How to Record Your Screen on a Samsung Galaxy A51

To record your screen on a Samsung Galaxy A51, swipe down twice, tap Screen recorder, choose your sound settings, and tap Start recording. Availability depends on your phone’s region and software, so use a compatible recorder app if your A51 does not include Samsung’s recorder.

Start recording from Quick settings

Swipe down twice from the top of your A51’s screen to expand Quick settings. Tap Screen recorder, choose the sound settings for your recording, then tap Start recording. Wait for the three-second countdown before performing the actions you want to capture.

When you finish, tap the square Stop icon on the recording controls. Open Gallery to view the saved video.

Pressing the Side key and Volume Down together takes a still screenshot rather than a video; use that when you only need to take a screenshot of your screen.

Find a missing Screen recorder button

A missing button does not always mean the recorder is unavailable. Expand the Quick panel, tap More, shown as three dots, then choose Edit buttons. Alternatively, swipe left in the panel and tap the Plus icon.

Under Available buttons, touch and hold Screen recorder, drag it into the panel, and tap Done. You can then start recording from that button. Moving the button exposes an existing feature; it does not install the recorder.

If Screen recorder is also absent from Available buttons, use a compatible recorder app such as Mobizen. Samsung recommends a Play Store or Galaxy Store recorder when the built-in feature is unavailable. For supported games, you can also use Game Booster.

Choose recording sound and video quality

Before starting your next recording, open Settings > Advanced features > Screenshots and screen recorder. Adjust Sound and Video quality to suit your recording. This page configures the recorder; return to Quick settings to start it.

Where offered, adjust Selfie video size to change the camera overlay’s size. During recording, you may also have toolbar controls for drawing, adding a camera overlay, and pausing. Use the controls available on your phone, since the selection differs by model and software.

Record gameplay with Game Booster

Launch a supported game, reveal the navigation bar, and tap the Game Booster icon. If you use full-screen gestures, open the notification panel instead and tap Tap to open Game Booster. In the panel, tap Record to begin capturing your gameplay.

Tap Stop on the navigation bar when you finish. Open Gallery and look in the folder named for the game to find your video. For activities outside supported games, use Samsung’s general screen recorder or a recorder app.

For faster access, open the Game Booster panel, tap the Settings gear, and select Shortcuts. If offered, choose the recording option, then use the resulting shortcut at the bottom-right while gaming. Stop with the navigation-bar recording control. If recording is absent from the shortcut options, use Record in the panel when available, or choose another recorder.

Use Mobizen when you need a recorder app

Open the official Mobizen Screen Recorder product page to identify the app, then install a compatible release through your phone’s official app store. Open Mobizen and tap its floating aircircle control. Tap Record and grant the requested screen-capture permission.

Stop the recording using the app’s recording controls, then tap View video. You can also open the video list through the aircircle menu.

Sound capture and permission requirements vary between recorder apps, so check the options available in your installed version. If your store does not offer a compatible Mobizen release, choose another compatible store recorder or use a computer method below.

Record to a computer with scrcpy

Use scrcpy to mirror your A51 and save a recording on a Windows, macOS, or Linux computer. Open the official scrcpy project and follow Get the app to install it for your operating system. You also need to enable USB debugging on your phone.

On your A51, open Settings > About phone > Software information. Tap Build number seven times and enter your device credentials if prompted. Return to Settings, open Developer options, and enable USB debugging.

Connect your phone to the computer and approve the debugging authorization prompt on the phone. In your computer’s terminal, run the following command to mirror the phone and record a video named a51.mp4. Audio forwarding requires Android 11 or later, so an A51 updated to Android 13 meets that requirement.

scrcpy --record=a51.mp4

If you want a silent recording, use the following command instead. This disables audio while recording the screen.

scrcpy --no-audio --record=a51.mp4

Press Ctrl + C in the terminal to stop either recording. The resulting video is saved on your computer.

Make a short silent recording with Android tools

You can also use Android’s screenrecord utility through adb for a short clip without sound. It has a documented maximum duration of three minutes and does not support rotating your phone during recording. Choose another recording method if you need audio or a longer clip.

Open Google’s SDK Platform-Tools download page and select Download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows, Download SDK Platform-Tools for Mac, or Download SDK Platform-Tools for Linux. Accept the terms and extract the package containing adb. Enable USB debugging and authorize your connected computer using the steps above. From a terminal configured to run adb from the extracted package, start recording with this command.

adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/a51.mp4

Keep your phone in the same orientation while you record. Press Ctrl + C to stop, then run the following command to copy the video from your phone to your computer.

adb pull /sdcard/a51.mp4

Capture the mirrored screen on Windows

On a compatible Windows 11 PC, you can combine Phone Link’s screen mirroring with Snipping Tool’s area recording. Microsoft lists the Galaxy A51 as supporting Phone screen in eligible markets. Treat this as a way to capture the mirrored picture, since phone-audio capture is not guaranteed with this combination.

If needed, install Phone Link from the Microsoft Store on your PC and Link to Windows from Google Play on your A51. Pair the apps using the same Microsoft account, follow the permission prompts, and connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network. When pairing displays a QR code, follow the instructions to scan a QR code.

Open Phone screen in Phone Link and approve the prompts on your phone. On Windows 11, open Snipping Tool, select Record, then select New, or press Windows + Shift + R. Select the mirrored phone area and choose Start, then select Stop and save when you finish.

If your Phone Link setup does not support Phone screen, use scrcpy for computer recording. You can also use a recorder on the A51 itself.

Resolve recording restrictions on a managed phone

If your organization manages your A51 or its work profile, an administrative policy may prevent screen capture. Ask your administrator to review the screen capture policy in the Android Enterprise profile in Knox Manage. In the original console, it is under System > Screen Capture Permission; in the new console, it is under Device > System settings > Screen capture permission. The administrator can permit capture where your organization’s policy allows it.

This permission is an administrator control, so you cannot change it through your ordinary personal-phone recording settings. Allowing capture removes a possible restriction; you still need to start a recording with an available recorder.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can one app block recording even when other apps record normally?

Protected content and app-specific restrictions can prevent screen capture. Switching to another recorder does not guarantee that you can capture that content.

Can Nice Shot install the missing Samsung screen recorder?

Nice Shot’s current Galaxy Store listing does not describe installing a missing recorder. Its listed screen-recording enhancements are customizable selfie video backgrounds and automatic Do Not Disturb during recordings.

Should you uninstall Samsung Capture updates or sideload a recorder APK?

Samsung’s current guidance for phones without the built-in feature is to install a screen recording app from the Play Store or Galaxy Store, so use a compatible store recorder instead.

Do instructions for newer Galaxy recording features apply to the A51?

Your A51’s software history includes Android 13 and One UI 5.1. Do not assume that instructions for newer Galaxy interfaces, including AI select or selected-area recording, apply to your phone.

Does the Galaxy A51 5G support Phone Link screen mirroring too?

Yes, Microsoft lists the Galaxy A51 5G as supporting Phone screen in eligible markets. You still need to meet the Phone Link setup requirements.

Can you start recording with Bixby or Gemini?

Samsung’s screen recorder guide that covers the A51 documents starting a recording from the Quick panel, not with a voice command. Use an available recording control on your phone or one of the computer methods.