How to screen record on Windows

The four ways at a glance

	Windows 10	Windows 11	What it records	Shortcut
Snipping Tool	No	Yes	An area or the whole screen	Win Shift R
Xbox Game Bar	Yes	Yes	One app window	Win Alt R
PowerPoint	Yes	Yes	An area or the whole screen	Win Shift Q to stop
screenrecordwindows.com	Yes	Yes	A screen, a window or an area, plus webcam	Alt R

All four can record sound, and they work the same on a desktop PC and a Windows laptop. The built-in tools give you the raw recording; screenrecordwindows.com also edits it for you, with zooms on your clicks and a smooth cursor.

Method 1: Snipping Tool (Windows 11)

The Snipping Tool that comes with Windows 11 records video as well as screenshots. It’s the quickest way to capture a short clip.

1. Press Win Shift R. Or open the Snipping Tool from the Start menu and switch to the video camera icon.
2. Drag over the part of the screen you want to record. Newer versions can also record the whole screen in one click.
3. Check the microphone and system sound buttons in the toolbar if you want audio.
4. Click Start. Recording begins after a three-second countdown.
5. Click the stop button when you’re done. The video opens in the Snipping Tool and is saved as an MP4 in Videos\Screen Recordings.

Good for quick clips to send to someone. There are no zooms or cursor effects, and editing is limited to trimming at most.

Method 2: Xbox Game Bar (Windows 10 and 11)

The Game Bar is made for recording games, but it records any app window, which makes it the built-in option on Windows 10.

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

The Game Bar records only the window you started in. It can’t record the desktop or File Explorer, and if you switch to another app the recording doesn’t follow you. Press Win G to open the Game Bar and see its settings.

Method 3: PowerPoint

If you have Microsoft 365, PowerPoint has a screen recorder that can capture any area, including the whole screen on Windows 10.

1. Open PowerPoint and a blank presentation.
2. Go to Insert › Screen Recording.
3. Click Select Area and drag over what you want to record, or press Win Shift B for the full screen.
4. Click Record. Stop with Win Shift Q.
5. The recording lands on your slide. Right-click it and choose Save Media As to save an MP4.

It works, but it’s a roundabout way to make a video, and there’s no editing beyond PowerPoint’s own trimming.

Method 4: screenrecordwindows.com (free)

screenrecordwindows.com is the free way to screen record Windows when other people will watch the result: demos, tutorials and walkthroughs.

1. Download it and install it.
2. Press Alt R from any app. A recording bar appears at the bottom of the screen.
3. Pick Screen, Window or Area, then turn on your microphone, computer sound and webcam as you like.
4. Click Record. A three-second countdown gives you time to get ready.
5. Stop when you’re done. The editor opens with the video already edited: it zooms in where you clicked and typed, the cursor glides instead of shaking, and private details like email addresses are blurred.
6. Adjust anything on the timeline, then export an MP4 up to 4K or a GIF.

Recording, editing and export all happen on your PC. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to share a link, which expires after 7 days.

Which one should you use?

• A quick clip on Windows 11: the Snipping Tool.
• Gameplay, or one app on Windows 10: the Xbox Game Bar.
• You already live in PowerPoint: PowerPoint’s Screen Recording.
• Anything people will watch, like a demo, a tutorial or a bug report: screenrecordwindows.com.

Still deciding? See how the options stack up in the best free screen recorders for Windows. Zooms make small text readable, and you don’t have to edit it by hand afterwards.

Screen recording shortcuts on Windows

The full list, including what to do without a Windows key, is in every screen record shortcut on Windows.

Shortcut	What it does
Win Shift R	Start a Snipping Tool recording (Windows 11)
Win Alt R	Start or stop an Xbox Game Bar recording
Win Alt M	Microphone on or off in the Game Bar
Win G	Open the Xbox Game Bar
Win Shift Q	Stop a PowerPoint screen recording
Alt R	Open the screenrecordwindows.com recording bar