How to Screen Record on iPad

Use the Control Center to Record On-Screen Activity

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A young boy watching video footage on an iPad.

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by Scott Orgera
Scott Orgera has been a tech journalist since 2007. He has 25+ years' experience as a programmer and QA leader and several Microsoft certifications.
Updated March 21, 2019

Capturing exactly what displays on your iPad screen in real-time can be useful for a number of reasons, including sharing steps for a tutorial or chronicling in-app activity. If you want to record and store live video of what is being shown on your Apple tablet, it can be done without having to install any additional software.

This functionality is not available on iPads running an operating system older than iOS 11.

How to Screen Record on Your iPad

Follow the instructions below to access the iOS Screen Recording tool.

  1. Tap on Settings, located on your iPad's Home Screen.

  2. The iOS Settings interface should now be visible. Tap Control Center.

    A screenshot of the main iPad Settings screen.

  3. Select Customize Controls.

    A screenshot of the main iOS Control Center settings screen.

  4. All features currently available within the iPad Control Center will now be displayed, along with a list of items that can be added. If Screen Recording is already shown in the INCLUDE section, go ahead and skip this step. If not, scroll down until you locate the item Screen Recording and tap the green plus(+) icon accompanying it.

    A screenshot of the Customize Controls section of the iOS Control Center settings interface.

  5. Press your iPad Home button (or swipe up from the bottom of the screen on newer models) to return to the Home Screen.

  6. Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen or swipe down from the upper right-hand corner, depending on your iPad version, to access its Control Center. You should notice an icon which looks like a record button, a filled-in circle surrounded by a thinner circle. Tap this button to begin recording. If prompted, select the Start Recording button.

    A screenshot of the iPad Control Center with the Screen Recording button added.

    While recording, everything on your screen will be captured including incoming notifications. To avoid items such as iMessages from interrupting your recording, we recommend enabling Do Not Disturb mode beforehand.

  7. A timer countdown (3, 2, 1) will display in place of this button, at which point screen recording has begun. Tap anywhere on the screen to leave the Control Center. You'll notice a red record button or red time indicator near the top of your screen while recording is taking place. Once you've finished recording, tap this button.

    A screenshot of an iPad Home Screen with Screen Recording activated.

  8. A confirmation message will appear, asking if you'd like to finish recording. Tap the Stop button. Your recording is now complete and can be found within your camera roll in the Photos app.