Here's how to use the built-in tools in Windows and macOS, as well as a few of third-party screen capture software, to capture your computer screen.

Do you want to record your computer's screen? Perhaps you're a businessperson who has to record your screen for a presentation, a software developer creating a how-to video, or simply someone who wants to share a useful video clip on YouTube. Built-in capabilities in Windows and macOS allow you to capture your screen activity, but third-party screen-capture software is also available. Here's how you can begin.

Xbox Game Bar (Windows)

Game Bar is a feature of Windows 10 that allows you to record games that you play on your PC or that you stream from an Xbox console. It may, however, simply collect screen activity from other programmes. To enable the Xbox Game Bar, navigate to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar and toggle the Enable Xbox Game Bar switch on.

You may also alter the keyboard shortcuts for opening the Game Bar, taking a screenshot, and recording a video from this screen. You can also activate the Game Bar by pushing the Xbox button on your Xbox Controller while connected to your PC.

Except for the Windows desktop, File Explorer, and select Windows apps like Weather, you'll be able to record activity in most applications and windows. To open Game Bar, go to the screen you want to record and click Win + G. On the screen, there are several Game Bar widgets with buttons for taking screenshots, recording video and audio, and broadcasting your screen activities.

To record your screen activity, click the Start Recording button or utilise the Win + Alt + R keyboard shortcut. Now you can capture whatever screen actions you desire. The Game Bar widgets vanish once you click on the screen, and are replaced by a little floating bar in the upper-right corner of the screen that allows you to control the recording.

Click the Recording button on the floating bar to end the recording. When the recording is finished, you'll receive a notification that the game clip has been recorded. To see your video on the Game Bar, click the notification. To see the video, use the Play button.

In File Explorer, you can also view and play your video from its default location: C:\Users\[username]\Videos\Captures. Your videos will be saved as an MP4 file, which you can then share wherever you choose.

If you go to Settings > Gaming > Captures, you can adjust the Game Bar. You can modify the default file location for your movies, enable background recording to catch activities after the fact, choose to record video and audio, and alter the frame rate between 30 and 60 frames per second from here.

Click the Settings icon to the right of the top bar in the Game Bar. Modify the shortcuts, change the theme, tune the widgets, set up background recording, and record the audio with the video by browsing the many categories under Settings.

Mac

On macOS Mojave and later, your Mac has its own screen-recording tool. To open the system's screen-capture tool, press Shift + Command + 5 when in the app or window you want to record. You can choose to capture the entire screen, only the selected window, or a specific area of the screen from the bottom toolbar. You can record the entire screen or a particular portion of it for video.

You can pick where your recording will be saved and start a countdown timer by clicking the Options button. If you're recording your own voice or external audio, make sure to check the option to use your Mac's microphone.

To begin recording, click Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion. On the menu bar at the top of the screen, there is a Recording button. To end recording, click this button, and a thumbnail of your recording will be saved to your computer. To play the screen recording file in your usual video player, double-click it.

On a Mac, you may also start the screen recording directly from QuickTime. Click File > New Screen Recording after opening QuickTime Player. You'll be prompted to visit System Preferences to grant QuickTime Player access to record your screen the first time you do this. Check the box to allow the appropriate rights in your settings. You can then use the Mac's recording tool to start the new recording through QuickTime. 

OBS Studio

The free OBS Studio programme runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and has a lot of capabilities. Start and stop your recording using the program's floating control panel. OBS Studio may record screen activity, your microphone, and computer audio along the way. The output is subsequently saved as an MP4 file by the application.

You may also use Studio Mode to create cuts, fades, and other transitions to your video while streaming it live. You can alter the format and other criteria for both the video and audio sections of the recording using the program's options. OBS Studio may appear intimidating at first, but with practise, you should be able to master it.

Free Cam

Free Cam is a very rudimentary screen recorder for Windows, yet it will enough for most purposes. This software records your screen activity and audio before saving it as a WMV file. Simply select which portion of the screen you wish to capture by clicking the New Recording button, which can range from a single window or application to the entire screen.

To begin the recording, press Record, then Esc when you're through. You can modify your recording, save it as a video file, or upload it to YouTube directly from the preview window.

How to record your screen with sound

Select the microphone to record your voice. Select the system audio option if you wish to capture the sounds that originate from your computer, such as beeps and boops.

You can include putting the address into your browser and showing all of your mouse movements and clicks when recording your screen to show folks exactly where to go and how to get there.

When you record your screen, you can also capture video and audio. Use an external microphone or the built-in microphone on your computer to narrate your video.

You can also capture the audio from your system (the sound that emanates from your speakers).

Should I use a free screen recorder?

Maybe. You can use free software like QuickTime (on Mac) or Xbox App (on Windows), but if you're comparing screen recording tools, make sure you get one that includes sound recording and video editing.

The problem with many built-in screen recorders that come with your computer is that they only allow you to record. And you'll need additional software and tools only to edit and share your films.

App Screen Recorder

Now since you know almost everything about various ways to record screens on pc (with sound), let’s get back to our compact devices: mobile phones. You can now share with the world your experience while broadcasting anything on your mobile, by using the best screen recorder available on the market, the App Screen recorder. The app will allow you to learn the basics of screen recording like “what is screen recording?” or “What is a screen recorder?” to be able to seamlessly record the screen while also smashing to new levels in the game. The screen recorder comes enclosed with several features like direct live streaming to different platforms at the same time and many more