How to Record Screen on Windows
Every built-in way to record your screen on Windows 10 and 11 — Xbox Game Bar's Win + Alt + R shortcut and the Snipping Tool's full-desktop recorder — with what each one can and can't capture.
| Step | Details |
|---|---|
| 01 | Press Windows + Alt + R to record the active app instantly Starts recording the app window you're currently focused on right away, using Xbox Game Bar — no need to open any window first. Press it again to stop. |
| 02 | Press Windows + G to open Xbox Game Bar for more controls Opens the full Game Bar overlay with a dedicated Capture widget — toggle your microphone, check the recording timer, and start or stop from an on-screen button instead of a shortcut. |
| 03 | Press Windows + Shift + R to record the whole desktop with Snipping Tool Opens Snipping Tool's recording mode. Drag from one corner of your screen to the other to select the full desktop, or drag a smaller box to record just one area — something Game Bar can't do. |
| 04 | Toggle microphone and system audio before you start Both Game Bar and Snipping Tool have separate mic and system-audio toggles. Check them before hitting record if you need narration or in-app sound in the final video. |
| 05 | Find your recording in Videos > Captures or wherever you saved it Game Bar recordings always save to Videos > Captures as MP4. Snipping Tool asks where to save (or defaults to a folder you can change) and also saves as MP4. |
Windows actually has two different built-in screen recorders, and picking the wrong one is why "record my desktop" sometimes just doesn't work.
Which tool should you use?
| You want to... | Use | Can it record the desktop? |
|---|---|---|
| Record the app you're using right now, instantly | Win + Alt + R (Game Bar) | No, app window only |
| Open a recording overlay with more controls | Win + G (Game Bar) | No, app window only |
| Record the full screen or a chosen area | Win + Shift + R (Snipping Tool) | Yes |
Xbox Game Bar's biggest limitation
Xbox Game Bar was originally built for recording games, and it still only captures a single app window — not your desktop, not File Explorer, and not another Game Bar window. If Win + Alt + R doesn't seem to be recording anything, this is almost always why. Switch to the Snipping Tool method below whenever you need to capture more than one app.
Recording the whole desktop with Snipping Tool
Press Win + Shift + R (or open Snipping Tool and choose Record > New), then drag from one corner of your screen all the way to the opposite corner to select the entire display. Click Start, wait through the short countdown, and everything on screen — including switching between apps — gets captured. The result saves as an MP4, and you can pick where it goes before you start.
Getting audio into your recording
Both tools record silently by default unless you turn audio on. Look for the microphone icon to include your voice, and a separate system-audio icon to capture whatever sound is playing on your PC — game audio, a video, music — turn on either or both before you hit record.
On a Mac instead? See our full Mac screen recording guide — the shortcuts and default save format are both different.
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