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Read articleScreen recording has many uses — keeping a record of important video calls, creating a demo for someone else to follow, or recording your gaming prowess to upload to YouTube.
The answer to "how do you screen record?" depends on what system you're running.
And if you're looking for a guide on how to screen record on PC or Mac, then look no further!
All you need to get started is a computer running Windows 10 or 11, or a Mac running Mojave (version 10.14) or later. You can screen record on a laptop or a desktop computer.
Screen recording is not particularly taxing on a computer, and you will only be limited by the size of your hard disk, so consider upgrading your SSD if you need more space.
If you're running macOS Ventura or higher, your operating system includes a built-in screen recording tool called Screenshot, which can be used to capture images or videos of your Mac desktop or laptop screen.
To record your Mac computer screen:
Windows 10 and 11 both come with built-in screen recorders, but you can use other applications for more flexibility and control if you choose.
There are two ways to record screens on Windows 10 — via PowerPoint or the built-in Xbox Game Bar. Try both, and work with whichever Windows 10 screen recorder works best for your needs.
If you have PowerPoint and an active Microsoft 365 subscription, then you can use this presentation software as a screen recorder for Windows 10:
This will bring up a new taskbar from which you can start your screen recording.
Windows 10 and 11 come pre-installed with the Xbox Game Bar. Don’t be misled by the name - this Windows screen recording tool can be used as an effective way of recording non-gaming screen action as well.
To access the bar, press the Windows logo key + G and it will open over your game, app, or desktop.
If you are using an Xbox controller, you can also configure the home button on your controller to launch the Game Bar. Go to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and toggle the switch.
When the Xbox Game Bar is loaded, you can use keyboard shortcuts to speed things up:
Your new video can then be found as .mp4s in your default File Explorer location: C:\Users\[username]\Videos\Captures.
While the above two screen recorder methods will work on both Windows 10 and 11, this one will only work on Windows 11 build number 22621.1344 or higher.
If you're running this (which you can check by going to Settings > System > About and checking the Windows Specifications section) then you can use the Windows Snipping Tool as a lightweight screen recorder.
Press Win + Shift + S, select the video camera icon, and click New.
You can drag the outline to select the part of the screen you want to record, then click Start to begin capturing your .mp4.
There are a ton of screen recorders out there that claim to be free, but many of them impose time limits or watermarks, or may not be from the most trustworthy source. However, we feel confident recommending OBS Studio, a free, open-source package available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
OBS Studio is a very powerful application that can be used for live streaming, with specific options for mirrored recording vs. video streaming vs. gaming, should you need them. It is more complicated and capable than simple stand-alone screen recorders like the Xbox Game Bar, but very capable.
If you only need to make a simple recording, then the Xbox Game Bar or Apple Screenshot tool should be sufficient.
If you need to stream, record, and switch between multiple sources, then OBS Studio is the tool you need.
The community has created a lot of helpful resources should you wish to find out more before downloading, and a Quick Start Guide for when you're ready to try it out.
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How much RAM do you need? 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB - or even 64GB? Find out if you need to increase your computer memory with the experts at Crucial.
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