Screen recording in Windows 11 is one of those things you end up needing sooner or later: to show a bug, put together a quick tutorial, save a video call, or document a step-by-step process. The good news is you don’t need to install anything to get started, because Windows includes some pretty capable built-in tools; the even better news is that if they fall short, there are more powerful alternatives.
In this guide—following others we’ve published recently on removing the login PIN or free codes—we’ve rounded up the most practical ways to capture video from your Windows 11 desktop: from Snipping Tool and the Xbox Game Bar, to the screen recorder built into Microsoft PowerPoint, plus a few third-party apps and extensions. Which one is best? It depends on whether you want something quick, whether you need audio, or whether you’re after extra controls.
Snipping Tool: the most straightforward option
Snipping Tool comes with Windows (and can also be downloaded from the Microsoft Store). In Windows 11, it’s become a very convenient choice for quick recordings. You can open it from the Start menu by searching for “Snipping Tool”, or use the shortcut Windows + Shift + S to bring it up instantly. Once you’re in, the workflow is simple and designed to save time: choose recording mode, select the area, and start.
To record, click the Record button at the top and then + New (you can also use Ctrl + N). At that point, your cursor will turn into a crosshair: click and drag to define the area you want to capture—anything from a specific window to almost the entire screen if you frame the selection well.
The audio section is especially interesting, because the tool has matured and now lets you choose what’s heard in the video. On one hand, you can enable the microphone input from its icon and select which microphone to use (Windows may ask for permissions). On the other, you can toggle system audio with the screen-and-speaker icon, which is great if you’re recording sound from an app or playback.
When you’re ready, click Start: you’ll see a 3-second countdown and recording will begin. When you’re done, you can stop (with options to pause and resume), and a preview will open where you can save, copy the clip to the clipboard, or even send it to Clipchamp for a quick edit. Keep in mind Snipping Tool saves as MP4; if you need another format, you’ll have to convert it with a separate tool like VLC Media Player or HandBrake. By default, videos are stored in C:\Users\USERNAME\Videos\Screen Recordings.
Xbox Game Bar: the classic “record in seconds” tool
The Xbox Game Bar is built for games, yes—but it also works as a quick recorder for plenty of everyday situations. Open it with Windows + G (or search “xbox game bar” in Start) and you’ll see several floating widgets. If the capture module isn’t visible, just click the camera icon to show it.
Before recording, it’s worth checking your sound settings, because here you get more control over the mix. In the Audio widget (speaker icon on the top bar if you don’t see it), the Mix tab lets you balance the volume of apps playing audio during the capture, and Voice lets you adjust communication options like the input microphone and its volume. In the capture widget itself, you can also toggle the microphone with its icon—ideal for narration, or for recording without background noise when you only want system audio.
To start, press the Record button in the capture widget. While recording, a small bar appears in the top-right corner with a stop control; you can also open Game Bar again with Windows + G and stop from the widget. When finished, go to See my captures to view the gallery, play the video, open its location in File Explorer, or delete it. It’s the classic “autopilot mode” method: fast, no extra menus, and perfect when someone asks “send me a video of what’s happening” and you don’t want to install anything.
PowerPoint and alternatives: when you need more
If you already use Microsoft PowerPoint, you might be surprised to learn it includes a built-in screen recording feature. It’s meant for inserting videos into a slide, but it’s just as useful if you later want to save the file as a standalone video. Start by going to the slide where you want to insert the capture, opening the Insert tab, and choosing Screen Recording. A small control panel will appear at the top.
From that panel, click Select Area and outline the region with your cursor. PowerPoint even enforces a minimum selection (64×64 pixels) and offers a full-screen shortcut: Windows + Shift + F. Before recording, you can decide whether you want audio by toggling it under “Audio”, and whether to capture the mouse pointer using the “Record Pointer” option—especially useful in tutorials where the cursor guides the explanation.
Press Record to begin capturing, with pause and stop controls in the same panel (if it disappears, move your cursor to the top to bring it back). When you finish, the video is embedded in the slide; right-click it to adjust how it starts, change the style, trim the duration, or use Save Media As to save it as a separate file. It’s a very practical choice in work environments, where PowerPoint is often already installed—and, oddly enough, it ends up being one of those office “Swiss Army knife” tools nobody brags about.
If you’re after extra features (scenes, more control, different workflows), third-party tools come into play. Popular free options include OBS Studio, ScreenRec, and ShareX. And if your goal is to capture only what’s happening in a browser tab, extensions can be a very convenient solution: some are free, while others unlock features via subscription. In this category you’ll find Screencastify (Edge), Awesome Screenshot & Screen Recorder (Firefox), and Loom (Chrome). In the end, it’s the classic geek dilemma: simplicity vs. control—and yes, we’ve all gone from “I just needed to record 30 seconds” to tweaking a thousand settings.
If you’re looking for shortcuts, Windows 11 also offers useful key combos: you can launch the recording flow after selecting an area with Windows + Shift + R, and with Xbox Game Bar you can start or stop recording with Windows + Alt + R.
Finally, if something doesn’t work, it’s worth remembering three common causes. The first is DRM: if you try to record protected content (for example, a movie on a streaming service), you may get a black screen or a video with no sound. The second is outdated drivers, especially GPU drivers. And the third—very common when capturing from a browser—is issues with hardware acceleration, which sometimes needs to be disabled for the recording to work properly. If the problem is audio, check that the app is set to capture system sound and that the selected microphone is the right one.
