How to record Facebook video calls

With the powers of the internet and social media together, we are now connected more than ever before. The distance matters no more as all of our loved ones and dear ones are just a few clicks and taps away.

Facebook, being one of the oldest and most used social media platforms ever has no doubt retained its popularity over the years. With the launch of Facebook’s Messenger app, users can now remain connected via video calls.

Users may also want to save the recordings of their Facebook video call for future references. However, unlike other video conferencing software like Skype, Zoom and others, there is no option of recording a video call using an in-built recorder on Facebook.

People may want to record their Facebook video calls for:

  • Keeping a memory of the moments spent with their loved ones.
  • Referencing the recorded video in future for academic purposes.
  • Using the recorded video for content creation and marketing.
  • Training freshers using the recorded video as opposed to holding a new training every time.

Here, we will look at five of the easiest ways of recording a Facebook video call across various operating systems. So let’s get started without further ado.

Recording a Facebook video call using an Online Screen Recorder

This might be the easiest option for Windows and Mac users and it does not even require downloading any kind of third-party software to get your job done. It is a simple web app that lets you record everything on your screen and record your Facebook video call.

About: Apowersoft is a smart screen recorder that is web-based, meaning you don’t have to download any screencast software to your computer to do the recording. Instead, you just open this free online screen recorder on your web and start your recording. Although, you need to download a very small launcher file if you are using it for the first time.

How to:

  • Head on to https://www.apowersoft.com/free-online-screen-recorder and click on Start Recording.

  • If you are using it for the first time, it will ask you to download a small launcher file. Once you are done with the downloading and installation of the launcher file, you will see a new interface open up.

    A new window opens up in Apowersoft web-app

  • Click on the red recording button if you want to record your entire screen. However, it is advised to click on the Region button and select a region encapsulating your Facebook video call.
  • Click on the down arrow next to the System sound button and select System sound and microphone.
  • This will allow you to capture your audio along with the audio of the attendees in the video call.
  • Once you have properly selected the region of the call that you want to record and you are all set, click on the red recording button to start the recording.

    Clicking the red recording button in Apowersoft recording toolbar

  • You can also pause your recording in between by clicking on the pause button and resume later again.
  • When you are done with your Facebook video call, click on the red square to stop the recording.
  • As soon as you stop the recording, a new window will open up containing a video of your recording.
  • To save it, click on the Save icon near the bottom-right corner.

    Clicking on the save icon in Apowersoft

  • Choose Save as Video file to save your recording.
  • The recording of your Facebook video call is now saved without any watermarks in your local machine, to see the location where it is saved, click on Open folder.

    Clicking on Open Folder to see the location of the saved video

Recording a Facebook video call using an Offline Screen Recorder

Another option for Windows users and an option for Linux users to record their Facebook video calls is to use an offline screen recorder. An offline screen recorder brings more power through faster editing and sharing options.

About: ScreenRec is a 100% free screen recorder with no watermarks or recording limits. It can capture screenshots and videos with a single hotkey and can also share screencasts fast via a private link.

Worried about the privacy of your recordings?ScreenRec is built on top of the StreamingVideoProvider business video platform. Your videos and screenshots are encrypted with the 128-bit AES algorithm which means that only you or people you gave the sharing link to can view them. The developers at ScreenRec don’t have access to your content.

How to:

  1. sudo wget -qO - https://screenrec.com/download/pub.asc _ sudo apt-key add -_
  2. sudo add-apt-repository ‘deb https://screenrec.com/download/ubuntu stable main’
  3. sudo apt update
  4. sudo apt install screenrec
  • Once ScreenRec is successfully installed, you will see a screen recording toolbar appear to the right side of your screen.

    ScreenRec toolbar

  • Click on the Settings icon and the following window should open:

    ScreenRec Setting's menu

  • As seen, ScreenRec will record the audio from the microphone along with the screen by default. To record the system audio too, toggle on the switch that says Record system audio.
  • To start recording your Facebook video call, either click the video icon from the recording toolbar on the right side of your screen or press Alt+S.
  • Click and drag to take a screenshot or record the screen.
  • Make sure that the window you created by clicking and dragging completely encapsulates the portion of the video call.
  • Click the video icon to start the recording. By default, you will have a five-minute recording limit but it can easily be removed by creating a free account or signing in using Google or Facebook.
  • To stop the recording, hit Alt+S again or press the white square.
  • You can view your saved recordings by clicking on the gallery icon of the recording toolbar.
  • To save the recording to your local machine, hover over to your recording and click on Preview.

    ScreenRec's gallery

  • Click on the download icon to save the video locally.

    Clicking on download icon

  • The recording of your Facebook video can now be seen in your downloads.

Recording a Facebook video call using Screenshot Toolbar in Mac

If you wish to record your Facebook video call on a Mac, then you use the in-built Screenshot Toolbar that comes with macOS.

About: The Screenshot Toolbar comes built-in with macOS. To view the Screenshot Toolbar, press these three keys together: Shift+Command+5. You will see on-screen controls for recording the entire screen, recording a selected portion of the screen.

You can either record your entire screen or a selected portion of your screen using the Screenshot Toolbar. However, it is advised to record a selected portion that covers your Facebook video call.

Screenshot toolbar in Mac

Picture Credits: Apple

How to:

  • Click on Options in the toolbar and toggle on the Microphone.
  • Click on Record particular portion icon icon in the onscreen controls.
  • Drag to select an area of the screen to record.

Make sure that the window you created properly encapsulates your Facebook video call window.

  • Click on Record in the Screenshot Toolbar to start the recording.
  • If you wish to stop the recording, hit Command+Control+Esc.

    Thumbnail of the recording on the screen

Picture Credits: Apple

After the recording is stopped, a thumbnail of the recorded video will appear momentarily on the bottom right corner of the screen. Taking no action or swiping the thumbnail to the right will automatically save it.

You can also click on the thumbnail to trim or share it.

Recording a Facebook video call using Screen Recorder on Android

If you are using an Android phone running Android 10 or higher, chances are pretty good that you will have an in-built screen recorder.

Screen recording in Android

To access the in-built screen recorder, the general steps are:

  • Pull down the Control Panel from the top of your screen.
  • Search for “Screen recorder” if not already available in the Control Panel.
  • Allow the screen recorder to capture the video.
  • Select “Media sounds and mic” and hit on Start recording.
  • Head over to your Facebook video call and attend it normally as you would.
  • Once you are done with your video call, pull down the Control Panel again and tap on Stop recording.

However, if you are using earlier versions of Android and don’t find an inbuilt screen recorder then you can simply download one from the plenty of options available in the Google Play Store and easily record your Facebook video call. Here, we shall be using a simple yet powerful app called “Screen Recorder” as an example.

About: Screen Recorder is an app that helps you easily Record Screen and Take Screenshot anywhere.

How to:

  • Download the Screen Recorder app from Screen Recorder – Apps on Google Play
  • Open the app and allow the permission it asks for.

    Granting the permissions for Screen Recorder

  • Click on the blue video icon on the bottom right corner of the screen.

    Clicking on the blue video icon in Screen Recorder

  • It is advised that you switch on the Do Not Disturb on your Android phone to prevent unexpected notifications from blocking the screen while the recording is on. You can generally find the Do Not Disturb button in the Notification Panel of your smartphone.
  • You will see a recording bar appear on your screen, click on the red video icon to start the recording.

    Clicking on the red video icon to start recording

  • The screen recorder will give you a notification that it will record everything on the screen. If you agree to this, tap on Start now to continue.

    Tapping on Start now

  • A three-second timer will appear on your screen after which the recording will start. In this time, head over to your Facebook video call and attend it normally as you would.
  • To stop the recording, you can either open the app and click on the blue cross.

    Tapping the blue cross icon to stop the recording

  • Or you can pull down the notification panel and stop the recording by clicking on the white square.

    Stopping the recording from the notification panel

  • The recorded video call can be found in the app itself from where it can be trimmed or shared.

Recording a Facebook video call using the in-built Screen Recorder in iPhone

If you happen to have an iPhone, you can directly use the in-built screen recording to record your Facebook video calls and save them on your iPhone.

How to:

  • Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
  • Search for Control Centre in the topmost search box.

    Searching for Control Centre in Settings

  • If not already in “INCLUDED CONTROLS”, tap the green plus icon next to Screen Recording to add it to the Control Centre.

    Adding Screen Recording to the Control Centre

  • Now, head back to your Facebook video call and pull up the Control Centre from the bottom of the screen.
  • Tap on the Do Not Disturb icon (like a half-moon) so that your video recording won’t be interrupted by other notifications or calls.

    Turning on Do not Disturb

  • Tap and hold on the Screen Recording icon.

    Tapping and holding on the Screen Recording icon

  • Tap on the Microphone icon to toggle on the microphone and then tap on Start Recording.

    Toggling on the microphone and tapping on Start Recording

  • To stop the recording of your Facebook video call, simply pull up the Control Centre from the bottom of the screen again and tap again on the recording icon which should now be flashing red.
  • Once the recording is stopped, you can find the recording of your Facebook video call in the Photos app of the iPhone.

So these were the five ways of recording a Facebook video call. Hope it gave you detailed information on how to do the same, covering various operating systems and scenarios. Hope you try them out.