Summary
Step-by-step guide to recording an iPad screen as a screencast using QuickTime Player on a Mac, connecting the iPad over its charging cable and using File > New Movie Recording with the iPad selected as the camera input. Includes teaching strategies and a video tutorial. For faculty, staff, and students recording iPad screencasts on a Mac.
Body
Questions
- How do I record my iPad screen using my Mac?
- How do I capture my iPad screen with QuickTime Player?
- How do I make a screencast of my iPad on a Mac?
- How do I connect my iPad to my Mac to record its screen?
- How do I use QuickTime New Movie Recording to record an iPad?
- How can I record what is on my iPad and save it as a video?
- How do I create instructional iPad screencasts for class?
Environment
This article applies to faculty, staff, and students who want to record ("screencast") an iPad screen using a Mac. QuickTime captures the iPad screen over a wired cable connection, not wirelessly.
- Hardware: a Mac, an iPad, and the charging/data cable that came with the iPad
- Software: Apple QuickTime Player (included with macOS)
- Platform: macOS (QuickTime screen recording of a connected iOS/iPadOS device)
Resolution
Use QuickTime Player to record and create screencasts of your iPad screen by connecting your iPad to your Mac. Setup is fast and intuitive, and Macs come equipped with QuickTime Player as standard software.
Video: Recording your iPad screen with QuickTime
Step 1: Connect your iPad to your computer
- Connect the charging cable (the standard cable provided with your iPad) to your computer and then to your iPad. (Older iPads use a Lightning cable; newer iPads use USB-C.)
- If you have never connected your iPad to this computer, a popup box will appear on your iPad asking if you want to trust this computer. Tap Trust.
- Your computer and iPad should now be connected.
Step 2: Create the screencast
- Open QuickTime Player.
- Choose New Movie Recording from the File menu.
- A recording window appears. Click the small arrow next to the record button and select your iPad as the camera input.
- Click the record button. Your iPad screen should now appear on your computer screen.
- Click the stop icon in the QuickTime toolbar when you are done recording your screencast.
Strategies for recording iPad screencasts
- Using a stylus with an iPad allows you to mark up your screen, which can let instructors annotate and provide feedback on electronically submitted student papers while also verbally describing that feedback.
- Consider using the photo gallery on your iPad to display images that students can analyze, or that the instructor can mark up and share with the class through a screencast video.
- Students can use screencasts from iPads to share their own annotations on written documents or images with the instructor or classmates.
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.
Additional Resources