What You Can Do When Screen Recording Is Not Working in PowerPoint

Fiona Kaufman November 30, 2020 Record Video

“I open PowerPoint, I hit Record button, but my computer pops back into PowerPoint after the countdown is done, how to fix PowerPoint screen recording is not working?” The Screen Record function in new versions of PowerPoint let you record any region of screen and embed it in your slide. However, some users reported that the screen recording is not working in PowerPoint. Therefore, this article intends to tell you five solutions to fix this problem.

PowerPoint screen recording is not working

PAGE CONTENT

Part 1: 3 Common Solutions to Fix PowerPoint Screen Recording Not Working

The Screen Recording feature was introduced in the 2015 update of PowerPoint 2013 and later. Some factors lead to the function failure, such as insufficient space and conflicted software. Here are three common solutions to fix the problem.

Solution 1: Free up Space

Though the recording is embedded into slides, it requires a lot of space to render video. When PowerPoint screen recording stops working, you need to free up space on your disk.

Clean up disk

Step 1: Close all programs running in the background.

Step 2: Open a file explorer window, and right-click on the system disk, which is usually C driver. Choose Properties to open the popup dialog.

Step 3: Go to the General tab and click Disk Cleanup button. When it finished, reboot your computer and try screen recording in PowerPoint again.

Solution 2: Run PowerPoint in Safe Mode

To get rid of the problem that PowerPoint Screen Recording is not working, you can run PowerPoint in Safe Mode.

Safe mode

Step 1: Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open Run dialog.

Step 2: Next, type in powerpnt/safe and hit the Enter key. If prompted, click Yes to enter safe mode.

Step 3: Now, you can try the Screen Recording feature in the Insert tab on the top ribbon.

Solution 3: Perform Quick Repair of Office

In fact, Office includes a Repair tool to help you fix various issues, such as PowerPoint Screen Recording is not working correctly.

Step 1: Open Office Repair tool:

On Windows 10: Right-click the Start menu at lower left corner, choose Apps and Features, select PowerPoint and click Modify.

On Windows 8/7: Right-click the Start menu, choose Control Panel, select Uninstall a program under Programs, right-click PowerPoint and click Change.

Open repair

Step 2: Select Quick Repair on the Repair tool, and click Repair button. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process and try screen recording in PowerPoint.

Quick repair

Part 2: Ultimate Ways to Fix PowerPoint Screen Recording Not Working

Solution 4: Record Screen with Desktop Alternative to PowerPoint

Vidmore Screen Recorder is a powerful screen recording app to capture everything on your desktop. It is lightweight and works smoothly to record a PowerPoint Presentation.

Main Features of the Best Alternative to PowerPoint Screen Recording

  1. Record screen and save as independent video file.
  2. Produce high quality recordings for embedding in PowerPoint.
  3. Preview screen recordings with built-in media player.

Free Download

for Windows

Free Download

for macOS

How to Record Screen When PowerPoint Is Not Working

Step 1: Install the best screen recorder

Run the best screen recorder after you install it on your computer. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac. Choose Video Recorder to open the main interface.

Select video recorder

Step 2: Record screen for PowerPoint

To record your screen for PowerPoint, enable DISPLAY and select the recording area, and turn on System Sound, while disable Webcam and Microphone. If you want to capture your reactions along with screen, toggle on the four options. Click the REC button when you are ready to record screen. During screen recording, you can add shapes, texts and painting on it.

Video recorder

Step 3: Preview and save screen recording

Wait for screen recording for PowerPoint is done, click the Stop button to open the preview window. Check the recording and click Save button if you are satisfied. The Clip tool is used to cut unwanted frames.

Save video recording

Solution 5: Record Screen with Online Alternative to PowerPoint

Another solution to fix PowerPoint Screen Recording not working is Vidmore Free Online Screen Recorder. As a web app, it lets you record screen on Windows and Mac without installing software.

Key Features of the Online Alternative to PowerPoint Screen Recording

  1. Record screen online.
  2. Save screen recording in WMV.
  3. Free of charge with no watermark.

How to Record Screen for PowerPoint Online

Step 1: After preparing the screen you want to record, open a browser and visit https://www.vidmore.com/free-online-screen-recorder/. Click Launch Free Recorder to download the launcher.

Launch free recorder

Step 2: You can get four icons on the launcher, Screen, Webcam, System audio and Microphone. They record corresponding sources and you can decide to enable or disable each of them according to your need.

Launcher interface

Step 3: Click REC button to start recording screen for PowerPoint. Wait for the recording to complete, click Stop button and download it. Then you can insert the recording to your PowerPoint.

Stop record

Part 3: FAQs about PowerPoint Screen Recording Not Working

How to enable Screen Recording in PowerPoint?

Step 1: Open PowerPoint, and go to the Insert tab on the top ribbon.

Step 2: Choose Screen Recording and then Select Area.

Step 3: Then select an area with your cursor, and click Record button.

How long can you screen record in PowerPoint?

There is no limit to the amount of screen recording time. It is primarily depending on the available drive space on your computer.

How do I save a PowerPoint screen recording as a video?

After screen recording in PowerPoint, the result will be embedded into your slide. If you want to save it as a video, right-click on the thumbnail of the recording and select Save Media As. Then enter a filename, select a folder location, and click Save.

Conclusion

This piece of troubleshooting has discussed how to fix the problem that PowerPoint Screen Recording is not working. Firstly, you can perform the common solutions. If the problem does not disappear, you’d better look for an alternative to PowerPoint. Vidmore Screen Recorder is one of the best screen recorder software. With it, you can capture anything on your screen and insert it to your presentation. Encounter other troubles? Please write them down below this post.

Vidmore Screen Recorder Icon

Try Vidmore Screen Recorder for Free

Your best companion for video & audio recording in Windows 11/10/8/7, Mac OS X 10.10 and higher

Free Download Free Download
4.8

based on 179 user reviews