Troubleshooting Recording

Troubleshooting Recording

Fixes for problems with the replay buffer, saving, capture and encoding. Start with the heading that matches what you see.

The save shortcut does nothing

1. Check the buffer is running. If the buffer is paused or still starting, a save gives the error sound and a notice instead of a clip. Start it from the tray or the Replay tab.
2. Check the shortcut. The default is Ctrl+Shift+F10 (screenshots: Ctrl+Shift+F11). When you set a shortcut, Flashback checks it with Windows first, so a reserved or already-used combination can't replace a working one. If you changed it recently, look at what Settings shows now.
3. Another app may hold the same combination. Windows gives a global shortcut to whichever app registers it first, so another recorder or overlay using the same keys can take it. Pick a different combination.
4. A save might be waiting its turn. A save pressed while the previous clip is still saving waits rather than being dropped, so two quick presses produce two clips, one after the other.
5. Smart replay length. If it's on, a quick double press saves the longer length you chose. Press once and wait if you want the normal length.

When a save succeeds you get a Clip saved notification. Clicking it opens File Explorer with the clip selected. Clips go to Videos\Flashback, in a folder per game, unless you chose another folder.

Black video or the wrong monitor

• Check which display is recorded. Automatic · follow active game records whichever monitor your game is on. A specific monitor always records that monitor, even when your game is on another.
• The monitor was disconnected, asleep or renumbered. Capture is tied to the physical monitor, not its position. If it disappears or Windows remaps it, Flashback stops recording rather than capturing a different screen or a frozen frame, and resumes on its own when the same monitor returns. If it doesn't come back, pick the monitor again in Settings.
• Laptops with two GPUs. When the display is wired to a different graphics adapter than the one doing the capture, Automatic switches that session to Windows Graphics Capture by itself. If you still get black video, set Capture method to Windows Graphics Capture and try again.
• Protected video. Windows blacks out some protected content, such as certain streaming video in a browser, for every screen recorder.
• HDR. HDR output isn't part of this release.

A capture border appears

That border comes from Windows, and it means the session is using Windows Graphics Capture. In Automatic mode, Flashback asks for Desktop Duplication first, which shows no border, and switches to Windows Graphics Capture only when Desktop Duplication doesn't deliver a real frame or the display is on another adapter. Flashback can't promise a border-free session on every PC. See Capture pipeline.

Performance warning or uneven high-FPS clips

Flashback shows a performance warning when a demanding capture (high frame rate or 4K, in a fullscreen game) can't keep its frame rate for a sustained stretch and the encoder is falling behind. It's telling you the profile is more than this PC can sustain alongside the game.

Try, in order:

1. Lower the frame rate (240 to 120, or 120 to 60).
2. Lower the resolution (Source or 4K to 1440p or 1080p).
3. Lower the bitrate, or use the Competitive preset (1080p, 60 FPS, 10 Mbps), which leaves the most GPU headroom.
4. Update the graphics driver.

The warning doesn't fire for a quiet desktop or an app that naturally runs at 60 FPS.

HEVC switched to H.264

If you chose HEVC and the Codec setting reports H.264, Flashback fell back on purpose and tells you why:

Message	Meaning	What to do
"HEVC hardware recording is unavailable, so Flashback is using H.264."	The GPU's Media Foundation encoder doesn't offer HEVC	Use H.264, or update the graphics driver
"Windows cannot play HEVC locally on this PC, so Flashback is using H.264."	Windows has no HEVC playback, so you couldn't watch or edit the clips	Install HEVC playback support for Windows, or use H.264
"The HEVC encoder could not start with these capture settings, so Flashback switched to H.264."	HEVC failed at these settings	Try a lower resolution or frame rate, or use H.264

Auto picks hardware H.264 whenever it's available, because it's the most-tested replay path and plays everywhere. That's expected, not a fallback.

Flashback is designed and tested for hardware encoding. If recording won't start or the encoder keeps failing, make sure your graphics driver is installed (not the generic Microsoft display driver) and up to date.

AMD graphics

AMD runs the per-segment encoder path, where each buffer segment gets its own encoder. Before 0.8.0, some AMD systems could see the capture worker restart on the second or later segment of a session, usually after a few minutes of recording. 0.8.0 gives each AMD encoder its own fresh input textures, which addresses that fault. If you're on AMD:

1. Update to Flashback 0.8.0 or later.
2. Update the AMD graphics driver.
3. If restarts continue, send a report with Diagnostics; the log records each worker's exit code.

There are no published AMD or Intel benchmark numbers yet; see Benchmarks.

A clip ends before I pressed save

Flashback never stitches a clip across a gap in recording. If the capture worker was replaced unexpectedly just before you saved:

• If the segment you needed was finished, Flashback checks it and uses it, and the save is normal.
• If the moment you pressed can't be reached, Flashback saves the verified footage that reaches into your replay window, marks the clip as recovered, and tells you how far before your press it ends.
• If nothing usable covers that window, the save fails with a plain explanation.

An abrupt worker restart can leave a short gap in the buffer, because the file being written at that moment may be lost. Occasional recoveries aren't a concern. Frequent ones point to a driver or settings problem: update the driver, try a lighter preset, and send a report. See Resource guards and recovery.

The buffer drive is full

The replay buffer lives under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Flashback\Buffer, on your Windows drive. If that drive fills up, Flashback names the drive to free up instead of restarting capture over and over.

• Free some space on that drive.
• A shorter replay length or a lower bitrate makes the buffer smaller.
• The storage limit applies to saved clips, not the buffer. Use Review under Storage intelligence in Settings > Storage & shortcuts to find large, old or duplicate clips; it only reports and never deletes. If older clips vanished, the storage limit removed them.

Game not recognized or filed under Desktop

Flashback names a clip after the game in front on the recorded display, in windowed, borderless or fullscreen mode. Anything else is filed under Desktop.

• Make sure the game is on the monitor being recorded and in front when you save.
• Launchers, browsers, chat apps and Windows itself are deliberately not treated as games.
• A game installed somewhere unusual may not be recognized automatically. Run it fullscreen from its normal install folder, or send a report through Getting Help so it can be added. Custom game names in Settings rename or refile games Flashback already recognizes; they don't make an unrecognized program count as a game.
• Detection reads only the game's file path, never its memory.

You can also change the Desktop label and folder, and the filename template.

The capture worker keeps restarting

1. Update Flashback and your graphics driver.
2. Use the Balanced preset at 60 FPS for a session to rule out an over-demanding profile.
3. If you use a capture card, virtual display or unusual monitor setup, try the plain setup once.
4. Send a report with Diagnostics from Settings.

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Related pages: Troubleshooting · Capture pipeline · Hardware encoding · Known limitations