Screen record shortcuts on Windows 10 and 11

Every screen recording shortcut

Shortcut	What it does	Windows
Win Shift R	Snipping Tool: record an area or the whole screen	11
Win Shift S or PrtScn	Snipping Tool capture bar in screenshot mode; switch it to video	11 for video
Win G	Open the Xbox Game Bar	10 and 11
Win Alt R	Game Bar: start or stop recording the app you’re in	10 and 11
Win Alt M	Game Bar: microphone on or off	10 and 11
Win Alt G	Game Bar: save the last few moments (background recording must be on)	10 and 11
Win Alt PrtScn	Game Bar: screenshot of the game or app	10 and 11
Win Shift E	PowerPoint: select an area to record	10 and 11
Win Shift B	PowerPoint: record the whole screen	10 and 11
Win Shift D	PowerPoint: pause	10 and 11
Win Shift Q	PowerPoint: stop	10 and 11
Alt R	screenrecordwindows.com: open the recording bar	10 and 11

The Snipping Tool and PowerPoint record any part of the screen. The Game Bar records one app window only, never the desktop or File Explorer. Win PrtScn and Alt PrtScn take screenshots, not video. For a walkthrough of each tool, see how to screen record on Windows.

Snipping Tool shortcuts (Windows 11)

Win Shift R is the quickest way to record on Windows 11. Drag a box over what you want (newer versions can also take the whole screen), set the microphone and system sound buttons in the toolbar, and click Start. After a three-second countdown, it records. The MP4 is saved in Videos\Screen Recordings.

The shortcut arrived in 2023 with Snipping Tool version 11.2307.44.0, together with a combined capture bar for screenshots and recordings. That’s why Win Shift S and PrtScn belong in this list too: they open the same bar in screenshot mode, and you can switch it to video from there.

On Windows 11, PrtScn opens the capture bar by default. If yours copies a screenshot instead, search Settings for “Print screen” and turn on the switch that lets the key open screen capture.

On Windows 10, the Snipping Tool and Win Shift S take screenshots only.

Xbox Game Bar shortcuts (Windows 10 and 11)

• Win G opens the Game Bar, with buttons for everything below.
• Win Alt R starts recording the app in front, and stops it. A small timer shows while it records. The video is saved in Videos\Captures.
• Win Alt M switches your microphone on or off. It’s off by default.
• Win Alt G saves the last few moments (older versions called it “Record that”). It only works when background recording is on: turn on Record what happened under Settings › Gaming › Captures, where you also choose how far back it reaches.
• Win Alt PrtScn takes a screenshot of the game or app.

In a full-screen game you won’t see the Game Bar, but Win Alt R and Win Alt G still work, and the screen flashes when recording starts and stops. If nothing happens, press Win G once. The screen flashes twice to show the game is recognised, and the shortcuts work from then on.

PowerPoint shortcuts

PowerPoint’s recorder (Microsoft 365, and PowerPoint 2016 or later) is opened with Insert › Screen Recording, which shows the Control Dock at the top of the screen. Its shortcuts work from there:

• Win Shift E selects an area to record.
• Win Shift B records the whole screen.
• Win Shift D pauses.
• Win Shift Q stops.

Unless you pin it, the Control Dock slides out of view while you record. Move the pointer to the top edge of the screen to bring it back. The recording lands on your slide; right-click it and choose Save Media As to keep an MP4.

Many guides, and Microsoft’s own help until recently, give Win Shift F for the full screen and Win Shift R to record. Microsoft now lists the keys above, and Win Shift R belongs to the Snipping Tool on Windows 11. If a key does nothing in your version, click the Control Dock’s buttons instead.

Alt + R: screen, window or area from one key

The free app from this site gives you one key to screen record Windows 10 and 11. Press Alt R in any app and a recording bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Choose Screen, Window or Area, switch on the microphone, computer sound and webcam you want, and click Record. The bar never shows in the video.

It doesn’t need the Windows key, and unlike the Game Bar it records the whole desktop. When you stop, the editor opens with zooms on your clicks and a smooth cursor already added. Download it free.

For games, stick with the Game Bar. It can save the last few moments with Win Alt G, which our app can’t.

Print Screen and the Fn key on laptops

The recording shortcuts use letter keys, so they don’t need Fn. Print Screen is different. On many laptops it shares a key in the top row, and you hold Fn while you press it. Some laptops have no PrtScn label at all and use Fn Insert instead.

If you can’t find it, skip it: Win Shift S opens the same capture bar. For HP, Dell and Lenovo specifics, see screen recording on a laptop.

Change the Game Bar shortcuts

1. Press Win G, or open Xbox Game Bar from the Start menu.
2. Select Settings, then More settings, then Shortcuts.
3. Type your own combination next to the action, such as starting and stopping a recording.
4. Click Save.

Your combination must include Ctrl, Shift or Alt; a single key isn’t accepted. It doesn’t need the Windows key, and the default keeps working alongside it. Some games block custom shortcuts, so if yours fails in one game, update the Game Bar in the Microsoft Store.

How to screen record on PC without the Windows key

Apart from Print Screen, every built-in recording shortcut starts with the Windows key. If your keyboard doesn’t have one, or it’s broken, you still have options:

1. Use Print Screen or the Start menu. On Windows 11, PrtScn opens the Snipping Tool’s capture bar; switch it to video. Or press Ctrl Esc, which opens Start without the Windows key, open the Snipping Tool, switch from Snip to Record, and click New. PowerPoint’s Insert › Screen Recording needs only the mouse.
2. Give the Game Bar a shortcut without it. Open Xbox Game Bar from Start and set your own keys, as above. Microsoft suggests exactly this for keyboards without a Windows key.
3. Click the keys on the On-Screen Keyboard. Search Start for On-Screen Keyboard, click into the app you want, then click the keys one at a time, modifiers first: Win, Alt, then R.
4. Remap a key with PowerToys. Microsoft’s free PowerToys includes Keyboard Manager. Under Remap a key, map a key you rarely use, such as Right Ctrl, to Win, and the Windows shortcuts work again. Or use Remap a shortcut to send Win Alt R from a combination you choose. PowerToys must be running, and Microsoft advises against Keyboard Manager while gaming because it can cost frame rate.
5. Use a recorder that doesn’t need it. Alt R opens the recording bar described above.

If you do have a Windows key but it does nothing, it may be locked. Many gaming keyboards switch it off in their Game Mode or Win Lock setting, usually with an Fn combination or in the keyboard’s own software. On a work or school PC, an administrator can turn the Windows key shortcuts off with a policy.

Conflicts, and shortcuts that do nothing

• Win Shift R does nothing. You’re on Windows 10, or the Snipping Tool is out of date. Open the Microsoft Store, go to Library and update it.
• Win Alt R does nothing. The Game Bar needs an app to record, so click into one first; the desktop and File Explorer don’t count. For a full-screen game, press Win G once, as above.
• Win Alt G does nothing. Background recording is off. Turn on Record what happened in Settings › Gaming › Captures.
• All the Game Bar keys stopped working. Update Windows and the Game Bar. On Windows 10, check that the Game Bar is switched on under Settings › Gaming › Xbox Game Bar.
• You used the other microphone key. On Windows 11, Win Alt K mutes the microphone in supported apps. For a Game Bar recording, the key is Win Alt M. If the recording is silent, see how to screen record with audio.
• Print Screen opens the wrong app. On Windows 11 the Snipping Tool takes the key by default. To give it to another screenshot app, turn off the Print screen switch in Settings.
• A shortcut opens something unexpected. Look for a remap in PowerToys or in your keyboard’s own software.