Record a video of everything happening on your Windows 10 PC screen using the Xbox Game Bar built into the operating system.
If you’re looking for a way to video-record what you’re doing on your computer, you probably don’t need to install any third-party software. Windows 10 includes a tool, the Xbox Game Bar, intended for gamers, which allows you to take a video capture of what is displayed on the screen.
The utility theoretically only allows video games to be recorded, but it is quite possible to divert its use to make it record other content with a few exceptions.
The Xbox Game Bar is not capable of recording Windows 10 File Explorer or Desktop. For all other applications, just make it believe they are games. Demonstration.
1. Activate the Game bar
Click on the Start menu to go to Windows Settings. Enter the Games menu and check that the game bar is in Activated mode.
Below are the different keyboard shortcuts to use the different functions of the game bar.
2. Configure the Game Bar settings
In the side menu, now go to the tab dedicated to Captures. All video captures made with the game bar are saved by default in the directory:
C: Users YourPC Videos Captures
Then scroll through the game bar settings and customize your preferences. You will be able to choose to record the audio data, to define the frequency of video frames of your capture, to opt for a high quality of capture or to Capture the mouse cursor in the recordings, or not.
3. Start a recording
Open the app (or game) you want to save a video capture of and activate the Game Bar using the Windows + G keyboard shortcut.
The game bar is displayed and has several panes: capture, audio, performance, as well as a central bar allowing you to show or hide each element. You can manage all the technical parameters of your video capture from these menus.
Then click on the record button to start video capture, then click on the window of the program you want to capture video from.
A small control window will appear on the side and will allow you to stop video recording when you have finished what you want to record.
The generated video file, in MP4 format, is automatically saved in the directory mentioned above. You can access it quickly by displaying the game bar again using the Windows + G shortcut, then by clicking on the Show all captures menu present in the Capture pane.
A gallery containing all the captures made is then displayed. You will be able to view each of them directly, or access the directory in which they are stored by clicking on Open location when a file is selected, or by clicking directly on the icon appearing in a folder.