Are you curious about how to record a video screenshot? Or are you thinking of learning how to record screen on windows? In this article we’ll answer all your questions with our comprehensive guide on how to record screen capture video on laptop. We’ll cover different commonly used methods and the best software tool that is 100% free.
Recording a screen capture video is simple, yet you may not be sure how to do it. Did you know screen capture videos are becoming more popular? How-to videos allow audience members to see how something is done or made while they are listening to someone talk about it. Imagine being able to teach people how to make the perfect pizza or how to bake the perfect cake. The possibilities are endless when you can show them in real time what you are explaining.
How to Record a Screen Capture Video Screen Recording is the simplest way to demonstrate your digital skills. Most of us are pretty comfortable with speaking in front of a camera if we have a script, but try shooting video while you’re technically doing something else and it can seem daunting. Don’t worry though, I’m going to show you how easy it is! In this video I cover some basic tips on how to record your computer screen and add audio. You’ll learn how to make sure your lighting is appropriate and be able to speak a little better about your products or services by using this methodology.
With the ever changing world of technology, there comes some new, fancy way to record a screen. But I am here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be hard or confusing. First it started with taking a picture of your computer screen, then it was video recording your screen, now it’s video screen capture software. And guess what? It’s easier that ever before.
Should I use a free screen recorder?
Maybe. You can use free apps like QuickTime (on Mac) or Xbox App (Windows), but, if you’re comparing different screen recording tools, make sure you get a screen recorder with sound recording and video editing options built-in.
The problem with many built-in screen recorders that come standard on your computer is that they limit you to just recording. And you end up needing extra tools and software just to edit and share your videos.
Record Your Screen
Open the app that you wish to record. You can start a recording from most applications and windows, but you can’t kick off a capture from the Windows desktop, File Explorer, or certain Windows apps such as Weather. Press Win + G to open the Game Bar.
Several Game Bar widgets pop up with options for capturing screenshots, controlling your video and audio, and viewing your Xbox social account. The pane also displays the name of your current app, file, or window as the source for the video capture.
Click the camera icon to take a simple screenshot or hit the Start Recording button to capture your screen activity. Instead of going through the Game Bar pane next time, you can also just press Win + Alt + R to immediately start your recording.
The first time you choose to record screen activity, Game Bar needs your permission. Click the checkbox next to Enable gaming features for this app to record gameplay. You can now perform whatever screen actions you want to capture. The Game Bar widgets anish, replaced by a small floating bar on the upper-right corner of the screen, through which you can control the recording.
To stop the recording, click the Recording button on the floating bar. A notification appears telling you that the game clip was recorded. Click the notification, and a window pops up showing your video.
Click the Play button to view the video. You can also access your video from its location in File Explorer, which by default is C:\Users\[username]\Videos\Captures. If you don’t like where video captures are being saved by default, you can always change the location. Go to Settings > Gaming > Captures and click the Open folder button, then choose a different folder.
Enable Background Recording
Have you ever done something on your computer and then suddenly wished you’d captured the moment? With the Windows Game Bar, you can record the last several seconds or minutes of screen activity after the fact. To do this, you first need to grant permission for the computer to record your activities in the background.
In Windows 10, go to Settings > Gaming > Captures and turn on the switch for Record in the background while I’m playing a game. While here, click the drop-down menu for Record the last to change the interval to anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
In Windows 11, go to Settings > Gaming > Captures and turn on the switch for Record what happened. Here, you can set the max recording length to 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 4 hours.
Now you need never miss a moment again. Open Game Bar and click the Record last 30 sec button, and a video is generated based on the number of seconds or minutes you set.
How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac
Here’s how to capture your computer screen using the built-in tools in Windows and macOS as well as a couple of third-party screen capture apps.
Xbox Game Bar
Built into Windows 10, Game Bar is designed to record games that you play directly on your PC or those you stream from an Xbox console. However, it can just as easily capture screen activity from other applications. To set this up, go to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and turn on the Enable Xbox Game Bar switch.
Here, you can also change any of the keyboard shortcuts for opening the Game Bar, taking a screenshot, and recording a video. And if you connect an Xbox Controller to your PC, you can trigger the Game Bar by pressing the Xbox button on the controller.
You’ll be able to record activity in most applications and windows, except the Windows desktop, File Explorer, and certain Windows apps, such as Weather. Navigate to the screen you wish to record and press Win + G to open Game Bar. Several Game Bar widgets appear on the screen with controls for capturing screenshots, recording video and audio, and broadcasting your screen activity.
Click the Start Recording button or use the Win + Alt + R keyboard shortcut to capture your screen activity. Now perform whatever screen actions you want to capture. After you click on the screen, the Game Bar widgets vanish, replaced by a small floating bar in the upper-right corner of the screen through which you can control the recording.
To stop the recording, click the Recording button on the floating bar. Once the recording ends, a notification tells you that the game clip was recorded. Click the notification to view your video in the Game Bar. Click the Play button to play the video.
You can also access and play your video from its default location in File Explorer: C:\Users\[username]\Videos\Captures. Your videos will be stored here as an MP4 file, which can then be uploaded anywhere you like.
You can tweak the Game Bar if you go to Settings > Gaming > Captures. From here, you’re able to change the default file location for your videos, turn on background recording to capture activity after the fact, opt to record video along with your audio, and switch the frame rate between 30 and 60 frames per second.
In Game Bar itself, click the Settings icon to the right of the top bar. Browse the different categories under Settings to modify the shortcuts, change the theme, tweak the widgets, set up background recording, and record the audio with the video.
macOS Screenshot Tool
Your Mac comes with its own screen-recording feature on macOS Mojave and higher. Open the app or window you want to record and press Shift + Command + 5 to open the system’s screen-capture tool. From the bottom toolbar, you can opt to capture the entire screen, just the selected window, or a custom portion of the screen. For video, your options include recording the entire screen or a custom portion.
Click the Options button and you can choose where to save your recording and initiate a countdown timer to start the recording. Make sure to check the option to use your Mac’s microphone if you’re recording your own voice or external audio.
Click Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion to begin recording. A Recording button appears at the top of the screen on the menu bar. Click this button to stop recording, and a thumbnail of your recording will be added to your computer. Double-click the screen recording file to play it in your default video player.
You can also trigger the screen recording directly from QuickTime on a Mac. Open QuickTime Player and then click File > New Screen Recording. The first time you do this, you’ll be asked to open System Preferences to grant QuickTime Player permission to record your screen. Go into your settings and check the box to grant the proper permissions. Start the new recording through QuickTime again, and you can then use the Mac’s recording tool.
OBS Studio
The free OBS Studio works with Windows, macOS, and Linux, and packs a lot of features into one program. Use the program’s floating control panel to start and stop your recording. Along the way, OBS Studio can record screen activity, your microphone, and computer audio. The program then saves the output as an MP4 file.
You can also stream your video live or turn to Studio Mode for adding cuts, fades, and other transitions to the video. The program offers an array of settings where you can change the format and other criteria for both the video and audio portions of the recording. OBS Studio looks intimidating at first, but you should be able to catch on and learn how to use it effectively.
Free Cam
Free Cam is an extremely basic screen recorder for Windows users, but it remains capable for most needs. This program captures your screen activity and audio, then saves your recording as a WMV file. Simply click the New Recording button, then select which area of the screen you want to capture, anything from a single window or application to the entire screen.
Click the Record button to begin the capture, then press Esc when you’re done. Your recording appears in a preview window where you can edit it, save it as a video file, or upload it directly to YouTube.
How to Record Your Computer Screen (With Sound)
Imagine you need to show someone how to log in to an online account or how to use a feature in a product. You could write out an email. Or you could capture your screen and take a few screenshots.
But best of all might be recording your screen.
Screen recording, also known as a screencast, is perfect for creating:
You can even record games or record presentations, or make a YouTube video.
The first thing you’ll need to do is choose the screen recording software you’ll use. A
Snagit is great for simple, short desktop recordings, while something like Camtasia might be better for longer, more complex jobs.
However, recordings made with Snagit can be easily shared with Camtasia and assembled into longer, more complex videos there.
Today, I’ll show you how to record your screen with Snagit for simple recordings, and Camtasia for more polished videos.
How to record your desktop screen (Use Snagit for short, quick recordings)
Short, simple recordings that won’t require much editing can be done with something like Snagit (which is what I use most of the time).
Snagit is great for screenshots and quick and easy screen recordings. It’s perfect for when you want videos that look great, but don’t take hours of editing time.
Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Choose what you want to record
Step 2: Record your audio or webcam
Step 3: Trim your video
Step 4: Save or share
When you have your video ready to share, use the Share menu to save the video or send it to the web.
How to record your computer screen (Use Camtasia for polished, professional-quality screen recordings)
Longer or more complex recordings may need more editing. Something like Camtasia will give you a full built-in video editing suite of tools you can use.
Camtasia even allows you to enhance the video by zooming in on areas of emphasis, highlighting your mouse clicks, adding text or graphic call-outs, and more.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Choose your recording options
Step 2: Choose the region you want to record
Step 3: Record your desktop with audio (if you want to)
Step 4: Edit your video
Step 5: Produce and share
How to record your screen with sound
To record your voice, select the microphone. And if you want to record the sounds that come from your computer, like the beeps and boops you hear, select the system audio option.
When you record your screen you can include typing the address into your browser and show all your mouse movements and clicks to let people see exactly where to go and how to get there.
You can include video and audio when you record your screen too. Use microphone audio to narrate your video from your computer’s built-in microphone or an external mic.
You can also record your system audio (that’s the sound that comes out of your speakers).
Are there keyboard shortcuts?
Yep! Here are a few of the top shortcuts for Snagit and Camtasia:
Snagit Hotkeys
Start Recording
- Windows: Shift+F9
- Mac: Control+Shift+Spacebar
Pause/Resume Recording
- Windows: Shift+F9
- Mac: Control+Shift+Spacebar
Stop Recording
- Windows: Shift+F10
- Mac: Control+Shift+V
To configure your own hotkeys for your keyboard, see Customize the Snagit Hotkeys.
Camtasia Shortcuts
Start/Pause Recording
- Windows: F9
- Mac: Command+Shift+2
Stop Recording
- Windows: F10
- Mac: Command+Option+2
To customize the shortcuts for your keyboard, see Customize Camtasia Shortcuts
Quick tips!
- Camtasia’s advanced (but super-easy-to-use) video editing capabilities allow you to add audio tracks after you record your screen. Whether you want to record your narration after the fact or want to add some music, you can do it!
- Be prepared to record your screen a time or two to get what you want. Almost everyone messes something up along the way. But recording your screen is so easy, it won’t matter if you have to do it again.
- Don’t get too hung up on making everything perfect. If you’re demonstrating a process, make sure the steps are clear and easy to follow. If you’re narrating, you can decide how many “umms” and “uhs” you can live with. It also depends on your audience.
- Recordings meant for people outside your company probably need to be more polished than things you’re sending to one of your fellow employees.
- We also have a full list of screen recording tips that you can use to get the best recordings possible.
Conclusion
Nowadays it is possible to record a screenshot of your desktop, laptop or even mobile device. You can thus capture stills from any video on your computer and can use or share them as you wish. Motivation and enthusiasm for creating videos has been growing with the increasing popularity of sites like YouTube, Metacafe and other video sharing websites. Allowing people to post just about anything truly revolutionized the way we share information and entertainment together.
This post is for people who want to know about how to record screen on laptop, desktop or mobile phone. How to record a screenshot on computer has been a vital topic that should be understood by most of the computer users. This can be achieved through many tools known as screen capture software tools.