How do I show touches when screen recording on iPad?

The quick answer: use a pointer

The iPad records its screen without any mark where your finger lands, and there is no switch to change that. The iPad does have something the iPhone does not use by default: a pointer. Connect a mouse or trackpad, and a round pointer appears on the screen and in the recording.

That is how many iPad tutorial makers do it. Gary Rosenzweig of MacMost explains that the circle in his iPhone and iPad videos “is just the pointer you get when you connect a mouse to your device” (MacMost).

Any Bluetooth mouse or trackpad works, as does a keyboard case with a trackpad.

Make the pointer easy to see

The default pointer is small and grey, and it hides itself when you stop moving. Change that before you record (Apple’s Pointer Control settings):

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control.
2. Turn up Pointer Size.
3. Pick a Color that stands out against the app you are recording.
4. Turn off Automatically Hide Pointer, so it stays visible between clicks.
5. Turn on Increase Contrast if the pointer is hard to see on a busy screen.

Record the demo

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
2. Tap the Screen Recording button and wait for the three-second countdown (Apple’s instructions).
3. Do the whole task with the mouse or trackpad. Move slowly, and pause on each screen.
4. Stop the recording from the red button at the top of the screen, then play it back in Photos.

Use the pointer for everything, including scrolling. The moment your finger touches the screen, the pointer gets out of the way, and that part of the demo loses its circle.

Or add touch markers afterwards

A pointer suits a demo someone will watch from start to finish. For a guide someone follows step by step, markers you place afterwards are clearer. They sit exactly on the button and they stay on the page.

Walkthru splits an iPad screen recording into one screenshot per screen. On each step, place a tap, double-tap, press-and-hold or swipe marker with your finger or Apple Pencil, and pick one of seven colours. Then export:

• a PDF guide or Step images, with the markers drawn into the pictures;
• a Video reel, where each marker animates in once the screen has settled.

The markers show the instruction, not your original touches. Walkthru cannot see where your finger landed, so you place each marker yourself.

A step exported by Walkthru with a tap marker and a label added in the editor.

Which one to use

You want	Use
A narrated demo to post as a video	The pointer, recorded live
A printed or PDF guide people follow step by step	Markers added afterwards
A short video with clear tap circles on every step	Markers, exported as a video reel
Touches shown on a TV during a live presentation	Mirror the iPad and use the pointer, after checking it shows on the TV

When it goes wrong

Problem	Fix
The pointer vanishes between clicks	Turn off Automatically Hide Pointer
The pointer is too small to see in the video	Turn up Pointer Size and pick a bolder Color
Some taps have no circle	Your finger touched the screen; do the whole demo with the mouse or trackpad
The recording is black	Some apps do not allow their content to be recorded, and Apple notes this
Recording stopped when you started mirroring	You cannot record and mirror at the same time

On an iPhone, see showing taps in an iPhone screen recording.