Check the microphone if you want to narrate, silence notifications, close Control Center during the countdown, then trim the clip in Photos and share. If a clip comes out silent or black, test another app before you assume the recorder is broken. For more iPhone basics, browse the blog, or get in touch if you need help with a website or tech project.