Blog3 min read
How to clip the last 30 seconds on PC or Mac
Ordinary screen recording starts when you press record. By then the moment is over. To keep something that already happened, you need a tool that is always holding the last few seconds. Here are the options, and one that runs in the browser with nothing to install.
The idea: a rolling buffer
Every "clip the last 30 seconds" tool works the same way. It records quietly in the background and throws away anything older than a few minutes. When you press the key, it saves the stretch that just happened. The catch is the same for all of them: it has to be running before the moment, not after.
On Windows: Game Bar
Windows has this built in. Turn on Record what happened in Settings, Gaming, Captures, then press Windows + Alt + G to save the last 30 seconds (the default; you can change the length). It is aimed at games: it records reliably when Windows treats the app as a game, and less so for a browser or a video player.
With OBS: the Replay Buffer
If you already use OBS, turn on the Replay Buffer in Settings, Output, set a Save Replay hotkey in Settings, Hotkeys, and start the buffer. Pressing the hotkey saves the last stretch as a file. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux, and it saves a wide recording you then cut and reframe in an editor.
On a Mac
macOS has no built-in way to save what already happened. Command + Shift + 5 records from the moment you press it. For a rolling buffer on a Mac, use OBS as above, or the browser option below. On a Mac, the first time you share a window or your screen, allow Chrome under System Settings, Privacy & Security, Screen Recording.
In the browser, with nothing to install
ClipLive can do it from a browser tab, on Windows or Mac, in Chrome or Edge on a computer:
- Open ClipLive, choose Share my screen, and pick a tab, a window or your whole screen. For sound, share a tab (or your whole screen on Windows) and tick Share audio.
- Carry on as normal. The recent minutes are held on your computer, not uploaded.
- When something happens, press X. You get the last 15, 30 or 60 seconds as a clip.
- Pick 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9, move the crop onto the action, and download the MP4.
Your screen stays on your computer: when you clip, only the last minute or so is sent to ClipLive, and only the clip is kept. A shared-screen clip can be up to 60 seconds.
The difference from the options above is what comes out. Instead of a wide recording to edit later, you get a finished vertical clip ready for TikTok, Shorts or Reels. If what you are watching is a live stream on Twitch or Kick, you can skip the screen share and paste the link instead. More on the key itself: Clip Last.
Which one to use
- A PC game, and you want a raw file: Game Bar, or your graphics card’s own replay tool.
- You stream or record with OBS already: the Replay Buffer.
- Anything in a browser, on Windows or Mac, and you want a vertical clip ready to post: ClipLive.
Windows, OBS and macOS steps checked on 17 October 2026. Menus move between versions; if a setting is not where we say, search the app’s settings for "replay" or "record what happened".