Screen recording on your iPad Air M3 lets you capture everything that happens on the display, whether you're making a tutorial, saving a video call, or recording gameplay footage. It's built right into iPadOS 18 and takes just a few taps to set up. Here's how to use it on the iPad Air M3.
Add Screen Recording to Control Center
Before you can record, you need the screen recording button in Control Center. On iPadOS 18, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center. If you don't see the Screen Recording button, tap the + icon in the top-left corner (or long-press an empty area), then search for Screen Recording and tap Add. The button, which looks like a circle inside another circle, will appear in your Control Center for easy access anytime.
Start a Screen Recording
Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPad Air M3's screen to open Control Center. Tap the Screen Recording button to begin. A three-second countdown appears, giving you time to navigate to whatever you want to record. Once the countdown finishes, the button turns red and everything on your screen is being captured. A red indicator appears in the top-left corner of your iPad's display, showing that recording is active.
Record with Audio from Your Microphone
By default, screen recording captures system sounds but not your voice. To record your microphone audio along with the screen, press and hold the Screen Recording button in Control Center instead of tapping it. A menu pops up with a Microphone toggle at the bottom. Tap it to turn the microphone on, then tap Start Recording.
With the microphone enabled, your voice and any ambient sound will be recorded alongside what's happening on screen. This is perfect for narrated tutorials or commentary on your iPad Air M3.
Stop the Recording
When you're done recording, tap the red status indicator at the top of your screen and confirm by tapping Stop. You can also open Control Center and tap the Screen Recording button again to stop. The recording saves automatically to your Photos app in the Videos album.
Edit Your Screen Recording
Open the Photos app and find your recording. Tap Edit in the top-right corner. You can trim the beginning and end by dragging the handles on the timeline at the bottom. This is useful for cutting out the parts where you opened Control Center to start and stop the recording. Tap Done and choose to save it as a new clip or replace the original.
Share Your Recording
From the Photos app, open the screen recording and tap the Share button. You can send it via Messages, AirDrop, email, or upload it to social media. For longer recordings, you might need to compress the video first using iMovie or another editing app to reduce the file size before sharing.
What You Can and Cannot Record on iPad Air M3
Screen recording captures most apps and system UI, but some content is protected. Streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+ will show a black screen during playback to prevent piracy. Similarly, DRM-protected content in other apps may not record properly. Regular apps, games, web browsers, and your own content work without restrictions on the iPad Air M3.
Use Screen Recording for Troubleshooting
If you're experiencing a bug or glitch on your iPad Air M3, screen recording is an excellent way to document it. Record the issue happening, then share the video with tech support or post it on forums. It's much more useful than trying to describe the problem in words.