Screen recordings come in handy for tutorials or keeping a record of your screen actions for future reference. If you’re a Windows user, it doesn’t take sophisticated software to capture your screen recordings. Microsoft made things easy for you by integrating a built-in screen recording tool in Windows. The Xbox Game Bar or simply the Game Bar helps you record your screen in no time. And no, it cannot only capture your gameplays; it can capture your screen actions from any app too.

Aside from the Game Bar, another tool resides within MS Powerpoint to capture screen recordings. It’s a helpful tool to embed your recordings in your slides straightaway, but you can also use it to record your screen actions from any other app and even your desktop. This article will give you step-by-step guides on on-screen recording on Windows 10 using these two methods.

Screen Recording using The Game Bar

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The Game Bar is enabled by default and is normally accessed by pressing the Windows key G (Win G). If nothing happens when you press these key combinations, it is likely disabled. To enable the Game Bar, navigate to Start → Settings → Gaming. On the left side, click Game Bar, and on the right side, turn on “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar“. Once it’s enabled, you’re ready to record your screen actions by following the steps below:

Open the game or app that you want to record.

Press Win G to launch the game bar.

Tip: You can change the key combinations to launch the Game Bar from Start → Settings → Gaming → Game Bar → Keyboard Shortcuts → Open Xbox Game Bar → Your Shortcut

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On the Game Bar dialog box, check “Yes, this is a game.” to activate the Game Bar. You can check this box not just when recording games but also any other app.

To begin recording, click the Start Recording button or press Win Alt R.

Once the recording begins, you will see a red recording bar on the top right of the app’s window. Click the red bar once you’re done with the recording, or you may press Win Alt R to stop the recording.

To view the recordings, click Show all captures just below the screenshot and recording buttons. The screen recordings are also saved in the Videos → Captures folder.

The Game Bar is a great tool to record screen actions, but it has several limitations. It can only capture screen recordings on a single running application. If you’ve started recording from an app and you open another window on top of it, the new window will not be captured in the recording. It also won’t capture the desktop or file explorer. If you want a more versatile tool, you can use MS Powerpoint’s screen recorder.

Screen Recording Using MS Powerpoint

If you want to capture your desktop, record full screen or multiple windows, then MS Powerpoint is the better tool. To record your screen:

Open up MS Powerpoint and open a new presentation.

Go to Insert → Screen Recording. The Powerpoint window will minimize, and you can see a small control panel bar on top for screen recording. You will also get a prompt to select the area you want to record, but if you don’t, click Select Area, and you can then specify the area you want to record.

Before we proceed with the steps, here’s a breakdown of the control panel buttons:

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Record/Pause – to start or pause the recording.

Stop – to stop the recording.

Select Area – to select the specific area that you want to record.

Audio – to include audio in the recording.

Record Pointer – to record the pointer’s movement.

To record the audio, click the Audio button. Likewise, click the Record Pointer button if you want to record the pointer’s movement on the screen.

When you’re all set, you can start the recording by clicking the Record button.

Note: The control panel will disappear when you’ve started the recording. If you need to bring it back, point the cursor on the top, middle part of the screen.

When you’re done with the recording, click the Stop button. You will be taken back to the Powerpoint window, and the recording will be inserted into the currently selected slide.

To save the recording to a folder, right-click on it, select Save Media, choose the destination where you want to save the file, and click Save.

Screen Recording by Using Third-party Apps

The two Windows tools presented here are good enough for basic screen recordings, but if you want a screen recording software with more features like video trimming, cutting, and adding special effects, there are hundreds of third-party apps you can install. There are free versions, but you may get the premium or paid versions if you want more advanced features. Here are some of the best free screen recording software compatible with Windows:

ActivePresenter – an all-in-one screen-recording and video-editing software that can capture full-screen a window or specific regions of the screen. It also comes with other features like editing captured and imported videos. There’s a free version, but recording enthusiasts who need more features may get the premium version.

Free Cam – is a screen-recorder with built-in audio and video editor that can record high-quality videos without watermarks. It also has a wide array of audio effects that you can integrate into your videos. What’s great about this software is it has no time limits and no ads.

EZvid – touted to be the world’s easiest screen-recording software, it automatically records high-quality videos in 1280 x 720p HD, which can be instantaneously uploaded to Youtube. It also includes soundtracks and many other features and has a user-friendly interface so you can screen record with ease.

Screen recording makes tutorials and how-to guides easier to comprehend as visuals are easier to understand than words. They also benefit those who want to record their screen actions for future use. Microsoft’s built-in, lightweight tools are suitable for users with minimal recording needs, but those who need advanced features may have to install third-party apps that meet their demands for screen recording.

About the author

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Glynis Navarrete

A freelance blogger who loves to write about anything related to technology. Born and raised in the Philippines and worked in Singapore for eight years as Technical Support for a wide range of IT equipment. Took a dive into the world of freelancing and now enjoying doing what I’m passionate about while not losing touch with technology.