How to Record Your Screen on Windows 10 Using Microsoft’s Game Bar

A lot of Windows 10 users might not even be familiar with this feature of the Game Bar on Windows 10, but it can practically function as a built-in screen recording app for the most part. It isn't a new feature since it was introduced in the Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703) around 2 years back.

Please note that the Game Bar has certain limitations such as the File Explorer and Desktop cannot be recorded but any application is eligible to be recorded like a game or any productivity application. It functions as a proprietary add-on which means that you would already have that on your PC in the settings.

However, if you still do not have the Game Bar installed for some reason then you can always head on to the Microsoft Store and download it for free.

How you can screen-record on Windows 10 using Game Bar

Enabling the Game Bar:

1. Open the Start menu and type settings in the search bar. Click on the Settings app to continue.
   
2. Click on the Gaming tab with the Xbox icon in the Settings app.
   
3. To turn on the Game Bar, toggle the Record game clips, screenshots and broadcast using Game bar to on. The predefined keyboard shortcuts for the Game bar are listed just below the on/off switch and these can be customized according to your keyboard preferences as well.
   
4. Switch the tab to Captures to change the capture settings of the clips.
   
5. This is where you can specify a destination folder where all your recordings will be stored. The second useful feature here would be background recording. This would keep on recording your activity for the set the period of time so that you can never miss out on something that happened abruptly whether its part of the gameplay or a tutorial.
   

Using the Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10:

1. On any screen in Windows 10, simply press the Windows key + G to bring up the Game Bar menu. This would consist of numerous widgets and more overlays can be added according to your requirements such as Capture, Audio, Performance, Gallery, and more. The Performance menu indicates the CPU, GPU, RAM, and FPS if you’re in-game.
   
2. Simply head on to any application and press Windows key + G to bring up the Game Bar menu again. In the Capture tab, click on the Record button to commence screen recording.
   
3. You can also select the Microphone button to record your voice or narrate while recording along with the ability to take screenshots on-the-go. Click anywhere to exit the Game Bar and proceed with your task in the app accordingly. The Volume Mixer in the Audio panel can be used to adjust the volume of each application individually.
   
4. To view the captured files, open the Game Bar by Windows key + G and click on the Show all captures option right below the record button.
   
5. From this menu, you can view the recorded clip, open file location, and even delete the file. You can also access the recorded files via: %HOMEPATH%\Videos\Captures
   

Unlike other third-party apps that can clutter your recordings with additional widgets and timers, Game Bar recordings are cleaner and have no blockages whatsoever that can ruin the post-processing experience for you. Even the timer that can be viewed while you are recording is not visible in the recordings. Game Bar can be considered as the most convenient way to screen record apps on Windows 10.