How to Record Your Screen and Webcam in Descript

Capture a screen recording with your webcam and mic directly in Descript so it lands in an editable transcript instantly.

7 minBeginner

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Descript has a built-in recorder for screen, camera, and microphone. The big advantage is that whatever you record arrives already transcribed and ready for text-based editing. This guide covers setting up a clean recording for a tutorial or demo video.

What you need

Descript installed (the recorder is in the desktop app)
Screen recording permission granted to Descript in your OS settings
A microphone, and a webcam if you want a talking-head overlay
The window or app you plan to demo, open and ready

Step 1: Open the recorder

From the project view, click Record. Choose what to capture: screen, camera, both, or audio only. For a tutorial, pick Screen plus Camera so you get a webcam overlay in the corner.

Descript - Recorder

Record

------------------------------------

Capture: [x] Screen [x] Camera [x] Mic

Screen: Entire screen v

Camera: FaceTime HD Camera v

Mic: Blue Yeti v [|||||----] input OK

( Record ) 3..2..1

Recorder set to capture full screen plus webcam and mic.

Grant screen recording permission first

On macOS, go to System Settings then Privacy and Security then Screen Recording and enable Descript. If you skip this, the recording captures a blank or black screen. You may need to quit and reopen Descript after granting it.

Step 2: Check your mic level

Select the correct microphone and watch the input meter while you talk normally. Aim for the meter to bounce in the middle, not pinning to the top (which clips) or barely moving (too quiet). Good levels here save you cleanup later.

Step 3: Record and stop

Hit Record, wait for the countdown, then walk through your demo. Speak clearly so the transcript comes out accurate. When done, stop the recording with the toolbar button or the keyboard shortcut shown in the recorder.

Recording status

Recording started

Screen: 1920x1080 @ 30fps

Camera overlay: bottom-right, circle mask

Duration 04:51 ... Stopped

Transcribing recording... ready to edit

Step 4: Edit the recording as text

Your recording drops straight into the editor with a transcript. Now you can delete mistakes, remove filler words, and trim dead air by editing text, exactly like an imported clip.

Descript - Editor after recording

demo_recording.mp4 04:51

------------------------------------

00:00 Okay so today I want to show you the

00:04 new dashboard. ~~Um~~ you click here and

00:09 then it loads the report.

[ screen layer ] + [ camera overlay v ]

Edit the text above to cut the video below.

The fresh recording opens with its transcript ready for text-based edits.

Result: a five minute software walkthrough captured with screen, webcam, and mic in one shot, already transcribed and ready to tighten up without ever opening a separate recorder.

Ready to try it yourself? Get set up withDescriptin a few minutes.(affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost. Disclosure)