How to Do a Screen Recording on Windows 10 and 11

If you want to know how to do a screen recording on Windows, the fastest answer is already on your PC: click into the app you want to capture and press Win+Alt+R. That starts Xbox Game Bar recording, and pressing the same keys again stops it and saves an MP4 file. The catch is that Game Bar only records one app at a time, so for a region, the full desktop or several windows you need a different tool.

This guide walks through each built-in option on Windows 10 and 11, the free alternatives worth knowing, how to get sound into your recording, and what to check when the shortcut does nothing.

How to do a screen recording on Windows: the quick version

Before choosing a tool, decide what you actually need to capture. That single question decides almost everything.

• One app, such as a browser or a game: use Xbox Game Bar (Windows 10 and 11). Shortcut: Win+Alt+R.
• A region or the whole screen on Windows 11: use Snipping Tool’s video mode.
• You already have Microsoft PowerPoint: Insert > Screen Recording works for regions and the full screen on both versions.
• Several windows, the desktop, long sessions or a webcam overlay: install a free recorder such as OBS Studio or ShareX.

Every method below produces a normal video file you can trim, share or upload. If you mainly want keyboard shortcuts, the companion guide to every Windows screen recording shortcut lists them in one place.

Recording an app window with Xbox Game Bar

Game Bar is an overlay built into Windows 10 and 11. Despite the name, it works in ordinary apps like Chrome, Word or a code editor, not just games. It saves recordings as MP4 files.

Steps

1. Open Settings > Gaming and confirm Xbox Game Bar is turned on. If it is missing, reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.
2. Click inside the app you want to record so it has focus.
3. Press Win+Alt+R. A small capture widget with a timer appears, usually in a corner.
4. Do the task you want to show. Press Win+Alt+M to turn your microphone on or off while recording.
5. Press Win+Alt+R again, or click the stop button on the widget.
6. Find the file in Videos > Captures, or click the “Game clip recorded” notification to preview it.

You can also press Win+G to open the full overlay and click the record button in the Capture widget, which is handy if you forget the shortcut.

Settings worth changing

Go to Settings > Gaming > Captures. The words say “game”, but they apply to any app you record.

• Video frame rate: 30 fps by default. Choose 60 fps for fast scrolling or games.
• Video quality: standard or high. High looks sharper but makes bigger files.
• Max recording length: recording stops automatically after this limit. The default of two hours suits most people.
• Captured audio: controls whether you record the app’s sound, all system sound, or nothing. The exact labels differ between Windows versions.
• Capture mouse cursor: turn this on for tutorials so viewers can follow your clicks.
• Record what happened (Windows 11) or Background recording (Windows 10): keeps a rolling buffer so you can save the last 30 seconds or more after something happens.

The limits

Game Bar cannot capture the Windows desktop, the Start menu or File Explorer, and it follows one app only. If your tutorial jumps from a code editor to a browser, you end up with two separate clips. Our longer guide to Game Bar screen recording covers its quirks in more detail.

Recording a region or full screen with Snipping Tool

On current Windows 11 builds, Snipping Tool records video as well as screenshots. Its big advantage over Game Bar is that you choose the area: a box around one panel, a window plus the taskbar, or the entire screen.

1. Open Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
2. Click the video camera icon to switch from screenshot to record mode.
3. Click New, then drag a rectangle around the area you want. To record the full screen, drag from one corner to the opposite corner.
4. Check the toolbar. Recent versions show toggles for microphone and system audio; turn on the ones you need.
5. Click Start. After a short countdown, recording begins.
6. Click Stop. A preview opens. Save it, or check your Videos folder, since newer versions save recordings there automatically.

Recent builds also accept Win+Shift+R to jump straight into region selection for recording. If that does nothing, update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store.

Windows 10’s Snipping Tool cannot record video. On Windows 10 your built-in choices are Game Bar, PowerPoint if you own it, or a free third-party recorder. The guide to screen video recording on Windows 10 goes through those options, and the Windows 11 screen recording guide compares Snipping Tool and Game Bar side by side.

Other options: PowerPoint, OBS Studio and ShareX

PowerPoint

If you have Microsoft PowerPoint, it includes a screen recorder that works on Windows 10 and 11.

1. Open a blank presentation and go to Insert > Screen Recording.
2. Click Select Area and drag around what you want, or press Win+Shift+F for the full screen.
3. Toggle Audio and Record Pointer in the small dock.
4. Click Record. Press Win+Shift+Q to stop.
5. The video lands on a slide. Right-click it and choose Save Media as to export a standalone file.

It is clunky for frequent use, but it is a reliable fallback on Windows 10 machines that already have Office.

OBS Studio

OBS Studio is free, open-source screen recording software for Windows that can capture the entire desktop, several monitors, a webcam and separate audio sources at once. The trade-off is setup time.

1. Install OBS and open it. Skip or accept the auto-configuration wizard.
2. In the Sources box, click + and add Display Capture for a whole monitor, or Window Capture for one app.
3. In the Audio Mixer, check that Desktop Audio and Mic/Aux both move when sound plays.
4. In Settings > Output, note the recording path and format.
5. Click Start Recording, then Stop Recording when finished.

ShareX

ShareX is a free capture tool that records a region to video or GIF, with a default shortcut of Shift+Print Screen. It suits short clips for bug reports and chat. It has many options, so expect to spend a few minutes in its settings.

For a deeper look at installing and configuring third-party tools, see our guide to choosing a screen recording program for Windows.

Which Windows screen recording tool should you use?

Here is how the main options compare on the things that matter day to day.

Tool	Windows version	What it captures	Audio	Best for
Xbox Game Bar	10 and 11	One app window only	Mic and app or system sound	Quick single-app clips
Snipping Tool	11 (recent builds)	Any region or full screen	Mic and system sound in recent versions	Short region recordings
PowerPoint	10 and 11, needs Office	Region or full screen	Mic and system sound	Fallback on Windows 10
OBS Studio	10 and 11, free install	Desktop, windows, webcam, multiple sources	Separate desktop and mic tracks	Long or multi-window recordings
ShareX	10 and 11, free install	Region or screen	Configurable	Bug reports and GIFs

A rough rule: if Game Bar can see everything you need, use it. If you need the desktop or more than one window, skip straight to Snipping Tool on Windows 11 or OBS on either version. Fighting Game Bar’s one-app limit wastes more time than learning OBS.

We are also building QuickCapture, a Windows tray recorder for a window, a region or a whole screen that captures microphone and computer sound, then lets you copy the video or open its publishing tools. It is coming soon and not yet available to download. You can follow it and our other tools on the Utilities page.

Worked example: recording an online meeting with sound

A common request is to record a browser-based meeting so you do not miss details. First, get permission from the other participants; many meeting platforms also have their own recording feature that announces itself to everyone, which is often the better choice.

If you do record it yourself, here is a sensible setup on Windows 11:

1. Close noisy apps. Mute chat notifications and email alerts so pings do not end up in the recording.
2. Pick the tool. The meeting runs in one browser window, so Game Bar works. If you also want to capture shared files opened in another app, use Snipping Tool around the full screen, or OBS.
3. Set audio. In Settings > Gaming > Captures, choose to capture all system sound if the other participants’ voices are not coming through. Decide whether your own voice should be recorded and toggle the mic with Win+Alt+M.
4. Run a 10-second test. Join early, play any audio, say a sentence and stop. Play the file back and listen for both sides of the conversation.
5. Record. Click into the meeting window, press Win+Alt+R, and leave the window focused. Clicking into another app does not move the recording with you.
6. Stop and check the file. Open Videos > Captures and skim the start, middle and end.

Listening cues for the test clip: if you hear yourself but not the other people, system audio is not being captured. If you hear them but not yourself, the mic is muted or the wrong input device is selected in Settings > System > Sound. If voices sound doubled, both your speakers and mic are picking up the same audio; switch to headphones. The guide to Windows screen recording with audio covers mic and system sound in more depth.

Once you have the file, you may want to cut the waiting time at the start. Any basic video editor can trim it. We are also working on Xorn, an AI video editor that lets coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor create and edit videos alongside you in the same visual editor; it is coming soon.

Why Win+Alt+R isn’t working, and other common mistakes

The shortcut does nothing

• Game Bar is off or missing. Check Settings > Gaming. Press Win+G; if no overlay appears, Game Bar itself is the problem, not the record shortcut.
• Nothing recordable is focused. If you are on the desktop or in File Explorer, Game Bar will not start. Click inside a normal app window first.
• Another overlay owns the keys. Graphics driver overlays and some capture apps register their own shortcuts. Close them, or change the Game Bar shortcuts in the Game Bar settings.
• Hardware support. Game Bar recording relies on your graphics hardware. On some older or unusual setups the record option is greyed out; use Snipping Tool, PowerPoint or OBS instead.
• Outdated components. Update Windows and the Xbox Game Bar app from the Microsoft Store.

Mistakes that ruin recordings

• Skipping the test clip. Silent recordings are the most common failure, and you only find out afterwards.
• Recording the wrong screen. With two monitors, OBS’s Display Capture and Snipping Tool’s selection need the correct display.
• Leaving private things visible. Close password managers, personal tabs and notifications before a full-screen recording.
• Using 60 fps high quality for a slide talk. Files grow fast; 30 fps standard is fine for static content.
• Running heavy jobs in the background. A busy processor can cause dropped frames. Pause large downloads, builds or other demanding tasks while recording.
• Forgetting where files go. Game Bar uses Videos > Captures, OBS uses the path in its Output settings, and PowerPoint keeps the video inside the slide until you save it out.

With those checks done, recording your screen on Windows becomes a two-key habit for simple clips, with Snipping Tool or OBS ready for anything bigger. For more practical walkthroughs, browse our software guides.

Frequently asked questions

How do I activate the screen recorder on Windows?

Open Settings, go to Gaming, and make sure Xbox Game Bar is turned on. Then click into any app and press Win+G to open the overlay, or press Win+Alt+R to start recording straight away. On Windows 11 you can also open Snipping Tool, switch to the video camera icon and click New. If Game Bar is missing, reinstall it from the Microsoft Store.

How do I record a single window in Windows 11?

Click inside the window so it has focus, then press Win+Alt+R. Xbox Game Bar records only that app, even if other windows overlap it, and saves an MP4 to Videos > Captures when you press Win+Alt+R again. If you need a window plus part of the desktop, use Snipping Tool's record mode and drag a region around the area instead.

Why is Win+Alt+R not working?

The usual causes are that Xbox Game Bar is disabled, the desktop or File Explorer is focused instead of an app, or another overlay has claimed the shortcut. Some older graphics hardware also cannot use Game Bar recording. Turn Game Bar on in Settings > Gaming, click into a normal app window, close other overlay tools, and try again. Press Win+G to see whether the overlay opens at all.

How do I screen record with audio on Windows?

In Xbox Game Bar, press Win+Alt+M to toggle your microphone during a recording, and choose which sound to capture under Settings > Gaming > Captures. Recent Windows 11 versions of Snipping Tool show microphone and system audio toggles in the recording toolbar. OBS Studio lets you add desktop audio and microphone sources separately. Always run a 10-second test and play it back before recording anything important.

How do you film on a laptop?

To record the laptop's screen, use the same methods as any Windows PC: Win+Alt+R for Game Bar, Snipping Tool on Windows 11, or OBS Studio. To film yourself with the webcam, open the built-in Camera app and switch to video mode. OBS can combine both by adding a display capture and a webcam source in the same scene.