How-to guides

Record gameplay

1. Download and install Bandicam from the Download page.
2. Open Bandicam and click the Game Recording icon (gamepad).
3. Launch your game. A green FPS counter should appear in a corner (e.g. top-left).
4. Press F12 (or click the Record button) to start recording. The FPS turns red while recording.
5. Press F12 again to stop. Click the video icon in Bandicam to open the folder and play or edit your video.

Works with DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan games. For best quality, use hardware acceleration (NVENC, Quick Sync, or AMD VCE) in Bandicam settings. Official: Game Recording mode.

Record your screen

1. Open Bandicam and select Screen Recording mode.
2. Choose to record full screen, a specific window, or a custom rectangle (e.g. around a YouTube video).
3. Click Record or press the hotkey to start; press again to stop.
4. Find your file in the folder shown in Bandicam (default: Documents → Bandicam).

Useful for tutorials, presentations, and streaming sites. Bandicam can auto-detect video areas (e.g. YouTube player). Official: Record my screen.

Record webcam or device

1. Open Bandicam and select Device Recording (webcam/capture device icon).
2. Select your webcam, HDMI capture device, or other video source from the list.
3. Adjust resolution and frame rate if needed, then click Record to start and stop.
4. Recordings are saved as MP4 or AVI in your Bandicam folder.

Supports webcams, IPTV, smartphone capture, PlayStation, Xbox, and similar devices. Official: Video capture.

Upload to YouTube

1. Record your gameplay or screen with Bandicam (MP4 with H.264 is recommended).
2. After stopping, click the YouTube (upload) button in Bandicam, or open YouTube in your browser and upload the file from your Bandicam folder.
3. Bandicam can upload directly without converting: choose the recorded file and sign in to YouTube when prompted.

MP4 H.264 is accepted by YouTube without conversion. Official: Upload to YouTube. You can also upload to Google Drive or Vimeo.

Scheduled recording

Scheduled recording is available in the registered (full) version only.

1. Open Bandicam settings and go to the Scheduled Recording (or similar) section.
2. Enable scheduled recording and set the date, time, and duration (or daily/weekly repeat).
3. Choose the recording mode (e.g. screen or game) and ensure the target window or game will be open at the set time.
4. Leave Bandicam running (minimized is fine). Recording will start automatically at the scheduled time.

Official: Start recording at a specific time.

Webcam overlay (Picture-in-Picture)

1. In Bandicam, enable the Webcam overlay or PIP option in settings for the recording mode you use (e.g. game or screen).
2. Select your webcam device and choose the overlay position (e.g. corner) and size.
3. Optional: choose overlay style (rectangle, rounded, chroma key) and adjust border or transparency.
4. Start recording as usual. Your webcam will appear as a small overlay on the recorded video.

Official: Webcam overlay.