How to Record your screen and Webcam in Windows 10

Windows 10 has a built-in screen recorder tool, but we'd recommend third-party software for webcam footage

One of the most high-profile features released in Windows 10's May 2019 update was the Xbox Game Bar. Designed to create a more immersive PC gaming experience, it makes various tools available to all users via a quick keyboard shortcut. 

Among these is the ability to record your screen, which works well across all Windows 10 apps. However, you'll still need third-party software if you want to capture your screen at the same time. 

How to record your screen in Windows 10

While Xbox Game Bar is technically available on all Windows 10 PCs, it won't work on some devices. This includes having a specific type of graphics card, but it's still worth trying if you're not sure.

Before you begin, it's important to check that Game Bar is enabled. Head to Settings > Gaming > Game bar and ensure the toggle is set to 'On'.

From here, you can also customise the keyboard shortcuts for various operations, but for the purpose of this tutorial, we'll be using the defaults:

Step 1. Open the app or program that you'd like to screen record. The option won't be available if you start on the desktop

Step 2. Launch the Game Bar via the Windows Key + G keyboard shortcut

Step 3. You'll now be presented with various options. From the 'Capture' menu in the top-left corner, look for the record option, indicated with a white spot within a grey circle. You can also go straight to this stage by hitting Win+Alt+R if you'd prefer

Step 4. If this is his is your first time screen recording, you might have to accept some permissions before you begin

Step 5. You should see a window that looks like this while you're recording.

Here, you can toggle the microphone on and off, or hit stop at any time

Step 6. Once a recording has completed, you'll get a message saying 'Game clip recorded'. Click it to see the file in File Explorer

Step 7. To change the default location where captures are saved, head to Settings > Gaming > Captures. Click 'Open Folder' and choose a different area of the File Explorer

There's also a handy feature that allows you to record your screen in the background. This is especially useful for an in-game highlight, but can also be an effective way of diagnosing issues with your device:

Step 1. Open the same Captures menu as above, by heading to Settings > Gaming.

Step 2. Under 'Background recording', ensure the toggle is turned on. Again, you may have to accept some permissions.

Step 3. Here, you can also choose how far into the past you want the device to record, anything from 30 seconds to 10 minutes

Step 4. Now, when you head into the Game Bar (Win+G), click the button to the left of record to capture recent footage. If it's greyed out, click it and tick the box next to 'Enable gaming features for this app to record gameplay'