# Control a recording

> Use the recording toolbar to finish, pause, restart or discard a recording, and find out what each toolbar icon does.

Source: https://screenity.io/help/recording/how-to-pause-or-resume-a-recording

The recording toolbar uses icons instead of text labels. Hover over any icon for a moment and its name appears. This page covers every control on the toolbar, in the order they appear from left to right.

## What each toolbar icon does

| Icon | Name | What it does |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Four dots in a grid | Grip | Drag it to move the toolbar anywhere on the page. Screenity remembers where you left it. |
| Circle with a square inside | **Finish recording** | Stops the recording and keeps it. |
| Numbers, such as 00:42 | Timer | Shows how long you have been recording. It switches to hours, minutes and seconds after an hour. |
| Circular arrow | **Restart recording** | Throws away the current take and starts again, after you confirm. |
| Two vertical bars | **Pause recording** | Pauses the recording. |
| Triangle | **Resume recording** | Replaces the pause icon while paused. Continues the recording. |
| Trash can | **Cancel recording** | Discards the recording, after you confirm. |
| Pencil | **Toggle drawing tools** | Opens the [annotation tools](https://screenity.io/help/recording/how-to-make-annotations-in-screenity). |
| Grid of dots | **Toggle blur tool** | Lets you [blur parts of the page](https://screenity.io/help/recording/how-to-blur-sensitive-information). |
| Mouse pointer | **Toggle cursor options** | Chooses how your [cursor and clicks are highlighted](https://screenity.io/help/recording/how-to-highlight-your-cursor-or-clicks-in-screenity). The icon changes to match the option you picked. |
| Microphone | **Enable microphone** or **Disable microphone** | Turns your microphone on or off during the recording. |
| Camera | **Enable camera** | Appears when your camera is off. Select it to turn the camera on. |

The pause, finish, restart and cancel icons are grayed out while the recording is stopping. If an icon is grayed out and its name says "No camera permissions" or "No microphone permissions", see [allow camera and microphone access](https://screenity.io/help/troubleshooting/how-to-grant-screenity-permission-to-record-your-camera-and-microphone).

The drawing, blur and cursor icons are unavailable when you record only your camera. When you open the drawing or blur tool, its icon turns into a close button. Select it again or press `Esc` to leave the tool.

<span id="pausing-and-resuming-a-recording"></span>

## Pause or resume a recording

Select the pause icon (**Pause recording**). The same spot then shows a triangle (**Resume recording**). Select it when you are ready to continue.

## Finish a recording

Select the circle with a square (**Finish recording**). For a standalone recording, Screenity opens the player so you can review and [download your video](https://screenity.io/help/editing/how-to-download-your-videos). Connected recording modes may open or save the recording differently.

If the toolbar is hidden, you can also select the Screenity extension icon in your browser toolbar to finish recording. When your browser shows a screen-sharing control, **Stop sharing** can also end the capture.

<span id="restarting-your-recording"></span>

## Restart a recording

**Warning:**
Restarting loses the current recording progress.

1. Select the circular arrow (**Restart recording**). The recording pauses and a dialog asks "Are you sure you want to restart the recording?"
2. Select **Restart recording** to start over, or **Resume recording** to continue with the current take.

<span id="discarding-a-recording"></span>

## Discard a recording

**Warning:**
Discarding abandons the current recording and its progress is lost.

1. Select the trash can (**Cancel recording**). The recording pauses and a dialog asks "Are you sure you want to discard the recording?"
2. Select **Discard recording** to abandon it, or **Resume recording** to keep recording.

The keyboard shortcut for canceling a recording does not ask for confirmation. It discards the recording straight away.

## Keyboard shortcuts

The extension's default shortcuts are `Alt+Shift+M` (Windows/Linux) or `Option+Shift+M` (Mac) to pause or resume and `Alt+Shift+X` (Windows/Linux) or `Option+Shift+X` (Mac) to cancel the recording. Finishing a recording has no default key, but you can assign one in Chrome. The same goes for turning the microphone on and off, and for opening the drawing, blur and cursor tools. When one of these tools has a shortcut, it is shown next to its name when you hover over its icon.

Because shortcuts are set in your browser, another extension using the same keys can stop one from working. See [keyboard shortcuts](https://screenity.io/help/get-started/how-to-use-and-set-keyboard-shortcuts) to check or change them.

## Move or hide the toolbar

Drag the grip to move the toolbar. If you do not want it in the way, see [hide or show the toolbar](https://screenity.io/help/recording/how-to-hide-the-toolbar).