Quick start

Bandicam guides and troubleshooting

This page has step-by-step guides for recording gameplay, recording your screen, adding a webcam overlay, uploading to YouTube, and fixing common issues (lag, crashes, black screen, no sound). Use the links below to jump to a topic, or follow the four steps to record your first video with Bandicam. For more, see home, features, and download.

Getting started in 4 steps

  1. Download and install Bandicam from the Download page.
  2. Open Bandicam and choose a recording mode: Game, Screen, or Device (webcam/capture).
  3. Press F12 (or click Record) to start; press F12 again to stop.
  4. Find your file in the folder shown in Bandicam (default: Documents → Bandicam). Upload to YouTube, Vimeo, or Google Drive directly from Bandicam if needed.
Tutorials

Tutorial library

Categorized how-to guides. Official written and video tutorials are on bandicam.com.

Detailed guides

Step-by-step guides

How to record gameplay

  1. Open Bandicam and click the Game Recording icon (gamepad).
  2. Launch your game. A green FPS counter should appear in a corner.
  3. Press F12 to start; press F12 again to stop.
  4. Click the video icon in Bandicam to open the folder and play or edit.

Official: Game Recording mode.

How to record your screen

  1. Select Screen Recording mode in Bandicam.
  2. Choose full screen, a specific window, or a custom rectangle.
  3. Click Record or press the hotkey; press again to stop.
  4. Find your file in Documents → Bandicam (or the folder shown in Bandicam).

Official: Record my screen.

Webcam overlay (Picture-in-Picture)

  1. In Bandicam, enable Webcam overlay in settings for your recording mode.
  2. Select your webcam and choose position (e.g. corner) and size.
  3. Optional: choose style (rectangle, rounded, chroma key).
  4. Start recording as usual; webcam appears as overlay on the video.

Official: Webcam overlay.

Upload to YouTube

  1. Record with Bandicam (MP4 H.264 recommended).
  2. Click the YouTube (upload) button in Bandicam, or upload the file from your Bandicam folder in the browser.
  3. Bandicam can upload directly without converting.

Also: Google Drive, Vimeo.

Lag or low FPS when recording

  1. Use hardware acceleration: H.264 (NVIDIA NVENC), Intel Quick Sync, or AMD VCE in Bandicam settings.
  2. Lower recording resolution or FPS; run the game in windowed/borderless mode.
  3. Set GPU to prefer maximum performance (NVIDIA Control Panel).
  4. On laptops: Windows Settings → Display → Graphics → set Bandicam/game to High performance.
  5. Reset Bandicam to defaults and re-enable only hardware acceleration and adjust quality.

Bandicam won't start or crashes

  1. Check the system tray; Bandicam may be minimized there.
  2. Run bdcam_safemode from the Bandicam folder.
  3. Update or reinstall graphics drivers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel).
  4. Add Bandicam to antivirus exclusions (see Support).
  5. If it crashes when recording: reset settings, switch to H.264 (CPU), reinstall GPU drivers.
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers. For more, see Support & Security and bandicam.com/support.

Bandicam is 100% safe software with no adware, spyware, or virus. The developer explains: Is Bandicam safe? Download from our Download page.
H.264 (AVC), HEVC (H.265), and AV1. Hardware: NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, AMD VCE/VCN. Audio: PCM, AAC in MP4/AVI; MP3/WAV for audio-only.
Minimum: Windows 11/10/8/7 (64-bit), Intel Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1500+, 512 MB RAM, 1 GB HDD, 800×600 display. Recommended: dual-core CPU, 1 GB+ RAM, 10 GB+ HDD.
Yes. Bandicam is free. All recording modes, no time limit per video, no watermark. Download from our Download page.
From this site's Download page or from bandicam.com/downloads.
Support

Community & support

Official support and resources.

Official support

bandicam.com/support – FAQs, how-to, and contact.

FAQs

Official Bandicam FAQs and troubleshooting.

Trust & Security

Safety, privacy, and legal disclaimer on bandicam.app.

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