It’s often useful to record what you see on Netflix to capture clips for social media, make memes, save snippets for later, or other purposes. However, Netflix and other streaming services normally prevent screen recording as an anti-piracy measure. 

While it’s against Netflix’s terms to store copies of significant portions of shows, you are allowed to capture small clips for fair use purposes. Here’s how to screen record Netflix depending on what device you’re using.

1. Recording on Windows PCs

If you have a Windows laptop or desktop, it’s quite simple to screen record Netflix or any other video content. The Windows 10 Game Bar includes a handy built-in screen recorder. 

To get started:

Step 1 — Enable Game Bar

First, open the Start Menu and search for “game bar” then select the “game bar settings” result. In the settings, make sure “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game Bar” is toggled On. This enables the recording functions.

Step 2 — Launch Game Bar

Now whenever you want to screen record, simply press the Windows logo key + G to launch the Game Bar overlay menu. Click the red circle record button or press Win+Alt+R to start recording your screen.

Step 3 — Finish Recording

To stop recording, bring up the Game Bar overlay again or use the same keyboard shortcut. By default, recordings will be saved to Videos > Captures in your Windows user folder. The Game Bar also provides handy controls over the microphone, camera, and screenshot buttons while you record.

Note: If you find out screen-recording takes too much of your time, it might be a better solution to download Netflix videos with the Netflix app or an external Netflix downloader.

2. Recording on Macs

The procedure is just as simple on Mac computers using the built-in QuickTime app.

Follow these steps:

Step 1 — Open QuickTime

Launch QuickTime Player from your /Applications folder or Spotlight search. Ensure you have the latest version installed.

Step 2 — Select Screen Recording

Click File > New Screen Recording in the QuickTime menu bar to open the capture window. Here you can select the microphone, choose where to save videos, and start the 3 second countdown. 

Step 3 — Enable Full Accessibility 

If you are trying to record video in a protected app like Netflix or Safari, QuickTime requires some additional access before it can capture the screen. In the QuickTime menu, go to QuickTime Player > Preferences > Security. Check the box for “Allow Full Screen/Screencast” permissions.

You may see a notification that QuickTime requires usage of the Accessibility API. Grant that permission for full screen recording access across your Mac.

Step 4 — Begin Recording

Once permissions are enabled, return to File > New Screen Recording to prepare your screen capture session. Click the Share Screen drop down and choose a Netflix video playback window. Arrange it onscreen then click the Record button.

QuickTime will now be able to capture Netflix playback, browser streams, or anything else on your macOS screen. To end a recording, click the Stop button in the QuickTime overlay menu. Your video will be saved to your default video storage location.

3. Recording on Mobile Devices

For iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices, use these screen recording methods:

3.1 iOS Screen Recording 

To capture Netflix clips or any app usage on iPhone or iPad:

• Open the iOS Control Center by swiping down from the upper right corner. 
• Press and hold the screen record icon which looks like a circle within a circle. 
• You’ll get a 3 second countdown before it starts recording your screen. 
• To stop recording, open Control Center again and tap the red banner at the top of the screen. 
• Open the Photos app to access your screen recordings which get saved like regular videos.

3.2 Android Screen Recording

On Android phones and tablets, screen recording is done through Quick Settings which you can access by swiping down from the top: 

• Look for a “Screen record” tile and tap it to start capturing your screen.
• To select where to save your recordings and other settings, go to Settings > Display > Screen Recorder on your Android device. 
• Like iOS, a screen record notification will appear while capturing and it can be quickly toggled on/off.

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about screen recording Netflix and other video streaming platforms:

Q: Is screen recording Netflix illegal?

A: Technically Netflix’s terms prohibits copying “significant portions” of shows. Short clips for purposes like commentary or education are generally fair use. Use your own judgement on how much to record.

Q: Can Netflix detect screen recording?  

A: At this time there are no reports of Netflix banning accounts for using screen recording features. They seem to tolerate short fair use clips. Recording full-length films or shows does risk account termination.

Q: Will screen recording affect Netflix quality?

A: Screen recording should not impact or degrade the original Netflix playback quality if using a modern PC, Mac or mobile device. Quality depends on your device’s display and system resources.

Q: Why does Netflix block other screen recorders?

A: Advanced screen capture programs are often able to defeat Netflix copy protection. Netflix tries to block those to prevent full show pirating, while allowing basic built-in tools to create short clips.

Q: Can I edit Netflix clips after recording? 

A: Yes, recorded videos will be standard MP4 or MOV files that you can freely edit in video editing apps before uploading or sharing in your own videos.

Wrap Up

In closing, while Netflix usage terms officially prohibit capturing significant portions of their copyrighted content, their built-in screen recording protection does allow for recording short clips for purposes like commentary and education under fair use. 

Use the Windows Game Bar, Mac Quicktime Player, or screen recording options on iOS and Android mobile devices to easily capture Netflix clips. You won’t be able to record full-length movies and shows, but short segments to share are tolerated.

Apply your own good judgement on how long of Netflix videos to record for your personal or public projects, and don’t abuse the screen recording allowance to actually pirate full videos. Used responsibly, it’s a great way to grab funny or memorable moments to share without actually impacting Netflix’s streaming business model.

Read More