Buzz
Today, Mytour will guide you on how to capture your computer screen content—ranging from your desktop display to games and software applications—as video. You can achieve this using OBS Studio on Windows PCs or QuickTime, the built-in video player on Mac computers. If you’re using the Creators Update version of Windows 10, you can also utilize Game Bar to record gameplay and application activities.
Steps
On Windows
Download screen recording software. Open Broadcast Software (OBS) Studio and Bandicam are popular choices. Since Windows computers don’t come with built-in screen recording utilities, you’ll need to install specialized software to capture your desktop screen or multiple running programs simultaneously.
- If you only want to record a specific application or a gaming session, you can use the Game Bar app available on Windows 10 Creators Update.
Install OBS Studio. Double-click the OBS Studio setup file (located in your browser’s default download folder), click Yes when prompted, press Next, select I Agree, click Next again, uncheck the plugin box if you don’t want to install OBS for your browser, and then choose Install.
Click on Finish when it appears.Start
obs studioOBS Studio
Click OK when prompted. This action will accept the OBS Studio terms of use and open the OBS Studio window.
Click Yes on the "Auto-Configuration Wizard" window. Another window will appear. To complete the setup process:
- Check the box for "Optimize just for recording."
- Click Next
- Click Next
- Click Apply Settings
- If you prefer manual setup, click No.
Add your desktop as a source. Click the + under the "Sources" section, select Display Capture or Game Capture, click OK at the bottom of the "New Capture" window, and then select OK in the following window.
Click Start Recording. This option is located at the bottom right of the OBS Studio window. OBS Studio will begin recording your screen content.
- You can stop the recording by clicking Stop Recording at the bottom right of OBS Studio.
Fix the "Failed to start recording" error in OBS Studio if necessary. Occasionally, you may encounter the error "Starting the output failed. Please check the log for details" in a pop-up window. To resolve this:
- Click OK on the error message.
- Click Settings at the bottom right of the OBS Studio window.
- Click Output at the top left of the Settings window.
- Click the dropdown menu labeled "Encoder."
- Select Software (x264) from the dropdown menu.
- Click Apply, then click OK
On Mac
Type quicktime into Spotlight. The QuickTime application will be located on your Mac computer.
Click on QuickTime. This will be the first result displayed in Spotlight. QuickTime will open.
Select File. This menu option is located in the upper-left corner of your Mac screen. A dropdown menu will appear.
Choose New Screen Recording. This option is at the top of the File dropdown menu. The "Screen Recording" toolbar will open.
Click the circular red and silver "Record" button at the end of the Screen Recording toolbar. A screen selection frame will appear.
- You can also click the ∨ symbol next to the screen recording button to open a dropdown menu with options for microphone settings and toggling mouse click sounds in the recording.
Click anywhere on the screen. QuickTime will start recording the entire screen.
- Alternatively, you can drag the selection frame to limit the recording area and click the "Record" button again to capture only the specified portion of the screen.
- To stop recording, click File on the Mac menu bar, then select Stop Recording from the dropdown menu.
Using Game Bar on Windows
Click on Gaming with the Xbox icon in the Settings page.
- Not all Windows computers have this option. If you haven’t updated to the Windows 10 Creators Update or don’t have a supported graphics card, you won’t be able to record your screen using Game Bar.
Select Game bar. This tab is located at the top-left corner of the page.
Enable the game recording feature.
Off
On- You can assign a custom shortcut key to start or stop screen recording in the text field below the "Stop/start recording" heading.
Launch the game you want to record. You can also open the application or program you wish to capture, though Game Bar may not allow recording the desktop screen or switching to another app during the recording process.
Press ⊞ Win and G simultaneously. This key combination will launch the Game Bar.
Check the box labeled "Yes, this is a game." This option is located in the Game Bar notification at the bottom of the screen. The Game Bar will automatically open at the screen's bottom.
Start recording your gameplay. Click the red circular icon on the game bar, or press ⊞ Win+Alt+R. Windows will begin recording your gameplay.
- You can click the square icon on the game bar or use the shortcut ⊞ Win+Alt+R to stop recording.
Tips
- If you prefer not to use OBS Studio, there are several other free screen recording applications available for Windows. Notable options include Screen Recorder and AceThinker.
- OBS Studio is available for both Windows and Mac computers.
- On DELL computers, you can also press Win+G to record your screen.
Warning
- Some low-cost or free screen recording programs may slow down your computer, especially while gaming. If you aim for professional, high-quality recordings of games or applications, investing in a dedicated screen recording software is recommended.
