Need a quick screen recording for a bug report, a how-to or a client?
You don’t always want to open a full recording suite for a 40-second clip.
Quick Desktop Record is an AutoHotkey v2 script that records your main screen and your microphone with one hotkey, using the free FFmpeg tool. 😊
Ctrl+Shift+R to Record, Ctrl+Shift+S to Stop
A small Recorder window stays on top with Start, Stop and a running timer. You can use the buttons or the hotkeys.
- Start: a 3-second countdown pops up in the middle of the screen, then recording begins
- Stop: FFmpeg finishes the file and a notification shows how long you recorded
- Done: the file path is copied to your clipboard and you’re asked if you want to open the video
Videos are saved next to the script, named by date and time, so nothing gets overwritten.
Pick Your Mic, Format and Frame Rate
Click Preferences in the Recorder window to set it up:
- Microphone: pick from your audio devices, with a live level bar so you can see it’s picking you up
- Format: MP4 or MKV
- Frames per second: 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60
- Hotkeys: change the Start and Stop keys to anything you like
On the first run, Preferences opens on its own so you can choose a microphone.
No FFmpeg Yet? It Offers to Set It Up
The recording itself is done by FFmpeg, the free command-line video tool. If the script can’t find it, it asks whether you know where ffmpeg.exe is.
Say no and it can download a Windows build of FFmpeg from gyan.dev, put it in a folder you choose and add it to your user PATH.
What’s in the Download
- QuickDesktopRecordWithGui.ahk: the AutoHotkey v2 script you run
- lib folder: the FFmpeg class, Preferences window, Triggers hotkey manager, NotifyV2 and ScriptObject
Get Quick Desktop Record
Quick Desktop Record is $4.99. Full source included, so you can change the FFmpeg settings to suit you.
Hit a key, show what you mean, hit another key. ⚡
Joe
