How to Record a Desktop Video in 2024

In this guide, we discuss how to record your desktop video using Movavi Screen Recorder, including options such as scheduling or recording part of the screen, plus annotating your videos.

Movavi Screen Recorder was made specifically for screen recording and has some excellent features, such as trimming and annotation, and the option to capture a video from your desktop on your PC as well as multiple other sources.

The interface is easy, so even beginners who want to know how to record video desktop activity can use Movavi Screen Recorder to great effect. It is even possible to record videos by scheduling recordings, for instance, if you can’t make it to a seminar or a meeting.

Here’s how to record your desktop screen with Movavi Screen Recorder:

We’ve briefly covered how to record desktop video but one of the crucial aspects of this is to make sure you are also recording audio. There are very few instances where you will want to record a desktop video without audio. You may need to record the original audio, for instance, if you are viewing a lecture for college, or you are on a video call and need to record what somebody else is saying.

Pretty much every type of video has some form of audio, which can be crucial to understanding the video. For instance, if you are recording gameplay footage on your desktop, then you will want to ensure you are recording the sounds of the game. If you are recording an important virtual meeting, then the audio may even be more important than the video. 

It is also possible that you might need to capture audio from your microphone or other sources. For example, it is possible that you might want to know how to screen-record on a desktop while capturing video and audio from your external microphone and webcam. This is something that is possible with Movavi Screen Recorder, making it easy to do things like gaming commentary videos.

For audio and video capture on a desktop, click the System audio and Microphone icons to choose to record the system audio as well as capturing from an external microphone.

When learning the best way to record a desktop video, you may need to be quick to ensure that you capture the important moments. For instance, if you need to record a meeting or stop recording at a specific time, then it can be distracting to use your mouse or complicated controls.

Luckily, Movavi Screen Recorder has hotkeys that allow you to start and stop the recording. This makes it quick and easy to make the recordings just by hitting a couple of keys, rather than having to navigate through menus.

Start recording

• Windows: F10
• macOS: Option + Command + 2

Pause recording

• Windows: F9
• macOS: Option + Command + 1

Stop recording

• Windows: F10
• macOS: Option + Command + 2

There are a few tips that can help you to ensure that you are getting the best possible results when recording a video:

• Make sure you have tweaked your preferences and settings. This is where users can change the inputs, the resolution of the video, and where it saves afterward.
• Make sure you do a practice run-through. There’s a lot more chance that something will go wrong the very first time you make a recording, so record something random first to make sure you understand the controls. This is especially true if you are using advanced features such as scheduling. 
• Keep your software updated. Updates may help with things like bugs and ensure that you have all the latest features.
• Learn the shortcuts. If you need to make changes and adjustments in a way that is quick and easy, then it is often easier with shortcuts.
• Only record what you need. You don’t want to spend a long time making edits and adjustments afterward, so try not to record too much more than you need.
• Close additional windows. You don’t want other windows in the back of your desktop display that could appear in your recording and cause an issue. 
• Turn off notifications that could interrupt your recording. If you have alerts and notifications that might pop up during the video, make sure you have turned them off. These could ruin the screen recording, especially if it is an event that will only happen once, such as a video conference call.
• Learn how to use annotation tools. Movavi Screen Recorder has annotation tools that mean you can point things out on the screen, this can be very useful for future reference and for keeping notes of things that happen on your desktop recording.
• Check that you have plenty of space for the recording on your hard drive. Video recordings can sometimes be stored in large files, especially if it is HD.