How to screen record on a Windows laptop

Screen record on a Windows 11 laptop

The Snipping Tool records video on any Windows 11 laptop, from a budget HP to a ThinkPad.

1. Press Win Shift R. The Snipping Tool’s recorder opens over the screen.
2. Drag a box over what you want to record. Newer versions can also record the whole screen in one click.
3. In the toolbar, switch on the microphone for your voice and system sound for audio from the laptop. The microphone can start switched off.
4. Click Start. Recording begins after a three-second countdown.
5. Click the red stop button when you’re done.

The video is saved as an MP4 in Videos\Screen Recordings. If there’s no video camera icon in the Snipping Tool, update it from the Microsoft Store.

On Windows 11, PrtSc also opens the Snipping Tool’s capture bar by default. Switch its toggle from screenshot to video and carry on from step 2. On a laptop, that key may need Fn.

Screen record on a Windows 10 laptop

Windows 10’s Snipping Tool can’t record video, so the built-in option is the Xbox Game Bar.

1. Open the app you want to record and click into it.
2. Press Win Alt R. A small timer shows that it’s recording.
3. Press Win Alt M to switch your microphone on. It’s off by default.
4. Press Win Alt R again to stop. The video is saved in Videos\Captures.

The Game Bar records one app window only. It can’t record the desktop or File Explorer, and it doesn’t follow you if you switch apps. For the whole screen on Windows 10, use PowerPoint’s Insert › Screen Recording or a screen recorder such as screenrecordwindows.com. Both are covered in the main guide to screen recording on Windows.

When you need the Fn key

The recording shortcuts, Win Shift R and Win Alt R, use letter keys, so Fn doesn’t come into them.

Fn matters for Print Screen. On a laptop, PrtSc usually sits in the top row, often as a second label on an F-key or on Insert. If so, hold Fn and press it. Also:

• No PrtSc label at all: on some laptops Fn Insert does the same job.
• A touch-sensitive, lit top row: press Fn to switch the row to its other set of keys, then press PrtSc when it lights up.
• The top row does the opposite of what you expect: check Fn Lock. On many Dell and Lenovo laptops Fn Esc switches it, and Lenovo shows its state with a small light on the Esc key.

Shortcut	What it does	Needs Fn on a laptop?
Win Shift R	Snipping Tool recorder (Windows 11)	No
PrtSc	Snipping Tool capture bar (Windows 11)	Often, if PrtSc shares a key
Win Alt R	Start or stop a Game Bar recording	No
Win Alt M	Game Bar microphone on or off	No
Alt R	screenrecordwindows.com recording bar	No

HP laptops

HP laptops record with Windows’ own tools: the Snipping Tool on Windows 11 and the Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10 and 11. The steps above are the same on a Pavilion, Envy, Spectre, EliteBook, ProBook or Victus. What differs is the keyboard:

• Print Screen is in the top row on most models. If “prt sc” is a second label on a shared key, hold Fn.
• The top row either performs its printed actions, such as volume and brightness, or acts as F1 to F12. On many HP models you choose which with Action Keys Mode in the BIOS setup.
• The microphone mute key, on models that have one, has a small light. When the light is on, the microphone is off.

Dell laptops and PCs

Dell laptops and desktops also use Windows’ own recorders. Dell’s support article on screen recording, written for XPS, Alienware and G Series machines, points to the Xbox Game Bar. On a Windows 11 Dell, the Snipping Tool is quicker, and it can record the desktop too.

• Print Screen often needs Fn plus an F-key, commonly F10. On a full-size Dell desktop keyboard it has a key of its own.
• Fn Lock is Fn Esc on many models.
• Latitude and Precision laptops mute the microphone with the F4 key.

Lenovo laptops

To screen record on a Lenovo laptop with Windows 11, use the Snipping Tool steps above; on Windows 10, the Game Bar. Lenovo’s own help page on screen recording walks through the Xbox Game Bar. This applies to IdeaPad, Yoga, ThinkPad and Legion alike.

On a ThinkPad, Fn Esc switches FnLock, and F4 mutes the microphones. Other models may differ, so check the icons on your top row.

Gaming laptops

If your laptop has an NVIDIA or AMD graphics chip, the chip maker’s software is the better tool for games. The NVIDIA app records a game, an app or the desktop with Alt F9, and Alt Z opens its overlay. AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition has its own recording tools as well. More on those in how to record gameplay on a PC.

Many gaming laptops can also lock the Windows key, so you don’t open the Start menu mid-game. If Win Alt R does nothing, that’s the first thing to check. On several Alienware models, Fn F6 switches the Windows key off and on.

Built-in microphone or a headset

The built-in microphone works for a quick clip, but it shares a case with the keyboard and the fan, so it picks up typing, fan noise and the echo of the room. A headset microphone sits by your mouth and sounds much cleaner.

• Most Bluetooth headsets switch to a hands-free mode with much lower sound quality when their microphone is in use, unless the laptop and headset both support Bluetooth LE Audio. A wired or USB headset avoids this.
• Choose the microphone under Settings › System › Sound › Input, in “Choose a device for speaking or recording”. Open it and use Start test to check the level.
• Check the mute key. Many laptops have one in the top row, often with a light.
• Allow access under Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone if your recorder hears nothing.

For system sound and fixing silent videos, see how to screen record with audio.

Plug in and check the power mode

Recording video keeps the processor and graphics busy and drains the battery. Plug in before a long recording, and make sure Windows isn’t holding performance back.

1. Connect the charger.
2. Open Settings › System › Power & battery.
3. Under Power mode, choose Balanced or Best performance. Newer versions have separate settings for Plugged in and On battery. Best power efficiency saves power by reducing performance.
4. On the same page, switch off Energy saver if it’s on. You can’t change the power mode while it is.

On Windows 10, click the battery icon on the taskbar and move the power mode slider towards performance.

Make small text readable

A laptop screen is small, and a full-screen recording makes its text even smaller when played in a window or on a phone. Three things help:

• Record a window or an area, not the whole screen. In the Snipping Tool, drag the box around just the window you’re using. The Game Bar already records one app.
• Zoom in before you record. Ctrl + enlarges a web page, and Ctrl 0 resets it. For everything on screen, raise Scale under Settings › System › Display one step, then set it back to the recommended value afterwards.
• Maximise the window so it fills the area you record.

A recorder that makes laptop recordings easy to follow

The built-in tools record exactly what was on the screen. For a tutorial, a demo or a bug report that someone else will watch, a dedicated app to screen record on Windows can do the zooming for you.

screenrecordwindows.com is free for Windows 10 and 11, with a small watermark that Pro removes. Press Alt R, choose Screen, Window or Area, switch on your microphone, computer sound and the laptop’s webcam if you want them, and click Record. When you stop, the editor opens with the video already edited:

• Automatic zoom on your clicks and typing, so small text is readable.
• A smooth cursor that’s easy to follow.
• Clean browser recordings: in Chrome, Edge or Brave, the tabs and address bar can be left out automatically.
• Privacy blur for email addresses, API keys, card numbers and phone numbers it finds on screen.

Everything runs on the laptop, with no account and nothing uploaded unless you share a link, and there’s no time limit. It isn’t made for games: it has no instant replay, and your graphics chip’s software is the better choice there. Download it free.

Recording with the lid closed

You can record with the lid shut if an external monitor is connected and the laptop stays awake when you close it.

1. On Windows 11 version 24H2 or later, open Settings › System › Power & battery › Lid & power button controls and set Closing the lid will make my PC to Do nothing, at least under Plugged in. On older versions, go to Control Panel › Hardware and Sound › Power Options › Choose what closing the lid does.
2. Connect the monitor, a keyboard and a mouse.
3. Press Win P and choose Second screen only if you want everything on the monitor.
4. Record as usual.

With the lid shut, the built-in webcam faces the keyboard, so use an external webcam if you want to appear in the video, and a headset for sound.