How to Take Screenshots and Record Clips on Xbox Series X & S

The new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles come with a brand new, updated Xbox Wireless Controller.

While the old Xbox One controller is still compatible with the Xbox Series X and S, the new controller comes with a specialist button (see below) that makes taking screenshots far easier than on the old controller.

This is how you take a screenshot on the Xbox Series X and S:

1. While in a game, tap the Share button on the new Xbox Controller;
2. To confirm that the screenshot has been captured, a box will appear at the bottom of the screen;
3. Alternatively, you can press the Xbox button mid-game and then press Y to ‘Capture screenshot.’

This is how you record video clips on the Xbox Series X and S:

1. While in a game, press and hold the Share button on the new Xbox Controller;
2. Release the Share button when you want to end the clip recording;
3. To confirm that the clip has been recorded, a box will appear at the bottom of the screen;
4. Alternatively, you can press the Xbox button mid-game and then press X to ‘Record what happened;

The addition of the Share button has made it much easier to keep your favourite gaming moments and showcase them to your friends and the gaming community.

What is the Share button on the Xbox Series X and S controller?

The Share button on the new Xbox Series X and S controller is the lower-middle button found under the Xbox button. It’s marked by an upwards-pointing arrow. Pressing this button will take a screenshot; holding and releasing the Share button will record a clip.

It should be noted that, if an Xbox prompt shows when you press the Share button – such as if it pops-up to indicate that a screenshot has been saved – the pop-up won’t be captured in the screenshot.

How to start recording gameplay footage on the Xbox Series X and S

To start recording a clip of your gameplay on the Xbox Series X and S, you’ll need to press the Xbox button and then navigate to the ‘Capture & share’ section.

In this section, scroll down and select ‘Start recording.’ A box at the bottom of the screen will pop-up to show that you have started to record your gameplay.

To finish recording a clip, press the Xbox button and then press X to ‘Stop recording.’ Recording in this way gives you a maximum of two minutes to get whatever gameplay footage that you want to keep. It will automatically stop recording and save the clip at the end of the two minutes.

How to view my screenshots and recordings on Xbox Series X and S

To view your screenshots and recordings on the Xbox Series X and S, you need to:

1. Press the Xbox button and navigate to the ‘Capture & share’ section;
2. Select ‘Recent captures’ to see the newer screenshots and recordings. To see all of your captures, go to the bottom of this window and select ‘Show all;’
3. In the ‘Manage captures’ window, you can use the filters to see screenshots and recordings taken ‘On this Xbox,’ or all of your captures that have been saved ‘On Xbox Live;’
   • To only view your screenshots or recordings, change the second filter from ‘Everything’ to ‘Game clips’ or ‘Screenshots.’
   • To view your captures from a specific game, change the third filter from ‘All games’ to the title of your choice.
4. To get a full-screen view of the screenshot or to watch the game clip, find it among the previews below the filters and press A.

You may find that not all of your captures ‘On this Xbox’ are ‘On Xbox Live.’ This is because they haven’t been uploaded to the Xbox Live account.

To manually upload a capture to Xbox Live, you’ll need to be connected to the internet. Next, follow these steps:

1. From the Manage captures window, navigate across the filters and select the checklist button to the right-hand side;
2. Now, all of your captures will be shown in a list form. Scroll down to the capture that you want to add to Xbox Live and select the ‘Upload to Xbox Live’ button.
   • If the option to ‘Upload to Xbox Live’ isn’t there, the capture will have already been uploaded.

By default, if your console is connected to the internet, captures saved to your Xbox will then be uploaded to Xbox Live.

How to share and save captures from an Xbox Series X and S

To share your screenshots and recordings on the Xbox Series X and S, you need to:

1. Press the Xbox button and navigate to the ‘Capture & share’ section;
2. Select ‘Recent captures’ and then go to the bottom of this window and select ‘Show all;’
3. On the next window (‘Manage captures’) go to the right side and select the checklist button;
4. Navigate to your chosen capture and then press ‘Share’ to upload it into a Message, Club, your Activity Feed, OneDrive, or to Twitter;
   • If you want to share your screenshot or recording from your computer, choose ‘Upload to OneDrive’ from the checklist screen on ‘Manage captures.’

If you’d like to upload more than one capture to your OneDrive at once, arrange the captures via the checklist button and then select the checkbox button to the right-hand side of the filters bar.

Pressing the checkbox button will automatically tick all of the captures shown on the page – up to 100 screenshots and recordings – and then you need to press the ‘Upload to OneDrive’ button.

For more control when uploading multiple captures, use the ‘Select’ button next to each capture while on the checklist view to pick several screenshots and clips to the upload to your OneDrive.

By pressing the ‘Upload to OneDrive’ option for your captures, you’ll be able to access, save, edit, and share your Xbox screenshots and clips from your PC.

How to share Xbox Series X and S captures to your phone

To share captures taken on your Xbox Series X or S to your phone, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Turn on your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S;
2. On your smartphone, go to the Play Store or App Store and download the app entitled ‘Xbox;’
3. Sign-in on the app using the same account that you use on your Xbox Series X or S;
4. From the home screen of the Xbox app, press the button in the top-right corner that shows a console with signals (the button next to the bell);
5. Select ‘Set up a Console’ on the pop-up, press ‘Set up a new console,’ connect to your Wi-Fi network, and input the code on your TV screen to your phone to sync the devices.

Now, any of your screenshots and recordings that are uploaded to Xbox Live via your Xbox Series X or S can also be accessed from the Xbox app on your phone.

To view the captures from your Xbox console on your phone, open the Xbox app and press the icon along the bottom bar that looks like a shelf of books. This will take you to the ‘My Library’ window, where you can view, save, share, and delete your captures.

Through the Xbox app, you can share your Xbox Series X and S captures to any other applicable app on your phone, such as Messages, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

How to adjust Xbox Series X and S capture settings

If you’d like to tweak how your Xbox console saves images and clips, you need to press the Xbox button and the move to the ‘Capture & share’ section. Next, select ‘Capture settings;’

In the ‘Capture settings,’ you can:

• Extend quick clip capture time in the ‘Record what happened’ section;
• Change where your captures are saved in ‘Capture location’ if you have external memory plugged-in;
• Improve the quality of your captures in the ‘Game clip resolution’ section.

How to save gameplay clips in 4K

To improve the resolution of your captures to 4K SDR or 4K HDR, follow these steps:

1. Press the Xbox button, go to ‘Capture & share,’ and select ‘Capture settings;’
2. Scroll down to ‘Game clip resolution;’
3. Select either ‘4K SDR’ or ‘4K HDR.’

Changing from 720p SDR or 1080p SDR in the capture settings will reduce the maximum length of a recording, from three minutes or one minute to 30 seconds.

That’s everything that you need to know about Xbox Series X and S captures, from saving gameplay images and footage to sharing your greatest gaming moments in 4K resolution.