How to Record Your Entire Desktop Screen in Windows

Windows includes more than one screen recorder, but they don't all capture the whole desktop. This guide explains which tool to use for a full screen recording, how to set it up, and how to confirm the file came out the way you expect.

Before you start

First check your Windows version. Snipping Tool has a recording mode in Windows 11 that can capture the entire screen. Xbox Game Bar, available in Windows 10 and 11, records only the app in focus. It cannot record the desktop itself or File Explorer. On Windows 10, or if you need multiple monitors or control over quality settings, use a dedicated desktop recorder such as the free, open-source OBS Studio.

All three tools record locally on your PC and don't need an account or an upload. Check where each app saves its files, and whether a sync service such as OneDrive backs up your Videos folder. If it does, your recordings may leave the device automatically.

• Make sure the drive you're saving to has enough free space, because long or high-quality recordings grow quickly.
• Close or minimize windows that show private information. A full screen recording captures everything visible.
• Turn on Do not disturb so notifications don't appear in the video.
• Decide whether you need microphone audio, system audio, both, or neither.

Step-by-step instructions

Option 1: Snipping Tool (Windows 11)

• Open Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
• Switch to Record mode with the video camera icon.
• Select New, then drag the selection across the entire screen.
• Select Start. Recording begins after a short countdown.
• If your version shows microphone and system audio toggles on the recording toolbar, set them before or during recording.
• Select Stop when you're done. A preview opens, and you can save the file as MP4 from there.

Features depend on the Snipping Tool version. Older builds record video without audio. Newer builds may save recordings automatically to a Screen Recordings folder inside Videos, which you can check in Snipping Tool's settings. Snipping Tool has no frame rate or bitrate controls. If you need those, use OBS Studio.

Option 2: Xbox Game Bar for a single full-screen app

Use Game Bar when the content you want fills the screen as one app, such as a full-screen presentation, video player or game. It will not capture the desktop, the taskbar or switches between apps.

• Open the app you want to record and make it full screen.
• Press Windows key + G to open Game Bar.
• In the Capture widget, select the record button. Alternatively, press Windows key + Alt + R to start and stop recording.
• Find the file in the Captures folder inside Videos, which is the default location.

To change the frame rate (30 or 60 fps), the video quality, or whether audio is recorded, open Settings > Gaming > Captures. Labels on this page can vary between Windows releases.

Option 3: OBS Studio for the whole desktop with full control

• Install and open OBS Studio.
• In the Sources panel, select the plus button, choose Display Capture, and pick the monitor you want to record.
• Open Settings > Output. Set the recording path, the recording format and the encoder.
• Open Settings > Video. Set the base (canvas) resolution to match your display, then choose an output resolution and a frame rate.
• Select Start Recording. When you're finished, select Stop Recording.

About the recording format: MKV keeps the footage usable if OBS or the PC crashes during recording. Standard MP4 can become unreadable in that case. You can convert an MKV file to MP4 with File > Remux Recordings. Recent OBS versions also offer crash-resistant MP4 options, so check which formats your version lists.

About encoding and bitrate: a hardware encoder from your graphics card or processor (NVIDIA NVENC, AMD or Intel Quick Sync) usually puts less load on the CPU than software x264 encoding. A higher bitrate keeps small on-screen text sharper but produces larger files. To record two monitors, add a Display Capture source for each one and enlarge the canvas to fit both, or record each monitor separately.

Check the output

Play the whole recording, not just the first few seconds. Check that the full screen area is included, small text is readable, the cursor is visible if you need it, audio stays in sync, and the ending wasn't cut off.

To confirm the technical details, right-click the file in File Explorer, select Properties, and open the Details tab. It shows the frame width and height, frame rate, and data rate. Compare the resolution with your display resolution in Settings > System > Display. A smaller video resolution is expected if you set a lower output resolution in OBS or if the tool scales the recording down.

MP4 plays in most players and editors. If you recorded MKV, remux it to MP4 before editing or uploading if the target program doesn't accept MKV.

Common problems and next steps

Game Bar says gaming features aren't available: this is expected on the desktop or in File Explorer, because Game Bar doesn't record them. For a full screen recording, use Snipping Tool on Windows 11 or OBS Studio on Windows 10 and 11.

Black screen in OBS Display Capture: on laptops with both integrated and dedicated graphics, open Settings > System > Display > Graphics and set OBS to use the graphics processor that drives your display. Then restart OBS. If the problem continues, try a different capture method in the Display Capture properties.

A black box where a video should be: streaming services and other protected content often block screen capture. No recorder setting changes this.

No audio in the recording: check the audio toggles in Snipping Tool or the audio setting in Game Bar's capture settings. In OBS, make sure Desktop Audio and Mic/Aux are active in the Audio Mixer and assigned in Settings > Audio. If the microphone is silent in every app, check Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone and allow desktop apps to use it.

Stuttering video or very large files: lower the frame rate or output resolution, switch to a hardware encoder, reduce the bitrate, and save to a fast local drive instead of a network or synced folder.

Before sharing a recording, watch it once more for passwords, messages or other personal details. Trim or re-record any part that shows them.