Minecraft has two genuinely different ways to record gameplay. Standard screen recording, whether that's Windows Game Bar, macOS's built-in screen recorder, or dedicated software like OBS Studio, captures exactly what's on your screen in real time. Replay Mod instead records the actual game session data, so you can move a free camera through it afterward and re-render the result at higher quality. Which one is right for you depends on whether you want a quick clip right now or a cinematic edit later.
Record with Windows Game Bar or macOS screen recording
The fastest way to record Minecraft needs no extra download at all. Windows 10 and 11 ship Game Bar, and macOS ships its own screen recorder, and both capture your screen and audio straight to a video file.
- 1.Press Windows key + G to open Game Bar while Minecraft is running.
- 2.Click the Capture widget, or press Windows key + Alt + R, to start recording.
- 3.Play normally. A small recording indicator and timer appear on screen.
- 4.Press Windows key + Alt + R again to stop. The clip saves to your Videos > Captures folder as an MP4.
On macOS, press Command + Shift + 5 to open the screen recording toolbar, choose Record Entire Screen or a selected portion covering the Minecraft window, then click Record. Press the stop button in the menu bar when you're done, and the clip saves to the desktop by default.
Record with OBS Studio for more control
OBS Studio is free, open source recording and streaming software, and it's worth setting up if you record regularly, want to tune video quality yourself, or plan to add overlays like a webcam or mic level. Download it at obsproject.com.
- 1.Install OBS Studio and open it.
- 2.In the Sources panel, click the plus button and add a Game Capture (targets a specific game window with lower overhead) or Display Capture (captures the whole screen).
- 3.Point the source at Minecraft, then check Settings > Output to confirm your recording folder and file format. MP4 and MKV both work.
- 4.Set a Start Recording hotkey under Settings > Hotkeys so you don't have to click into OBS mid-game.
- 5.Press the hotkey to start, play, then press it again to stop.
Record the actual session with Replay Mod
Replay Mod is not a screen recorder. It's a client-side mod for Minecraft Java Edition that saves the actual data behind a play session, player and entity positions, block changes, everything needed to rebuild the scene, into a compact replay file. Opening a replay later drops you into a free-roaming camera you can fly anywhere, at any speed, then render out as a finished video with camera paths and framing you never had access to while the game was happening live.
Fabric is the actively maintained loader, with builds published for current Minecraft releases, while the Forge build stopped moving forward at Minecraft 1.12.2 and only gets occasional patches there. Replay Mod is client-side only, so it works on any multiplayer server, Realms included, without installing anything on the server itself.
- 1.Install Fabric Loader for the Minecraft version you play on.
- 2.Download the matching Replay Mod jar from its Modrinth page and drop it in the mods folder.
- 3.Launch the game. Recording starts automatically whenever you join a world or server.
- 4.Open the Replay Viewer from the main menu after your session ends to load the saved recording and fly a free camera through it.
Which recording method should you use
Screen recording, whether that's Game Bar, macOS's recorder, or OBS Studio, adds no extra gameplay overhead beyond the normal cost of encoding video, and it works with any game, not just Minecraft. What you capture live is final, there's no going back to reposition the camera or extend a shot you missed. Replay Mod flips that trade. It costs a mod install and only works on Java Edition, but because it saves the session itself rather than a video, you can revisit it, fly anywhere, and re-render a polished result afterward, which is exactly what a build showcase or a cinematic trailer needs and a straight screen capture cannot give you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I screen record Minecraft?
Use your operating system's built-in recorder for the fastest option: press Windows key + G for Game Bar on Windows, or Command + Shift + 5 on macOS. Both capture your screen and audio to a video file with no extra downloads. For more control over quality, format, and hotkeys, install OBS Studio instead.
How do I record Minecraft with OBS?
Install OBS Studio from obsproject.com, add a Game Capture or Display Capture source pointed at Minecraft, then set your output folder and format under Settings > Output. Assign a Start Recording hotkey under Settings > Hotkeys so you can start and stop without alt-tabbing out of the game.
How do I record Minecraft gameplay on PC?
On PC you have the same two options either way: the OS's built-in screen recorder (Game Bar on Windows, the screen recording toolbar on macOS) for a zero-install quick clip, or OBS Studio when you want control over resolution, bitrate, and audio sources. Neither needs anything installed inside Minecraft itself.
What's the difference between screen recording and Replay Mod?
Screen recording saves pixels, exactly what appeared on your monitor while you played. Replay Mod saves the game session data instead, so you can reopen it later, move a free camera anywhere in the scene, and render a new video with different framing than what you actually saw live.
Does Replay Mod work on Bedrock Edition?
No. Replay Mod only works on Minecraft Java Edition, through Fabric for current versions or a legacy Forge build locked to Minecraft 1.12.2. Bedrock players who want to record gameplay need to use a screen recorder like Xbox Game Bar or their platform's built-in recording tool instead.
