Troubleshooting

Instant replay
not saving?

You pressed the shortcut, the play happened, and there's no clip. These are the usual reasons on Windows 11, whatever recorder you use, and how to check each one.

Six things to checkMost missing clips come down to one of them.

The shortcut never reached the recorder

Another program can own the same key combination: a game, Discord, an overlay, a second recorder, or a keyboard utility. Windows gives a shortcut to whichever program registered it first, so the recorder never hears the press. Try the shortcut on the desktop, then change it to a combination nothing else uses.

In Flashback: When you set the save shortcut, Flashback checks with Windows before accepting it, so a reserved or already-used combination can't replace a working one.

The replay buffer wasn't running

An instant replay can only save what was buffered. Recorders often stop the buffer after a driver or app update, after a restart if they don't start with Windows, or when their window is closed. Check that the replay feature shows as on before you play.

In Flashback: Flashback can start with Windows straight into the notification area and keeps recording after you close its window. The buffer runs all the time, with or without a game open.

The game wasn't being captured

Some recorders capture a game only when they recognize it, or only in certain display modes, and record nothing for everything else. If clips from one game are always missing or black, switch it to borderless windowed and try again.

In Flashback: Flashback records the display, not the game process, so windowed, borderless and fullscreen games are all captured. Recognized games get their name and folder; anything else is saved under Desktop.

The clip saved somewhere else

A clip that "didn't save" is often sitting in a different folder: a default Videos folder, a per-game subfolder, or a drive you changed months ago. Check the recorder's save location setting and sort that folder by date.

In Flashback: Clips go to Videos\Flashback by default, with a subfolder for each recognized game, and the Library shows every capture in one place. Both the location and the folder names can be changed.

The drive was full, or old clips were cleaned up

When the save drive runs out of space a recorder can fail quietly, and some recorders delete older captures to stay under a size limit. Check free space on the save drive and any storage limit setting.

In Flashback: Flashback's storage limit covers saved captures only. After a new clip is saved, it removes the oldest ones only if the library is over the budget you chose, and Unlimited turns removal off completely.

The replay was shorter than the moment

If the save works but the play you wanted is cut off at the start, the replay length is too short for how long you wait before pressing the shortcut.

In Flashback: Flashback's replay length can be any duration from 15 seconds to 24 hours. With smart replay length on, a quick double press saves a longer duration you choose.

Still missing clips in Flashback?

If a save still goes missing, the Support page says how to reach us and what to include. Comparing recorders? See the published benchmark, or how Flashback compares with NVIDIA ShadowPlay and Medal.