Why Isn't My Screen Record Working? How To Fix It

Screen recording is a useful feature, especially while making tutorial videos. But, sometimes it stops working due to a number of reasons, like low battery, space, internet connection or more.

So, let’s discuss why the screen recording stops working and how to fix it on Mac, Windows, Android, and iPhone.

Why Isn’t My Screen Record Working

The common causes across all devices for screen recording not working are:

Restrictions that have not been configured to allow for screen recording.
Lack of space or low battery which does not allow the device to record.
Third-party recording applications which could interfere with the functioning of the in-built feature.
Copyright issues can also block screen-recording from certain websites or applications.

Other than these, there are also different causes particular to each device. Please find below the causes and fixes for screen recording not working.

How to Fix Screen Recording Not Working in Windows

The default application in Windows that allows for screen recording is the Game bar. You can look through the various causes for the issue and its respective fixes.

Enable Screen Recording Through Game Bar

Firstly, you can make sure that screen recording is enabled through the Game bar. To do this, please follow the steps below:

Click on the Windows logo.
Click on the gear icon to open Settings.
Click on Gaming.
Under “Record game clips, screenshots and broadcast using game bar”, make sure the toggle is turned to On.

Update Graphics Card Driver

Anything related to malfunctioning graphics can be related to outdated graphics driver. An outdated driver means your PC cannot interface with the graphics card. To update your graphics card driver, please follow the steps below:

Click on the Windows logo.
Type Device Manager and select it.
Go to Display adapters and click on the drop down menu.
Select your display adapter.
Right click on the driver.
Select Update Driver option.

Turn Off Processes Taking Too Much CPU

If you are using the whole screen to record, notifications and heavy processes running in the background may hinder the process and stop it. Any program that utilizes a lot of CPU can also cause an issue. You can turn off these, through the task manager. Please follow the steps below to do this,

Click on the Windows logo.
Search for task manager and Click on Task Manager
Go to the Processes Tab
Check if there are any applications taking up too much CPU.
Select them.
Click on End task, found on the bottom right

How to Fix Screen Recording Not Working on Android?

You can enable Screen recording in Android through the Quick Settings. Swipe down your screen and open the quick settings, search for Screen Record and tap on it. If you do not find the option, please check whether your phone allows for screen recording.

Check Compatibility

Screen recording in Android is possible only on Android 11. If your version is older, you might not find this option. To find out which Android you have, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.
Tap on About phone.
Check to see what version you have.
Update to a newer version if possible.

Disable Force Desktop Mode

Audio and video issues may arise if the force desktop mode is on. To turn if off, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.
Go to System.
Tap on Developer options.
Scroll down to Force desktop mode.
Toggle the button to off.
Restart your phone to see if the issue still persists.

Disable Third-party Recording Applications

If you have third-party recording applications on your phone, this may also interfere with the built-in recording application. If you face issues, try disabling the third-party recording applications and see if the issue still persists. To do this, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.
Tap on Apps.
Find the third party recording applications.
Tap on it.
Tap on Disable/uninstall option.

Enable Notch

If you cannot record your screen because it comes out very pixelated or unclear, you need to enable Notch. To do do, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.
Tap on System.
Tap on Developer options.
Under the Drawing section, find Display cutout or Simulate a display without a cutout under the Drawing section and tap it.
Select Device default option.
Restart your phone.

How to Fix Screen Recording Not Working on iPhone?

Screen recording may not be working on the iPhone due to reasons such as; lack of space, restrictions on the application, lack of power, and so on. The fixes for the issue are quite simple and can be done in a few steps. Please follow the fixes below.

Allow Screen Recording

To check restrictions on your iPhone, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.
Search for Screen time and tap on it.
Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
Tap on Content Restrictions.
Go to the Game Center located on the bottom.
Check to see if Screen Recording is allowed or not.
If it is not, tap on Screen Recording.
Tap on Allow.

Disable Low Power Mode

Low power mode disables some of the functions to save power. If your iPhone is in low power mode, it could be the reason for screen recording not working. To fix this, please disable your low power mode by follow the steps below.

Tap on Settings.
Search for the battery and tap on it.
Disable low power mode by toggling the button besides low power mode.

Check Storage

If you do not have enough storage on your phone, your screen recording might not work as there will be no space to save it. To check for storage space, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.

Go to General.
Tap on iPhone storage.
Here you can see the different applications and system data that are taking up space.
Check if any applications are unnecessary and take up a lot of space and delete them.

Failed to Save Due to 5823

If the content is protected by copyright, you will receive a notification stating that the recording cannot be saved due to 5823. Unfortunately, there is no solution to this issue.

Restart iPhone

Restarting your iPhone can fix some of the glitches that arise in the device. This works especially if your device just stopped working all of a sudden and you cannot do anything on the screen as well. To restart your iPhone, please follow the steps below:

Hold down the volume down button and the right side button simultaneously.
Slide to power off.
Turn on your phone by pressing on the side button again.

Update Your iPhone

Keeping your iPhone updated is always a good idea as every new update brings new fixes and better performance. If the issue of not being able to screen records continues to persist due to other applications and features, an update might help as well. To update your iPhone, please follow the steps below:

Tap on Settings.
Tap on General.
Tap on Software Update.
If there are new updates, click on Download and Install.
You can also turn on Automatic Updates through this.

How to Fix Screen Recording Not Working in Mac

To record your screen on Mac, you can simply use the in-built application QuickTime player or the keyboard shortcut command+shift+5. If you want other applications such as Teams or Zoom to use screen recording you need to enable it.

Enable Screen Recording

Your screen recording may not be working due to restrictions in the System. To check this and fix this, please follow the steps below:

Click on the Apple logo.
Go to System Preferences.
Click on Security & Privacy.
Go to the Privacy tab.
Select Screen Recording from the left hand panel.
You will find a list of applications that are allowed to record screens.

Select and deselect according to your preference.

Repair through Disk Utility

If you are using Quicktime player and it quits unexpectedly while screen recording or has problems saving the files, you can try to fix this with Disk Utility that addresses such issues. To do this, please follow the steps below:

Go to the search option.
Type Disk Utility.
Click on First Aid.
Select Run.

Storage Management

If you do not have enough storage in your Mac, it can obstruct your screen recording as the device cannot store the recording. To fix this, you can use the storage management and sort out your files and applications.