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Home / Screen Recording / How to Record with NVIDIA: Record Gameplay/Clips/Desktop

How to Record with NVIDIA: Record Gameplay/Clips/Desktop

By Charlotte | Follow twitter | Updated on October 17, 2025
Introduction:
NVIDIA screen recorder uses the Shadowplay feature of the GeForce Experience application to record videos. You may be one of the people who can't get NVIDIA Shadowplay to work properly to record games. Not to mention recording highlight moments in the last seconds, or on the desktop. Regardless of what you’d like to record, this post offers step-by-step tutorials. Dive into the complete guide by AWZware on how to record with NVIDIA.
summary

If you want a starter-friendly screen recorder that can record everything, consider downloading AWZ Screen Recorder.

Download AWZ Screen Recorder for Mac

How to Record with NVIDIA

NVIDIA allows you to record gameplay on PCs as long as you need. You can record hours of a video on NVIDIA by manually starting and stopping recording. Only Windows 7 has a 4GB file size limit that may restrict the recording time. NVIDIA allows you to screen record games with a preset or customized hotkey or the record button.

Here is how to record with NVIDIA GeForce.

Step 1: Click Settings in NVIDIA to toggle on NVIDIA Overlay and press Alt+Z on your keyboard to open NVIDIA Shadowplay or the GeForce Experience.

Step 2: Click the Record button in GeForce and choose Settings.

How to Record with NVIDIA 1

Step 3: Ignore the Instant Replay length, and select the recording resolution, quality, frame rate, and other options. Click the Save button.

How to Record with NVIDIA 2

Step 4: Click the gear Settings icon in the first interface to set the Keyboard shortcuts option, select the saving location from the Recordings option, and adjust other settings. 

How to Record with NVIDIA 3

Step 5: When you’re done, go back to the home interface to turn on the audio.

How to Record with NVIDIA 4

Step 6: Have NVIDIA screen record with the default Alt + F9 shortcut or your customized shortcut.

Step 7: After you record with NVIDIA, press the shortcut again to end the recording.

The method to record screen with NVIDIA GeForce Experience follows a similar workflow in the new NVIDIA app. Hold down Alt + Z, click the Record button to set the recording parameters, go back to hit Settings to set audio or shortcut options, return to the previous panel to turn on the microphone, and tap the Alt + F9 NVIDIA key for recording to begin.

NVIDIA Record Last 30 Seconds/5 Minutes/10 Minutes

After learning how to record on NVIDIA GeForce, explore how to record the last 30 seconds on a PC with the NVIDIA app. The NVIDIA app is replacing the GeForce to offer screen recording functionality. The overall operations are similar to before. Its “Instant Replay" feature lets you record from several seconds to up to 20 minutes.

Check out how to record with NVIDIA to save gaming highlight clips.

Step 1: In the NVIDIA app, click Settings and turn on NVIDIA overlay.

NVIDIA Record Last 30 Seconds 1

Step 2: Tap the Alt + Z shortcut to open the NVIDIA overlay, and click the gear icon.

NVIDIA Record Last 30 Seconds 2

Step 3: Select the Video Capture option. Drag the slider to set the NVIDIA screen recording length to 30 seconds, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes.

NVIDIA Record Last 30 Seconds 3

Step 4: Configure the recording format, quality, and other output options, and return to the former interface.

Step 5: Choose Instant Replay to enable the Instant Replay option.

NVIDIA Record Last 30 Seconds 4

Step 6: Then, you can screen record using NVIDIA with Alt + F10, the default shortcut for recording the last 30 seconds.

NVIDIA GeForce lets you record the last 30 seconds or 5 minutes in almost the same process, while on a different UI. Click the Settings button in GeForce, select Video Capture to set the instant replay length to 5 minutes or 30 seconds, adjust the bitrate or other video options, and then return to configure the audio or other details. Click Done and press Alt + F10 to immediately record game clips on your PC with NVIDIA.

NVIDIA Shadowplay Record Desktop

If you are a laptop user, it may be difficult to record with NVIDIA. That’s because the laptop screen is connected to the integrated GPU. NVIDIA Shadowplay can only record the screen running with the NVIDIA GPU, but not your laptop's desktop. You can go to the NVIDIA control panel to check that.

But no worries, this part walks you through how to screen record using NVIDIA GeForce on a desktop.

Step 1: Search and open the NVIDIA Control Panel from the Windows search bar.

Step 2: Click 3D Settings > Manage Display Mode > NVIDIA GPU only.

Step 3: Restart GeForce Experience NVIDIA Shadowplay for recording using the shortcut Alt + Z.

Step 4: Click Settings > Privacy control and turn on and activate Desktop capture.

NVIDIA Shadowplay Record Desktop 1

Step 5: Go back to choose the Record button to start recording.

NVIDIA Shadowplay Record Desktop 2

How to Screen Record with NVIDIA Alternative

If you feel it's cumbersome to set up the NVIDIA screen recorder and record the desktop with it, why not try an alternative? AWZ Screen Recorder is an ideal option when it comes to recording games, streaming videos, and webcam. It allows you to record anything happening on your screen from the desktop, microphone, browser, and computer system.

It offers broad customizable options, including the recording area, output quality, video format, and keyboard shortcuts. There are essential editing tools for you to trim, compress, and reduce noise in recordings for perfect production. All is packed in an intuitive and compact user-friendly UI.

Without further ado, look at how to screen record with the NVIDIA screen recording software alternative.

Step 1: Download and install the best screen recorder for Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 or macOS 10.13 or later.

For Windows:

For Mac:

Download AWZ Screen Recorder for Mac

Step 2: Launch it and click Settings (three horizontal lines) to select various recording options to your liking.

Step 3: Enable what to record in the main interface, such as webcam, keyboard strokes, and audio. 

Step 4: Click Full Screen and use Select Region for partial screen recording if needed.

Step 5: Press the Start/Stop recording shortcut F3 and Pause/Resume shortcut F4 to complete your recording.

How to Screen Record with NVIDIA Alternative

Conclusion

The rise of game players and video creators has brought up many excellent screen recording programs. NVIDIA is great for many users to record gaming moments and even do live streaming. It can record long videos and short-form videos with a specified length. Despite lots of advantages, it still has downsides that may let you down. If you are thinking about turning toward another application to switch between, look no further than AWZ Screen Recorder. You can even record videos with virtual backgrounds using it.

FAQs - People Also Ask

Q:Why is NVIDIA Record not working?

There are various reasons why your NVIDIA won't record, such as software glitches, disabled in-game overlay, security blocks, and more. Here are some solutions.

1) Restart or reinstall the NVIDIA recorder.

2) Enable the In-Game Overlay from the Settings window.

3) Enable the Desktop Capture feature.

4) Turn off the security protection.

5) Update your NVIDIA driver.

Q:What is the shortcut for NVIDIA screen record?

Alt + Z to open the NVIDIA Shadowplay screen recorder.

Alt + F9 to start recording videos.

Alt + F10 to start recording instant replay videos.

Q:Is the NVIDIA screen recorder free?

NVIDIA’s built-in screen recorder, Shadowplay, is free to use for those who have compatible NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards.

Charlotte has been in the software industry for 8+ years. She works for AWZWARE now as a passionate writer. She is good at providing simple guides to use various video, office and entertainment software. Charlotte also recommends many other useful tools to make your work and life easier. A food lover too.

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