Quick answer: Screen recordings save to Photos automatically, in the Screen Recordings album under Media Types. Trim it in Photos (Edit), add a caption so you can search it, and save important ones to Files with a real name. Delete the rest; they're large.
Written for iOS 18 and iOS 26. Menu names can differ slightly on older versions.
A screen recording lands in Photos as "a video from today", among everything else. Here's how to keep the ones that matter findable.
Record your screen
- Open Control Center and tap the Screen Recording button. If it's missing, add it in Control Center's edit mode.
- For sound from your voice, touch and hold the button and turn on Microphone.
- Tap the red indicator at the top of the screen to stop.
Where it goes
Photos›Collections›Media Types›Screen Recordings
On iOS 17 and earlier, it's under Albums → Media Types.
Trim it
Open the recording, tap Edit, and drag the ends of the timeline to cut the start and finish. Trimming also saves space.
Give it a name you can search
Photos doesn't let you rename a video file, but you can add a caption: open the recording and swipe up, then type a description. Photos search finds captions. For a real file name, tap Share, then Save to Files, and rename it there.
Watch the storage
A few minutes of screen recording can be hundreds of megabytes. Review the Screen Recordings album now and then and delete old ones. What's taking up your storage.
Keep the important ones separate
A recording of a bug for support, a tutorial, or proof of a payment is information you'll need again. Save it to Snugit with a name, and it stays easy to find instead of drifting down your camera roll.
Get Snugit to keep the recordings that matter under a name you'll remember.