If you're the family tech support, you probably have to record the occasional screencast to show people how to troubleshoot. Chances are, you don't need special screencasting software just for that. Digital Inspiration shows a clever way to just use YouTube.

If you ever need to record a video of an app on your screen in Windows 10, the built-in Xbox app has a recording tool that may fit the bill.

Mac: Screencasts usually require heavy software, but Screenmailer is a lightweight tool that makes recording and sharing your screencasts easy. The app runs in the menu bar, records your screen and voice on command, and uploads your recording while you make it. When it's done, it's ready to share.

Web/Mac/Gmail: Minbox, the sassy, fast, free, file-sharing service, has taken the wraps off a major update today. It includes new security tools and instant screencasting on the Mac.

Mac: At some point in your life, you're probably going to need to record your screen to share with someone. It might be just once, and it might not need to be too complicated of a process. If that sounds like you, QuickCast is a fantastic little app that makes screen recording easy.

Android (4.0.3+, rooted): Recording screencasts on Android can get tricky. Some apps only support certain devices, and all of them require root access. SCR Screen Recorder is one of the first that supports a broad array of devices, including Tegra-powered Android tablets like the Nexus 7.

Windows users have a lot of choices when it comes to screencasting tools, but the best of the bunch is the professional, feature-rich, editing, quality-producing Camtasia Studio.

Mac OS X is full of ways to record your screen, with a tool built in to Quicktime Player and a vast number of third-party apps. Among the many tools, Screenflow is easily our top choice. It's fast, feature-rich, handles everything about the screencasting process from start to finish, and doubles as possibly the best simple video-editing application on the Mac.

Mac: Camtasia Studio is one of our favourite screencasting tools, and TechSmith, the company behind the app, updated the Mac version today to version 2.0, which includes new annotations for your screencasts and videos, blur effects so you can obscure sensitive information, visual effects to add some interest, and more.

In some cases, the best way to illustrate something happening on your screen is to show someone. Whether you want to train people on a particularly difficult program or show everyone how to fix a problem you've run into before, recording a screencast is an easy way to do it. Thankfully, there are plenty of applications that let you record your screen, save the video, and share it with friends.

Mac: While we love Screenflow for screencasting, it's not exactly cheap. The built-in screen recorder in Quicktime Player is free, but it's pretty lacking in features. Screeny is an app that provides you with a free screen recording that provides control over what you're recording.

Trying to diagnose computer issues remotely is really hard unless you can see what's actually going on. The next time your someone needs your help with their computer, point them to ShowMeWhatsWrong and have them take a quick screencast.

Screenr is a web-based screencasting application that makes sharing short screencasts painless.

Thanks to broadband and some excellent screencasting applications, you don't need to limit yourself to mere static images when you're trying to show someone how to do something on your computer. Record video, audio and do even more with these screencasting tools.

Screencasting doesn't have to be a complicated affair. If all you need is a quick screencast to show a friend how to do something or commemorate your awesome Line Rider skills, Screenjelly can deliver.

Windows only: Screen capture utility Screen2exe records video of your desktop and outputs an executable file that runs anywhere, free of codec requirements—useful for carrying on a flash drive.If this idea sounds familiar, you're probably remembering previously mentioned MakeInstantPlayer, an app that converts any video file to an EXE—it doesn't actually help you make any screencasts, though.

Windows only: Freeware screencasting application Community Clips records screencasts of your Office software in action. Developed by Microsoft, Community Clips integrates with the quick access toolbars of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint so you can quickly record a quick demonstration or an audio/video version of a PowerPoint presentation with one click. We've featured several screencasting applications in the past, but Community Clips' Office integration makes it perfect for anyone needing to do a quick demonstration in your Office app of choice. Community Clips is freeware, Windows only. Community Clips

Windows only: Freeware application Debut records video from any source—like your computer's webcam or your desktop—to a number of popular file formats. Once you've recorded a video, Debut makes it easy to automatically share the results over the internet via email or by uploading them to an FTP server. I'm still a big fan of previously mentioned Jing for quickly recording and sharing screencasts, but Debut's added webcam abilities add a useful new element, and it's got an impressive toolbox of features to boot. Debut is lightweight freeware, Windows only. Capture