Windows and Mac both are great operating systems (OS) in terms of reliability as well as dependability. If you need to present something at work or share something that you think might be helpful for someone to learn, then both platforms provide screen recording options. There are inbuilt tools as well as third-party tools that can help you record your screen in both Windows and Mac. Here are some of the ways you can record your computer screen.
How To Record Your Screen In Windows?
Recording Your Screen With The Windows Game Bar
This feature of windows is built-in within the system called the Xbox Game Bar, it was designed to record games that you play on your PC. Though you can also capture other activities like a normal screen recorder. The files that have been recorded are automatically saved in MP4 format which is a native file format that can be uploaded anywhere.
To capture your screen using the game bar you can follow these steps:
- Click on the Start Button and go to Settings which is a gear-shaped icon on the start menu. Click on it and open settings.
- Find the Gaming option and click on it to open the gaming section.
- The Xbox Gaming Bar section should be opened by default. Find the toggle that says “Enable Xbox Game Bar for things like recording”. Turn it on.
- If you need to further customize the way you want your screen to be recorded select Capture that is listed on the left side.
- If you’re done with everything press Windows+G to open the Xbox Game bar which is the default keyboard shortcut key. Keep in mind that the game box doesn’t let you record your full screen unless it’s a supported game or an application.
- An overlay shall pop right up your screen from which you can get access to different options like audio, capture, performance, gallery, Xbox social. This should be adjusted according to your preference.
- Once you get everything in place, you are ready to hit the record button on the Capture overlay. If you wish to stop the recording, click the purple button to stop the recording.
You can also use the default shortcut keys that are “Win+Alt+R” key to record and stop the recording. All captured videos are saved in Mp4 format in the “Videos>Captures under the File Explorer”.
OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a free and popular screen recording software. This program allows you to record your desktop as well as every task you do from games to even work-related things. This is a great tool if you want to record your screen other than for gaming purposes. This software is compatible with Windows 10, 8.1, and 8, as well as macOS. This program has a lot to offer with easy UI and save the output in an MP4 format.
For recording games, the Xbox game bar gets the job done if you don’t want to install a third-party application.
To record your computer screen using OBS studio you can follow the given steps:
- Open your internet browser and search for OBS Studio. Download the OBS studio application.
- Install the OBS studio program on your computer. Open the installer and click “Yes” when prompted, then click “Next” and finally agree all the steps until the installation process is completed
- Click on “Finish” when prompted. By clicking on the “Finish”, you have successfully installed OBS Studio on your PC.
- Search for OBS studio on your Start Menu and open the program.
- Once opened you are greeted with the terms of use. Click on “OK” when prompted.
- Click “yes” on the “auto-configuration wizard” window. And Click the “Optimize just for recording”, then click on “Next” until you see the “Apply Settings” option. [Note: if you don’t like this setting you can always pick your own configuration.]
- Add your computer’s desktop as a source. In the application, click the source headings and click on Display Capture or Game Capture and click on OK.
- Finally, click on Start Recording on the bottom right corner of the OBS Studio window. To stop the recording you can find the Stop Recording on the same bottom right corner.
PowerPoint Recording
We all know PowerPoint or have used it once in our lifetime for presentation during our high school days or even at work during meetings. However, did you know that Powerpoint has a built-in screen recorder? I bet not. Recording your screen with PowerPoint is fairly simple but keep in mind that you will need Microsoft’s desktop software for this to work and also a Microsoft 365 subscription.
To record your screen with the PowerPoint application follow the given steps:
- Once you get the subscription and have PowerPoint installed on your PC. Open the PowerPoint.
- Go to the “Insert” tab followed by the “Screen Recording” button that is located on the “Media” panel on the far right.
- When you do this you can see your screen dim a little bit and a toolbar will appear on top of your screen. Click the “Select Area” button and select the portion of the screen you want to record. You can select the whole screen if you want to by pressing the “Win+Shift+F” key.
- Click on the “Record” button once you have selected the area to be recorded. Your recording has started.
- You can click on “Pause” to pause the recording or press the “Stop” icon if you want to stop recording your screen. The default keyboard shortcut to stop the recording is “Win+Shift+Q”.
- You can import the captured video by right-clicking on the video and selecting the “Save Media As..” option on the pop-up. Follow the steps to save your media to the desired location.
ScreenRec
ScreenRec is another free screen recording software that allows you to record both your computer’s video and audio. This software is very easy to use with a minimalistic user interface. This program is compatible with Windows 7,8 or 10 and Linux. However, it is not available for macOS yet but will be available very soon.
To record using ScreenRec, follow the simple steps:
- Go to your internet browser and search for ScreenRec. Download and install the software following the procedures.
- You will see the “ScreenRec dialogue box”.
- Select your desired screen area similar to what we saw on the PowerPoint and click “OK”.
- Press the “Video Camera” or the record button that you see on the screen to capture the screen. The screen is now recording.
- If you wish you record the computer’s internal audio you can click on the “Speaker” icon to toggle the computer recording on or off.
You can also choose to record the microphone option or your own voice with your screen record. To enable/disable simply click the “Mic” icon to toggle. - You can share the URL that is being given to you after the recording is completed. You can even directly share the link via Email or even publish it directly to your own site. For that just simply use the Paste option once you have the URL.
How To Record Your Screen In Mac?
Using The Inbuilt Capture Tool
Apple’s macOS allows you to record the screen using the native screen recorder and also take screenshots. It includes macOS Catalina and this has plenty to offer and changes the way you use your mac.
To use the screen recording feature you need to follow these simple steps:
- Press the “Shift+Command+5” to bring the screenshot pop-up toolbar.
- Once pressed, the toolbar will appear with a set of buttons that you might get confused about. Three of them are used to capture a screenshot and two in the middle are for screen recording.
- Click the “Record Entire Screen” Button on the left or you can just select the “Record Selected Portion” button on the right to record.
- When you click the “Record” button, you can see a little square inside a circle icon on the top menu bar. You will know by this icon that the screen is being recorded.
- You can press “Command+Control+Esc” to stop the recording. By default, the videos are saved to the desktop after the recording is completed.
Using Quick Time Player
QuickTime player is for those who are running an older version of macOS. This program is used for basic screen recording which does include an audio recording too. The recordings from the QuickTime player aren’t easy but if you want a screen recorder on the go it is the one. However, this screen recording is also available in Catalina and Big Sur.
So let’s move on to the steps for screen recording.
- Open “QuickTime player” from the Launchpad. If you don’t find it there, try searching in the “Other” folder.
- While opening the app, click on the file from the menu bar. There you can see the “New Screen Recording” option listed in the drop-down menu.
- To record the computer screen you are first asked for permission. Click the “Open System Preference” button and check the checkbox next to the “QuickTime player”.
- Click the “Record” button to record the entire screen or select “Record Selected Portion” to record only the selected portion.
- When finished recording, go to the menu bar and click on “Stop Recording”. Finally, to save your recording, click “File” on the menu and click the save option from the drop-down menu. Choose your location to where you want to save and click “Save”.
FAQ’s
How To Record Computer Screen With Sound?
Depending on the screen recording software, search for the speaker icon and click on the speaker icon to record computer audio and also enable the mic icon to record your own voice if these features are provided by the program.
Does Windows 10 Have A Screen Recorder?
Yes, Windows 10 have its own built-in screen recorder that is the Xbox Game Bar. This can record applications, although it was intended for recording games, it can also capture the screen in MP4 format which can be used anywhere.
How Long Can You Record Screen On Windows 10?
By using the Inbuilt recorder that is the Xbox Game bar you can record up to 4hours as the maximum option given in the game bar menu.
Conclusion
Unlike recent smartphones, these days, recording on the computer was a bit tedious back then but thanks to new programs such as the built-in Game bar and other third-party screen recording software it is much easier. Every application mentioned above does the job well. It’s all up to you to decide which one you want to use.
