How to Record Your Screen on Windows 10

This article explains how to enable screen recording to record your screen on Windows 10 using Windows Game Bar or PowerPoint. Instructions cover Windows 10 desktop and laptop computers.

How to Enable the Game Bar Utility

Before you get started recording your screen on Windows 10, you'll need to enable the Game Bar utility, if it's not already enabled. Here's how:

1. Search for Game Bar in the Windows search box.

   

2. From the results that appear, select Game bar shortcuts.

   

   Alternatively, you can use Start > Settings > Gaming.

3. In the Game bar dialog box, make sure the slider for Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar is set to the On position.

   

   In the Game bar window, you can also view or customize the keyboard shortcuts that activate and deactivate video capture, screenshots, broadcasting.

4. Once you're enabled Game bar, you can close out of the window and the option will be saved.

How to Record Your Computer Screen on Windows 10

After the Game bar is enabled, it's easy to record your screen on Windows 10, but there are a few caveats.

• Some applications, such as File Manager, cannot be captured with the Game bar.
• You cannot capture your desktop, you must be capturing an app.
• If while you're capturing another window appears over the one you are capturing, you will not capture that window in your video (but you will capture the movement of your cursor).
• You can use apps from either the Windows Store or apps that are already installed on your computer.

With these abilities and limitations in mind, here's how to record on Windows 10 using Game bar.

1. Open the app or program you want to record and then press Windows + G on your keyboard. This opens the Game bar overlay.

2. In the Gamebar overlay, you'll see several widgets, including Capture, Audio, Performance, and maybe Xbox Social. There is also a main toolbar at the top of the screen that corresponds with these widgets, so you can add or remove them at any time.

   

3. To capture your screen, click the Record button in the Capture widget.

   

4. Once the recording starts, a recorder appears in the upper right corner of the page. Here you can view the recording time, press the Stop button (blue circle with a white square in the center), or control your microphone.

   

5. When you're finished, press the Stop button and a message flyout appears on the right side of the screen to let you know that you have created a recording. You can click this message to access the recording or you can navigate to the recording in your Videos file.

   

How to Screen Capture in Windows 10 Using PowerPoint

If you need to capture your desktop or capture multiple windows, Microsoft PowerPoint might be a better option for capturing your screen. It's fast to set up and more versatile than using the Game bar.

1. Open a new presentation in Powerpoint and go to Insert > Screen Recording.

   

2. The PowerPoint presentation will minimize, and your desktop will be displayed. If you're not prompted to select the area you want to record, then click Select Area and drag your cursor around the area you want to record. A red, dashed bounding box appears around the area you want to record.

   

3. Once you've set the area, you can click Audio to turn the audio on or off and Record Pointer to capture (or not) the pointer as you move around the screen. When you're satisfied with your setting, click Record.

   

4. A short countdown will appear and then your recording will be live. The control panel for your recording may also disappear. If you push your cursor into the top, middle of the screen, the control box will appear again.

5. When you need to pause or stop your recording, you can choose Pause or Stop from the Recording menu.

   

6. Once you stop the recording, you'll be taken back to PowerPoint and the recording will be inserted into the slide you selected. To save it to your computer, right-click the recording and select Save Media as.

   

7. Navigate to where you want to save the file and then click Save.