Many Xbox users complained the console fails to record more than 4, 5, or 9 seconds of gameplay. When they try to record a clip, the console usually records only the first 4 to 9 seconds of the clip. This issue is really frustrating, especially if you want to record a highlight you want to share with your fellow gamers. So, let’s see how you can fix this problem.
Fix Xbox game capture only recording a few seconds of gameplay
Note: Keep in mind that publishers may block the recording of certain game segments to avoid game spoilers or for various other reasons.
Make sure you’re not low on storage
If you’re running out of storage space, your Xbox won’t record new clips simply because there’s no space to save them. If you want to capture longer videos of 1080 content, you may need an external hard drive.
Change the capture length settings
Navigate to Capture Settings, edit the length in capture and set how long you want to record. If you’re enrolled in the Insiders program, you may need to manually select the length of the recording every time you record your clips.
Change capture quality to 720p
Edit your capture quality settings and check if your Xbox records more than 30 seconds of gameplay.
Depending on your game clip resolution settings and storage space, you can record clips of up to 10 minutes (capturing to internal storage) or one hour (external storage).
Recording clips at 720p, 30 frames per second should allow a clip of about 5 minutes for most gamers. Graphically-intense clips may be shorter, as your Xbox sacrifices duration to maintain video quality.
Power cycle your Xbox console
Hold the power button for 10 seconds. Then unplug the power cord from the wall and leave your console unplugged for 5 minute to totally clear the cache. Plug the power cable back in, boot up your console and check the results.
Use the Record Now functionality
Launch your game and press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide. Hit the View button and select Record from now. Open the guide again and press the X button to end the clip. Your Xbox will notify you when the clip has been successfully saved.
Once again, depending on your resolution and available storage space, the clip length may vary from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Disable automatic uploads to Xbox Live
Go to Xbox Live and clear your XBL Storage. Save your clips on another platform or device, and keep only one or two on Xbox Live. Alternatively, you can keep a local copy and delete all the clips from Xbox live.
Then launch your games, and record two or three clips. Save them locally and then upload them to Xbox Live. If your Xbox Live storage is full and doesn’t auto-delete old clips to upload new recordings, that may explain why your console won’t record more than a few seconds of new game clips.
We hope this guide brought you the answers you were looking for.