How to Record Screen on Ubuntu 22.04?

Different screen recording tools are used to capture the screen content. Screen recorders help users to record real-time screen content and create a live stream. Moreover, these screen recorders are commonly used by gamers for live-streaming games and by users to attend webinars & video calls. 

This guide will discuss the best screen recording tools in Ubuntu and provide a stepwise guide to use those screen recorders.

The content of this post is as follows:

Let’s start by recording the screen using the default screen recorder for Ubuntu 22.04.

Method 1: Record Screen Using Default GNOME Shell Screen Recorder

The GNOME shell utility is the default application for screencasting and taking screenshots in Ubuntu 22.04. The application can record the screens simply by pressing the shortcut key from the keyboard. Let’s perform the steps to record the screen using GNOME Shell tools:

Step 1: Launch the GNOME Shell Screen Recorder

Navigate to the desired screen you want to record and Press the short keys “Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R” to open the GNOME Shell Screen Recorder. You will be directly taken to record the video (Video option default selected). 

OR

Press the “PrtScr” shortcut key to launch/open the GNOME Shell Screen Recorder. You will be taken to the GNOME Shell screen recorder interface, where you will select the “Video” option as indicated below picture:

Step 2: Select the Video Capture Area

Select the area for recording the screen, as we can select a specific area of the screen, the entire screen, and a specific window (if you are using more than one screen). For instance, the below picture shows the “Screen” option selected, which will record the entire screen.

Step 3: Start Screen Recording

Now press the Red “Start” button to record the screen. Now the GNOME Shell has started recording the screen as you can see in the top-right corner of the below picture the recording time is displayed (0:07) seconds.

Press the white square icon with the time to end the screen recording. By default the video will be stored at following address which is shown below:

Home/Videos/Screencasts

Let’s get into the next method.

Method 2: Record Screen Using Kazam

Kazam is a commonly used screen recorder that comes with hotkeys that allow you to start, finish, resume and pause the screen recording. The Kazam screen recorder’s main features include a simple and easy-to-use interface, support for multiple video formats, and delay time support for screen recording.

How to Install Kazam?

To install the KAZAM recorder in Ubuntu, the following command is utilized:

$ sudo apt install kazam

Once installed, you need to follow the following simple steps to use it.

Step 1: Launch the Kazam Screen Recorder

After installation, navigate to the activities menu and click on the “Show Application” option to open a search bar. Search the word “Kazam” in the search bar and click its icon to open it.

The below interface will open for the Kazam:

Step 2:Start Screen Recording Using Kazam

To start capturing the screen, ensure you have configured the Kazam following these simple steps:

  • Click “Screencast” for the video mode.
  • Select the screen area for screen recording.
  • Adjust Delay time (Default is 5 seconds); if you want to start recording the screen immediately, set the delay time 0.
  • Press the “Capture” button to start recording.

Click the “Capture” button, and the “Red” video recording icon will show in the top-left corner of the screen:

Step 3: Pause or Finish Recording

When you click the video icon, two options appear. Choose the “Pause recording” option to pause the video or select the “Finish recording” to end the recording.

Now, let’s get into the third screen recorder.

Method 3: Record Screen Using Open Broadcaster Software Studio (OBS)

OBS Studio is an easy-to-use screen recording software. It shows many options on the GUI, which makes video customization easy. It has different control options and scene transitions of the video on the main GUI, which can be accessed with a single click.

The main features of the “OBS Studio” screen recorder are providing filters for videos and audio mixers with filters. Moreover, it’s flexible for different use cases and provides live streaming options with webcam support.

How to Install OBS Studio?

To install the OBS Studio software in Ubuntu, run the below-written command:

$ sudo apt install obs-studio -y

After installation, follow the steps to use the OBS screen recorder.

Step 1: Launch the OBS Screen Recorder

The OBS can easily be launched by clicking the “Show Application” from the Menu bar, searching the “obs” in the search bar & opening it by clicking its icon.

The below screen will open up for the OBS screen recorder to start the recording:

Step 2: Start Screen Recording Using OBS

The OBS provides several customization options for the user that you can customize. For instance, the screen transition is set to “300 ms” (3 seconds), and press the “Start Recording” option to begin the screen recording:

Step 3: Finish Recording

The OBS starts recording the screen, which can be verified while having a “Red Dot” in the OBS icon in the top menu bar. While recording, when you click the OBS icon, a list of options will open up; click on “Stop Recording” to end the screen recording.

Let’s have a look at the fourth method.

Method 4: Record Screen Using SimpleScreenRecorder

The simplescreenrecorder’s GUI is straightforward for beginners, yet it has advanced features to offer. It provides built-in features like a mic and webcam, which makes it more useful.   

The Simple screen recorder has built-in video editing options, including the option for video captions, adding images, and making the highlights of the videos. It allows you to record the entire screen or a portion of the screen while playing games.

How to Install SimpleScreenRecoder?

We can install the “simplescreenrecorder” in Ubuntu 22.04 using the below-provided command:

$ sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder

The simplescreenrecoder is successfully installed in the system; let’s record the screen with it.

Step 1: Launch the SimplesSreenRecorder

To launch the screen recorder, we can navigate to the activities menu to open a search bar, and searching the “simple” word will show the simplescreenrecoder icon. Click on its icon to open the recorder.

The below interface will open up on launching the SimpleScreenRecorder:

Step 2: Start Screen Recording Using SimpleScreenRecorder

The simplescreenrecorder allows several settings, which can be selected. Select the preferred “Video input” method and press the “Continue” button:

Now, select the destination folder and video format (in my case, “MKV”) & other settings and click the “Continue” button:

To start the recording, press “Start recording”:

Step 3: Pause or Finish Recording

The simplescreenrecoder allows the user to pause or end the recording. When the screen is recording, the “Pause recording” button will show up, otherwise, in case the video is paused or the video is not started yet, the “Start Recording” button will show up.

For instance, the below picture shows the screen capture, and the “Pause recording” button is pressed to pause the video:

While the video is paused, the previous time of the video can be seen in the below picture, and if you want to start the recording from where you left off, press the “Start recording” button again. To end and save the recording automatically in the default video folder, press the “Save recording”:

That’s it from this video recorder.

Bonus-Tip: Other Screen Recorders For Ubuntu 22.04

Several other screen recorders have more or less the same features that the above recorders have. The list of recorders is mentioned below, alongside their installation commands.

Vokoscreen:

Install this useful utility on Ubuntu 22.04 via the following command:

$ sudo apt install vokoscreen

RecordMyDesktop:

You can install it on Ubuntu 22.04 using the below-stated command:

$ sudo apt install recordmydesktop

Byzanz:

Install it on Ubuntu 22.04 by running the following command:

$ sudo apt install byzanz

That’s the end of these screen recorders informative guide.

Conclusion

Several ways are used to record the screen in Ubuntu 22.04, including the default GNOME shell and other screen recording tools. Moreover, we have provided a step-by-step guide for the Kazam, OBS, and SimpleScreenRecorder screen recorders to record the screen. Other than these, we have also provided the installation methods of three more screen recorders. This post has explained the four different screen recorders to record screens on Ubuntu 22.04.