How to Screen Record on Android (Pixel and Samsung, 2026)

To screen record on Android, swipe down twice to open Quick Settings, tap Screen record (Pixel) or Screen recorder (Samsung Galaxy), choose your audio, and tap Start. Stop it from the recording notification or toolbar. No app is needed on any phone with Android 11 or later, and Samsung lists the feature for One UI 2 and up.

Also in this topic: Android Guides hub.

Pixel vs Galaxy at a Glance

	Google Pixel	Samsung Galaxy
Tile name	Screen record	Screen recorder
Open Quick Settings	Swipe down twice from the top	Swipe down from the top right
Audio choices	Record device audio, Record microphone	None, Media, Media and mic
What to record	Entire screen or A single app	Whole screen, with an optional front-camera bubble
Stop	Tap the Screen recorder notification	Tap Stop on the toolbar
Saved to	Photos → Collections → On this device → Movies	Gallery (or My Files, see below)

Jump to: Pixel steps · Samsung steps · which audio setting · other brands · fixes · privacy · FAQ

How to Screen Record on a Pixel

Google’s help page for Pixel phones gives this flow. Menu layouts shift a little between Android versions, but the tile and the order stay the same.

1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings.
2. Tap Screen record. If you do not see it, swipe right, or tap Edit and drag the tile into your Quick Settings.
3. Choose what to capture. Turn Record device audio and Record microphone on or off, and decide whether to show touches on screen.
4. Tap Start. Recording begins after a short countdown.
5. To stop, swipe down from the top and tap the Screen recorder notification.

Record a single app instead of the whole screen

Before you tap Start, you can share your entire screen or pick A single app, then choose the app from the selector. Only that app is captured, which keeps your home screen, other apps and the notification shade out of the clip. Google added this to the Pixel recorder in Android 14 QPR2 and has kept building on it since. Use it for tutorials and bug reports where nothing else should show.

Add your face with the selfie camera

In the same menu, turn on Show selfie camera to put a small front-camera view in the recording. To switch it off mid-recording, tap the recording indicator in the status bar, open Settings, and turn off Show selfie camera. Google notes that front-camera zoom is not supported with this feature.

Newer Pixel builds also show a recording chip in the status bar that you can tap to stop. Pixels on Android 17 betas have shown a redesigned menu with toggles for device audio, microphone and touches, so what you see may not match the list above word for word.

Where a Pixel saves the recording

Open the Photos app, tap Collections, then On this device, then Movies.

How to Screen Record on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung’s support page covers Galaxy phones and tablets running One UI 2 or later. Options vary a little by model and software version.

1. Swipe down from the top right of the screen to open the Quick settings panel.
2. Tap the Screen recorder icon. If it is missing, add it to the panel from the edit menu.
3. Under Sound settings, pick None, Media or Media and mic, then tap Start recording.
4. Wait for the countdown. The toolbar at the top of the screen has pause and stop controls. Tap Stop to finish.

Galaxy recorder settings worth changing

Touch and hold the Screen recorder icon in Quick settings, or go to Settings → Advanced features → Screenshots and screen recorder. You will find:

• Record sound: None, Media, or Media and mic.
• Video quality: High (1080p), Medium (720p) or Low (480p). Pick a lower level when you want a smaller file.
• Selfie video size: resizes the front-camera bubble. It only applies to phones that support front-camera recording; Samsung says the Galaxy Tab A8 does not.
• Show taps and touches: draws small dots where you press, which helps in tutorials.
• Save screen recordings in: sets the storage location. Samsung notes it may not be on every device.

During a recording, tap the front-camera (person) icon to add yourself, or the pencil icon to draw on screen. While the pencil is active you cannot interact with games, videos or navigation, so tap it again to carry on as normal.

Where a Galaxy saves the recording

Check the Gallery app first. If the clip is not there, open My Files and look under Videos → Screen recordings, or Internal storage → DCIM. To move a clip to an SD card, long-press it in My Files, choose Move or Copy, then pick the SD card.

Which Audio Setting Should You Pick?

Device audio (Pixel) and Media (Samsung) capture the sound coming from apps and videos. The microphone captures your voice and anything else in the room. Choose before you tap Start.

You want to record	Pixel	Samsung
A silent demo of taps and menus	Both audio options off	None
Game or video sound only	Record device audio on	Media
Your voice over the screen	Record microphone on	Media and mic (also captures app sound)
App sound and narration	Both on	Media and mic

For pure gameplay, leave the microphone off. It adds room noise and gives you nothing in return.

Other Android Brands and Older Phones

Most other brands, including Motorola and OnePlus, include their own recorder on Android 11 and later. The tile is usually named Screen recorder or Screen record in the Quick Settings edit menu, and the audio options follow the same device-sound-versus-microphone split. Exact labels vary by brand, so if the steps above do not match, search your phone’s Settings for “screen recorder.”

On Android 10 or older, the built-in recorder is not available and you need an app from the Play Store. Check the permissions before you install one, skip any that ask for more than screen capture, microphone and storage, and prefer one with a clear privacy policy. On Android 11 or newer you do not need one.

Screen Recording Not Working? Fixes by Symptom

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
No Screen record tile	Tile not added to Quick Settings, or Android 10 or older	Open Quick Settings, tap Edit, drag the tile in. Check you are on Android 11+ (Pixel) or One UI 2+ (Galaxy).
Recording has no sound	Audio option was off when you pressed Start	Re-record with device audio / Media on. Some apps and DRM-protected music block audio capture.
Saved video is a black screen	The app blocks capture	Streaming and banking apps do this on purpose. No setting fixes it. Record your home screen to confirm the recorder itself works.
Calls are missing from the clip	Samsung’s recorder does not capture phone, VoIP or video calls	Use the call app’s own recording tool if it has one and the law where you are allows it.
Recording will not start or stops	Low free storage, or a glitch	Free up space, restart the phone and install any pending Android update from Settings.
Cannot find the file	Looking in the wrong app	Pixel: Photos → Movies. Galaxy: Gallery, then My Files → Videos → Screen recordings.
Phone is hot, game lags	Encoding video while the game renders	Lower in-game graphics one step, record at 720p on Galaxy, and let it cool between takes.

If a long gaming session leaves the phone hot, follow the checklist in Android phone overheating. If inputs feel late while recording, sort the cause first with the mobile gaming lag fix guide before blaming the recorder.

Keep Private Stuff Out of the Clip

Everything on screen is recorded, including notification banners.

• Turn on Do Not Disturb before you start, so a text or a one-time code does not slide into the recording.
• Close banking, password and private-chat apps first, or record a single app on a Pixel.
• Android 15 and later can hide sensitive notification content during screen sharing, but do not rely on it for a clip you plan to post. Check the saved video before you share it.

How Long Can You Record, and How Big Are the Files?

Google’s help page lists no maximum recording length, and Samsung’s does not give one for current One UI versions. In practice, free storage and heat set the limit. Long or high-quality recordings take a lot of space, so trim the clip in your gallery app, lower the quality on a Galaxy, or move finished videos off the phone. Google also suggests sharing a Photos link instead of the file when a clip is too big to send.

If storage warnings start after a recording session, clear old clips first with our how to free up storage on Android guide, and keep the keepers in a cloud storage and backup app.

Need a Still Image Instead?

Press Power + Volume down together on most Android phones to take a screenshot. Use a screenshot for error messages and receipts, and screen record for multi-step flows and gameplay.