How to Use OBS to Record Your Screen on a PC or Mac

This guide will walk you through the steps of using OBS Studio to record your screen on either Windows or macOS.

Open OBS Studio on your PC or Mac. You can find the app under the All Apps section in the Start menu (Windows) or within the Applications folder (macOS).

• If you wish to record yourself while gaming, refer to this method.

Click the + button located under the 'Sources' section. It's near the bottom-left corner of OBS. The list of sources will appear.

Click on the Display Capture option. This step opens the 'Create/Select Source' window.

Click on the OK button. This opens the preview window for your desktop screen.

Choose the screen you want to record. If you have only one graphics card or monitor, no changes are needed. To capture a different screen, select it from the 'Display' dropdown menu.

Click on the OK button again. This will return you to the main screen of OBS Studio.

Adjust the volume if needed. You will see two sliders in the 'Mixer' section at the bottom of OBS.

• Desktop audio: This slider adjusts the sound from your computer (such as apps and music) while recording.
• Mic/Aux: This slider controls the microphone or external input. If you're using a microphone to speak during recording, make sure to slide it to the right. Otherwise, just slide it all the way to the left.

Click on the Start Recording button. It is located near the bottom-right corner of OBS. The recording process will begin immediately.

Click on the Stop Recording button when you're done recording. This button is located just below the 'Start Recording' button or in the same spot.

• The video file will be saved in the 'Video' folder. To access it, press ⊞ Win+E to open File Explorer, then click on the 'Video' folder in the left sidebar.
• To change the default save location, click on the 'Settings' button at the bottom-right of OBS, click on 'Browse...' next to 'Recording Path,' and select a different folder. On some devices, after clicking 'Settings,' go to the 'Output' tab on the left to find this option.

Open the game you want to record. OBS Studio can capture scenes from any video game that uses DirectX or OpenGL.

Launch OBS Studio on your personal computer (PC) or Mac. This application is found in the 'All Apps' section of the Start menu on Windows and in the 'Applications' folder on macOS.

Click the '+' button under 'Sources'. It's located near the lower-left corner of the OBS interface. The list of available sources will appear.

Click 'Game Capture'. This will open the 'Create/Select Source' window.

Click 'OK' to confirm your selection.

Choose the recording mode. The default option 'Capture any full screen application' will automatically detect the game if you're playing in fullscreen mode.

• If you leave fullscreen mode (for instance, when you press Alt+Tab), the screen may go black until you return to the game.
• To capture only the game content, select 'Mode' from the menu, then choose 'capture specific window' and select your game.

Click 'OK'. This will return you to the main OBS Studio screen.

Adjust the audio levels if necessary. You will find two sliders in the 'Mixer' section at the bottom of OBS.

• Desktop audio: This controls the sound from the game and any other open applications.
• Mic/Aux: This controls your microphone or external input. If you're using a microphone while recording, make sure the slider is moved to the right. If you're not using one, slide it all the way to the left.

Click 'Start Recording'. This button is located near the lower-right corner of OBS. The recording will start immediately.

Click 'Stop Recording' when you are finished. This button is located directly below 'Start Recording' or in the same spot.

• The video file will be saved in the 'Video' folder. To access it, press ⊞ Win+E to open File Explorer, then click the 'Video' folder on the left.
• To change the default save location, click 'Settings' in the lower-right corner of OBS, then click 'Browse...' next to 'Recording Path' to select a different folder. On some devices, after clicking 'Settings', click on the 'Output' tab on the left to find this option.