Capture Modes

Recorded offers three capture modes to fit different recording scenarios.

Monitor Recording

Record your entire display, including all windows, the desktop, and the menu bar/taskbar.

When you select Monitor mode, a picker overlay shows all connected displays. Click the display you want to record. If you only have one monitor, it will be pre-selected.

Monitor recording is the most efficient capture mode and is recommended when you need to capture full-screen activity, switch between multiple windows during a recording, or show the desktop and taskbar.

Window Recording

Capture a single application window in isolation. The recording captures only the content of the selected window — not the surrounding desktop or other overlapping windows.

How Window Selection Works

Window selection behaves differently on each platform:

• macOS — A full-screen overlay appears showing all open windows. Hover over a window to highlight it, then click to select. The overlay uses macOS ScreenCaptureKit to identify and capture individual windows.
• Windows — An overlay shows all available application windows with their titles and icons. Click a window to select it. Recorded uses the Windows window handle (HWND) to capture the window content.

Window mode is ideal for focused application demos, software tutorials, and walkthroughs where you want to show only the relevant app.

Area Recording

Select a custom rectangular region of your screen to record. This gives you precise control over exactly what appears in the recording.

When you select Area mode, a full-screen overlay appears. Click and drag to draw a rectangle over the region you want to capture. After drawing, you can fine-tune the selection using eight resize handles (corners and edges). Press Escape to cancel and return to the main window.

Area recording is useful for capturing a specific UI section, a portion of a large display, or when you want to crop out surrounding distractions before recording.

Choosing the Right Mode