Are you looking to record video of what’s happening on your laptop screen? This guide is for you. You can use this to make tutorials, record demos, or show someone something on your screen. If your Mac does not have a built-in program for recording screens, then you need to download an application that will provide the built-in tool. There are a lot of these programs out there, so we have taken the time to test some of the best and bring you our top choices in this article.
How to Capture Screen Video on Laptop
Want to capture your computer’s screen on record? You might be a businessperson who has to record your screen for a presentation at work, a software engineer doing a how-to video, or just a regular person who wants to post a useful YouTube video. There are numerous third-party screen-capture software available, but built-in facilities in Windows and macOS make it possible to record your screen activities. Here is a starting point.
Game Bar, an integrated feature of Windows 10, is made to record games that you play on your PC or stream from an Xbox console. But it can also quickly record screen activity from other programs. Go to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and turn on the Enable Xbox setting to configure this.
The keyboard shortcuts for launching the game bar, capturing screenshots, and recording videos can all be modified from this page. Additionally, by pressing the Xbox button on an attached Xbox Controller, you can launch the Game Bar on your computer (Opens in a new window).
With the exception of the Windows desktop, File Explorer, and a few specific Windows applications, like Weather, you may record activity in the majority of programs and windows. To launch Game Bar, navigate to the screen you want to capture, then press Win + G. On the screen, a number of Game Bar widgets with controls for taking screenshots, making video and audio recordings, and broadcasting your screen activities are visible.
To record your screen activity, click the Start Recording button or press Win + Alt + R on your keyboard. Perform the screen actions you wish to capture right now. The Game Bar widgets are replaced with a little floating bar in the top-right corner of the screen, where you can control the recording, when you click on the screen.
Click the Recording button on the floating bar to halt the recording. An alert notifies you that the game clip was captured after the recording is finished. You can view your video in the Game Bar by clicking the notice. To start the video, click the Play button.
Go to Settings > Gaming > Captures to modify the Game Bar. From this point, you can alter the default video file location, enable background recording to record activity after the fact, choose to record both audio and video, and set the frame rate between 30 and 60 frames per second.
Click the Settings icon in the Game Bar itself, which is to the right of the top bar. To edit the shortcuts, alter the theme, adjust the widgets, enable background recording, and record audio along with the video, look through the many Settings sections.
How to Capture Screen Video in Windows 10
Record the Windows Screen with Xbox Game Bar
The Xbox Game Bar, which is a component of Windows 11 and Windows 10, provides a number of features aimed at enhancing your gaming experience, including easy access to Xbox chat and a glimpse into your CPU and GPU activities. Its ability to screen record MP4 films, whether you’re gaming or not, is its most valuable feature.
The Xbox Game Bar has one drawback: It can only record the screen of one application at a time and cannot record the Windows desktop or File Explorer. Therefore, you would need to gather a number of films if you wanted to demonstrate how to use an activity that involved several programs, such as creating a website in a code editor and then viewing it in a browser. And you can’t teach them how to use the Start menu or any other feature of the Windows 11 or 10 user interface. Use a different program, such as OBS, for those tasks; we’ll show you how to screen record using it later in this post.
1. Click into the app you wish to record.
2. Hit the Windows Key + Alt + R to start screen recording. A small recording widget showing how long you’ve been recording appears somewhere on the screen, most likely in a corner. You can also get here by launching the Xbox Gamebar (Windows Key + G) and then finding the capture widget, but the keyboard shortcut is much simpler.
3. Perform whatever actions you want and use your microphone to record audio. You can also mute the mic if you don’t want to capture any sound.
4. Hit the Windows Key + Alt + R again to stop screen recording. You can also hit the stop button on the widget You will get an alert that says “Game clip recorded. If you click on it, you will go into the Gallery section of the Gamebar app and be able to preview the video you captured. You can also find the MP4 file you recorded under your Videos/Captures folder.
Configuring Xbox Gamebar Screen Recording
While the default settings are probably fine for most people, there are a few options you can change.
1. Navigate to Settings->Gaming->Captures.
2. Change any of the following settings. Note that though they use the word “game,” the settings should apply to any app you record whether it’s a game or not.
- Record what happened (Win 11) / Background Recording (Win 10): this creates a 30-second (or greater if you change the settings) buffer of automatically recorded content. So if you are playing a game and just had an epic kill, you can hit Windows key + G to launch game bar and you can save the 30 seconds that just passed, even though you weren’t actively screen recording it. Note that the name of this setting is different in Windows 11 than 10, but the feature is the same.
- Max recording length: The amount of time after which screen recording will automatically shut off. I recommend leaving this at the default two hours.
- Capture audio when recording a game: By default, this records the sounds from your mic and the game itself, but excludes background sounds from Windows or your other apps. You can disable the audio recording entirely or enable it to record system sounds or change the balance.
- Video frame rate: defaults to 30 fps, but you can change it to 60 fps.
- Video quality: choose standard or high.
- Capture mouse cursor when recording a game: I recommend leaving this enabled, particularly if you are recording an app that is not a game.
Recording the Whole Screen with OBS Studio
The main disadvantage of utilizing the built-in Xbox Gamebar in Windows 10 or Windows 11 to screen record is that it can only be used with one app at a time and does not display the Windows desktop or File Explorer. You need a third-party tool to record your entire desktop and every window on it. While there are many options, we recommend OBS Studio for this.
OBS Studio is a favorite among game streamers because it’s cost-free and excellent at sending games to Twitch and other websites. Without ever streaming anything you do, you can also use OBS to capture the entire screen on Windows 11 and save it as an MP4 file.
1. Download, install and launch OBS Studio. When you launch OBS for the first time, if you haven’t already, you will be asked whether you want to optimize it for streaming or recording only. If you don’t plan to stream, choose “Optimize just for recording.”
2. Click the Plus icon under Sources to add a new source.
3. Select Display Capture.
4. Click Ok on the dialog box that pops up. You can give the source a name other than Display Capture if you’d like.
5. Choose a display and click Ok. If you have more than one monitor, this would allow you to have OBS on one screen while recording the activity on another. If you have only one monitor, there’s only one choice.
6. Click the Start Recording button in the lower right corner of the screen.
7. Minimize OBS if you are screen recording from the same monitor that OBS is on.
8. Click Stop Recording in OBS when you are finished.
By default, your screen recording videos will be located in the Windows 11 (or 10) Videos folder. They are stored, by default, in the .mkv file format. However, you can change the output to MP4 or MOV files by going to the Settings->Output menu in OBS.
How to Record Screen on Windows 11
Record the Screen on Windows 11
On Windows 11, there are five quick and cost-free ways to record the screen. On Windows 11, the screen was captured using the Xbox Game Bar, OBS Studio, and Free Cam programs. The fifth technique comes directly from Microsoft in the form of a new software, while the fourth method will be particularly helpful for students. Expand the table below to see all the available options.
Even though Windows 11, or Windows 10 for that matter, do not come with a built-in screen recorder, you can easily capture the screen using the Xbox Game Bar. Although it is designed to record gaming sessions, you may also use it to record other windows. Only drawback is that it doesn’t
Record the Screen on Windows 11 with OBS Studio
OBS Studio is the finest screen recording software for Windows 11 if you are dissatisfied with Xbox Game Bar’s restrictions and want to record the Desktop and File Explorer without any limitations. It is a free and open-source tool that saves videos without watermarks and functions flawlessly. If you follow the instructions in the guide below, it will be simple for you to record the screen on Windows 11 despite OBS Studio’s intimidating appearance.
Record the Screen on Windows 11 with Third-Party App Free Cam
Free Cam is perhaps the best third-party program to capture the screen on Windows 11 if you want something straightforward. It does not tack on a watermark to screen recordings and is lightweight, free to use, and has a simple user interface. The software also has a video editor with a noise reduction tool. The fact that Free Cam exports films in WMV format is the only drawback I can see with it. MP4 not supported But here’s how to use Free Cam to screen record on Windows 11.
Record the Screen on Windows 11 with Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint can be used to record the screen on Windows 11 if you’re a student seeking for the simplest method. Students typically receive an Office subscription through their schools or institutions, so using this to capture the screen can be helpful. Here’s how you approach it.
Record the Screen on Windows 11 with Clipchamp
A native video editor called Clipchamp is now included with Windows 11, and it makes it simple to record the screen. In the Windows 11 Start menu, you will see a placeholder for Clipchamp if you are using the stable release. Even though Clipchamp is essentially a web app, it will be installed as a native app out of the box if you are running Windows 11 Dev version 22572 or later.
In addition to capturing the screen, it also allows you to add a webcam overlay (though it’s not required). Teachers who want to make tutorials for their pupils will find the webcam overlay to be of particular use. One of this Microsoft app’s minor drawbacks is that the free edition only allows for a 30-minute screen recording. Additionally, the free edition only allows you to export videos in 480p.
Top 10 Best Screen Recorders
1. OBS Studio
OBS, also known as Open Broadcaster Software, is a free screen recorder that provides high definition recording and broadcasting with no time restrictions on your movies.
The desktop application gives you the ability to record the entire screen, but it also lets you select the area of the screen you want to capture.
You may generate videos with flawlessly recorded sound by using an audio mixer and customizable hotkeys to control the recording.
OBS has live-streaming functionality in addition to the user-friendly screencasting tools that you won’t find in the built-in screen recorders of most popular OS systems. You may save projects, convert your film to FLV format, and stream live on Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
Price: Free
Supported OS: Linux, Mac, Windows
Best for: Professional live streaming to Mixer, YouTube or Twitch
2. Apowersoft Unlimited
For Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows, there are screen recorders in this group of software programs.
Using the desktop recorder, you may concurrently record audio from your PC, mobile device, microphone, and computer’s webcam while wirelessly casting an Android or iPhone to your PC’s screen.
The desktop screen recorder provides a variety of recording options, such as full screen, custom region, and more, and it also enables users to make real-time annotations on the video. Without pausing, you can apply callouts, lines, text, and more.
All you need to do to start casting is connect your computer and smartphone to the same WiFi network and use the company’s simple, mobile-specific software.
Users of Macs and Windows can record desktop screen activity directly.
Price: $59.95 per year
Supported OS: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac
Best for: Demonstrating how to use software that has both a desktop and a mobile version
3. Screencast-O-Matic
Webcam and screen recordings are supported by the online video editor and screen recorder Screencast-O-Matic.
The application is perfect for recording and sharing short movies because it offers options to record in 800600, 640480, and other conventional qualities even though HD recording is not an option.
Additionally, it helps users zoom, sketch, and add overlays to the video files.
Additionally, you can upload the recording to YouTube without downloading any desktop software.
Additional features of Screencast-O-Matic include the ability to edit computer audio and sync recorded audio with video.
Remember that the premium edition of the program offers access to the majority of the editing features. However, you can submit content to YouTube using the free version.
Price: Free or $1.50 per month
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS
Best for: Making quick tutorials to share with friends, customers or online communities
4. AceThinker
An easy to set up and use web-based laptop screen recorder is AceThinker.
You may use it to record a specific area of the screen or the entire screen, make in-the-moment edits for a compelling recording, and simultaneously record audio from your computer and microphone.
You can convert and store your recordings with the software in all popular video formats, including MP4, MOV, and API.
Additionally, you may directly submit your recordings using AceThinker to Dropbox, Google Drive, or YouTube.
The free version of the program includes all of these functions, but you can also upgrade to the PRO version to access many more features.
The PRO version’s unique ability to allow you plan tasks for screen recordings stands out among its features.
Install this screen capture program on your home computer, set a schedule, and let it record the screen automatically if you want to capture a live stream that is now playing in the afternoon but are unable to do so at work due to a lack of internet access.
Price: Free or $39.95
Supported OS: Mac, Windows
Best for: Recording soccer matches, stock trends, etc
5. ScreenFlow
You’d adore ScreenFlow if you’ve been looking for a Mac screen recorder with audio features.
Its capabilities include the ability to organize video elements and settings, record your Mac at retina resolution, and add background audio to the captured images.
You’d also adore the software’s included “Styles” and “Templates” utilities.
For a recorded segment, styles allows you to save the visual/auditory preferences for specific features like drop shadows or color filters.
On the other hand, templates allow users to plan out groups of annotations like text placeholders and outro segments in advance and arrange, insert, and modify them.
For usage in all of their videos, subscribers to ScreenFlow’s Super Pak edition (a more expensive plan) also have access to over 500,000 original images and audio clips.
Therefore, ScreenFlow is unlikely to let you down if your goal is to maximize the value of your screen recordings.
Price: $129
Supported OS: Mac, iOS
Best for: Making high-quality retina videos
6. Screencastify
Another screen recording tool that utilizes Google Chrome is called Screencastify.
Whether you’re an experienced or inexperienced video creator, Screencastify has all the necessary features.
You may narrate to your microphone while using it to record your camera, the entire screen, or just one tab.
Additionally, it offers you annotation capabilities that can be used to help viewers stay focused on what’s important. Included are click highlighting, the drawing pen tool, and mouse spotlight.
Additionally, Screencastify will save the movie to your Google Drive automatically when you have recorded the screen.
The finest screen recording software solutions, including Screencastify, allow you to export the recording as an animated GIF, MP3, or MP4 in addition to uploading it to YouTube.
Price: Free
Supported OS: Mac, Windows, Linux
Best for: Recording software demos and creating solution videos
7. Bandicam
A powerful screen recording program that supports both screen and gameplay capturing is Bandicam.
It uses a high compression ratio without sacrificing the quality of the video. 120 frames per second 4K ultra-high definition video may be recorded using Bandicam.
The device recording ability of Bandicam is another interesting feature. You can record videos from IPTV, HDTV, APPLE TV, smartphones, PlayStations, and Xboxes by purchasing a separate capture card.
Additionally, users of Bandicam can take screenshots in the JPEG, PNG, and BMP file formats.
Additionally, users of Bandicam can take screenshots in the JPEG, PNG, and BMP file formats.
Practically anything may be recorded using Bandicam, including your full computer screen, Excel spreadsheets, web browser, Powerpoint presentations, and more.
Its free version adds a watermark to the videos, so you must upgrade to a paid account to fully benefit from it.
Price: Free or $39.99
Supported OS: Windows
Best for: Balancing the depth of video recordings
8. Filmora Scrn
With no time restrictions, Filmora Scrn enables you to record gameplay, webcam, computer screen, and audio all at once.
You can choose to record at a frame rate between 15 and 120. For recording gaming with lots of motion, a higher FPS is ideal.
For your audience’s benefit, you may also add annotations like text using the software. Additionally, you can change your cursor’s size, color, and form to give it a distinctive appearance.
You don’t need a separate video editing program while using Filmora Scrn because it has a wealth of editing features built right in to help you perfect your video recordings.
It can import from more than 50 different file types, and you have the option to export your recordings in as many other formats as you need.
Price: Free or $29.99
Supported OS: Windows, Mac
Best for: Recording screen from two devices simultaneously
9. Camtasia
On your PC, you can easily record and produce professional-looking films with TechSmith’s Camtasia.
You can record audio and video from a desktop or iOS device, as well as your camera to give your recording a more unique touch.
Camtasia excels in its integrated video editing program. The tool’s sidebar has a good collection of stock photos as well as click-and-drag effects. By quickly placing them into their recordings, users can quickly construct outro and intro segments.
To improve the flow of your films, you may also add pan, zoom in, and zoom out animations to your footage as well as transitions between slides and scenes.
You can import or record PowerPoint documents directly into the environment of the screen recording software. Make your presentations stand out by including eye-catching titles, recordings, and other elements.
Price: Free or $249
Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS
Best for: Adding a professional touch to captured videos
10. ShareX
For recording videos, use this free screen recording program.
Your recordings are free from watermarks and time restrictions, and you have the option to save your clip as a GIF rather than a video.
ShareX’s major selling point is its ability to share video files, which makes it simple to publish recordings directly to websites like YouTube and others.
With this program, you can easily improve the screenshots that you take. You can completely alter still photographs with the built-in photo editor.
In addition to being an excellent screenshot and screen capture tool, it can also record an entire scrolling webpage, capture and expose text via OCR, and schedule screen captures.
Price: Free
Supported OS: Linux, Windows
Best for: Recording screens of Linux devices
Conclusion
Capturing screen video on laptop can be a great way to capture important moments during your work or social activities. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind before starting to capture video: use the camera and editor wisely, use the voice recognition and keyboard together, and take advantage of the built-in microphones. By following these simple tips, you can create quality screen videos that will help you connect with your viewers.