How To Record Switch Gameplay With Capture Card Or On PC

You must have ever heard of Nintendo Switch if you don’t have one. It is such a popular video game console that people in every corner of the world know it. Playing games on Switch is a feast of eyes and ears, especially for the big fans. Commonly, the game players would like to record some peak, exciting, and unforgettable moments. They can share the screenshots or even the video capture with their friends. They can also upload the recorded gameplays onto the internet.

But you may ask: how to record Switch gameplay. If you have no ideas of how to screen record on Switch or don’t know clearly about how to record Nintendo Switch gameplay, the following content will be very helpful.

How to Record Switch Gameplay (the Most Basic Way)

Nintendo has designed a built-in record feature for Switch: it allows you to take a screenshot or record a video easily.

How to Record on Nintendo Switch

If you’re using the consoles with system menu version 4.0.0 or higher, you can perform video capture directly by pressing the button.

1. Power on your Nintendo Switch and go to play the game you want to record.
2. Press and hold the Capture button on the left Joy-Con. It’s a square button with an indented circle.
3. You should make a long press to start Switch video capture, instead of holding the button for 30 seconds.
4. Wait for the Saving message to appear in the upper left corner of the screen.
5. The new message will come with a play icon to inform you that the recording is finished and the video is saved to the Album.

Please note:

• Don’t make a second-long press on the Capture button during this process. Otherwise, the first video capture will be less than 30 seconds.
• If you only want to take a screenshot while playing video games on Nintendo Switch, you should press the Capture button and then release it.

That’s the simplest way of how to record on Switch. If you also want to take some screenshots from the recorded video, please follow this guide:

1. Go back to the home screen on Switch.
2. Select Album and then All Screenshots and Videos.
3. Specify the video you want to edit. It will then be played automatically.
4. Press Y to pause the video when it shows the window you want to record.
5. Select Editing and Posting and then Save as Screenshot.
6. Repeat these steps to take more screenshots.

Now, you can go to the Album to view and edit the screenshots, if you like.

Attention: how to take a screenshot on Mac & Windows.

• How To Take A Screenshot On A Mac: Methods And Guides.
• How To Take A Screenshot On Windows 8 (Or 8.1): User Guide.

How to edit or trim a saved gameplay video:

Go to the HOME Menu -> choose Album -> choose All Screenshots and Videos -> specify the target video -> select Editing and Posting -> select Trim -> slide the left marker to decide where you want to start the video -> click Next -> slide the right marker to decide where you want to end the video -> click Save.

How to Record Nintendo Switch with Capture Card

Not all games are compatible with the built-in capture tool in Switch. If you want to record these games, you should look for other solutions. Using capture card Switch is a good choice.

What is the capture card? It’s actually a third-party hardware system designed to help Nintendo Switch users record video from their screen.

What You Need to Prepare for Capture Card Video Recording

In addition to the Nintendo Switch device and a capture card for Nintendo Switch, you also need these things:

• A Dock for Nintendo Switch (with both USB port and HDMI interface)
• HDMI cables that could be used to connect Switch and the capture card
• A proper desktop computer

Does HDMI Carry Audio? How To Troubleshoot HDMI No Sound?

Two of the biggest advantages of using a capture card to record Switch screen are:

• It unblocks the restriction of the games.
• It breaks the 30 seconds time limit.

Steps to Record Video with Capture Card Switch

Step 1: connect the capture card to Nintendo Switch.

1. Get a Nintendo Switch Dock and two HDMI cables.
2. Plug one end of the first HDMI cable into the “HDMI OUT” port on the Nintendo Switch Dock and the other end into the “HDMI IN” port on the capture card.
3. Plug one end of the second HDMI cable into the “HDMI OUT” port on the capture card and the other end into the “HDMI IN” port on your monitor.

Step 2: connect Nintendo Switch and capture card.

1. You should connect your Nintendo Switch to the Nintendo Switch Dock you prepared.
2. Then, connect your capture card to the desktop computer via a USB cable.
3. Make sure the Nintendo Switch is recognized by your computer.

Step 3: record with the capture card Switch.

1. Launch the capture card software on the computer.
2. Locate the gameplay you want to record on Nintendo Switch.
3. Click on the Record button in the capture card software to start recording.
4. Click on the Stop button when you want to end the recording.

The capture card can also help you record PS4 gameplay, Xbox 360 gameplay, or the gameplay on many other game consoles.

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Related reading:

• How to add an external drive to PS4/PS4 Pro?
• How to recover data from the PS4 hard drive?

How to Capture Switch Gameplay on PC

Some people don’t have a capture card and are reluctant to buy one, but they still want to know how to record video on Switch. Are there any other ways to help? Is it possible and how to record Switch gameplay on PC? The answer is YES.

Please choose a high-quality recorder to record Switch gameplay in easy steps and to break the 30 seconds time limit for the built-in recording tool. MiniTool Video Converter, combining Video Convert, Video Download, and Screen Record, is worth a try.

If you have this tool, you won’t be bothered by how to record Nintendo Switch with a PC anymore.

How to Get & Install MiniTool Video Converter

Step 1: please download the setup program of MiniTool Video Converter from a reliable link. You can click on the button below to download it directly (please choose a location that is safe and has enough free space left to save the program).

MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2: install the software on your PC.

1. Navigate to the place where you chose to keep the setup program in step 1.
2. Locate the vc-setup.exe file and double click on it.
3. Click on the Custom Installation option to choose a proper Language and Installation Path This step is optional; you can keep the default choices.
4. Click on the Install Now button to start the installation immediately.
5. Wait for the installation process to complete.
6. Click on the Start Now button in the middle of the bottom to run the software. You can also double- click on the software icon on the desktop to run it.

You need to connect your Nintendo Switch console to the target computer and display your desired gameplay on it before using the third-party recorder to record the Switch screen. Please read this page if the Switch is not showing up/recognized by PC.

How to Record Gameplay on Switch with MiniTool Video Converter

Before using this recorder to capture Switch gameplay on PC, you should connect Switch to it properly; make sure it’s recognized. Then, you need to display the gameplay that you want to record on the screen. After that, please finish the following steps one by one.

Step 1: open MiniTool Screen Recorder.

1. Select Screen Record from the menu bar at the top of the software interface.
2. Click on the Click to record screen area in the middle.
3. Wait for about 2 seconds.

Step 2: change settings in MiniTool Screen Recorder.

1. Click on the down arrow on the left side to choose from Full screen and Select region. Make sure it covers the Switch gameplay screen.
2. Adjust the volume level of System Audio and Microphone if you want.
3. Click on the Settings icon (look like a gear) in the upper right section.
4. You can custom the settings for Output folder, Video, Mouse, Recording, Hotkeys, and Main panel according to needs.
5. Click on the OK button in the lower right corner to confirm.

Step 3: start recording your Nintendo Switch screen.

1. Click on the red Record button on the right side or press F6 on your keyboard to start recording the screen.
2. A 3-second countdown screen will appear. Just wait.
3. Perform any actions that you want to record during the recording.
4. Press F6 again to end the process.
5. The recorded video will be listed in the software at once with the Duration and Size information.
6. If you want to check the video, please right-click on the video and choose Preview or Open folder.
7. You can also choose Select all, Delete, or Rename according to actual needs.

Please note:

You can press F9 to pause or resume recording easily.

After that, you can close the MiniTool Screen Recorder window and the MiniTool Video Converter software in order.

That’s all about how to capture Nintendo Switch screen on a computer.

Extended reading:

If you want to record the screen on a Chromebook, please read this page:

How To Screen Record On Chromebook: The Steps And Recorder

This is the right page to read if you don’t know how to screen record on Chromebook but want to record videos on your own.

Read More

How to Record Videos on Windows 10 with Game Bar

Also, you need to connect your Nintendo Switch console to the computer and make sure it can be recognized before starting to record Switch gameplay.

Step 1: enable the Game bar.

1. Click on the Start button located in the lower-left corner of your PC screen.
2. Click on Settings (represented by a gear icon) from the left sidebar.
3. Select Gaming (Game bar, captures, broadcasting, Game Mode).
4. Game bar is selected by default in the left panel.
5. Look for the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar option in the right panel.
6. Toggle the switch under the option to On.

Step 2: start recording.

1. Press Win+G to open the Game bar on Windows 10 quickly.
2. Look for the Capture module and select it.
3. Display the gameplay that you want to record on the computer screen.
4. Click on the Start recording button or press Win+Alt+R on the keyboard.
5. Perform any actions that you want to record.
6. Click on the Stop recording button or press Win+Alt+R again when you want to end the recording.
7. A notification will appear to inform you that the recorded video is saved in MP4 format.

Please go to check the video you get. If you also want to edit it, you should open the MP4 video with the Photos app and then select Edit & Create. (Do you want to convert MP4 to MP3 for free?)

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You still have another choice to record the screen of your Windows 10 laptop or computer: recording via the webcam by using the Camera app.

You need to read this page if you want to know more details on how to record video on PC Windows 10:

How to Record Video on PC Windows 10 [Solved]

A lot of people are asking the same question on the internet - how to record video on Windows 10; this page introduces several useful ways.

Read More

Final Thoughts

If you search online, you can find a lot of Nintendo Switch gameplay easily. Some hot videos even have been viewed hundreds of millions of times. An idea might occur to you: recording Nintendo Switch gameplay yourself. But do you know how to record Switch gameplay?

This article focuses on introducing 4 useful ways to show people how to record on Switch or even a Windows PC. You should read them step by step if you also want to make the Switch gameplay video yourself.