Recording your monitor means capturing video of what appears on your screen

You can record your computer monitor using built-in tools that come with Windows or macOS, or by downloading free third-party software. The built-in options are the fastest route if you only need basic screen recording—no narration, no editing, just video of what happened on your screen. Third-party tools give you more control: you can record just one window instead of your whole screen, add your voice at the same time, or pause and resume without stopping the file.

What you choose depends on what you're recording and why. If you're capturing a bug to show a tech support person, or recording a tutorial you'll edit later, the approach is different. This guide covers the tools available to you, how to use each one, and what to expect from the file you end up with.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows 10 and 11 include a built-in screen recorder called Xbox Game Bar that works on any process, not just games.
  • macOS includes a screen recording tool in the Screenshot app that you can access by pressing Shift+Command+5.
  • Free third-party tools like OBS Studio and ScreenFlow let you record multiple monitors, add narration in real time, and choose your video quality before you start.
  • Most screen recordings save as MP4 files, which play on any device and take up less storage than older video formats.
  • You can record audio from your microphone, your system sounds, or both at the same time, depending on the tool you use.

Using Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10 and 11

Xbox Game Bar is built into Windows 10 and 11 and works on any process. Press Windows key + G to open it. A small menu will appear in the top-left corner of your screen with a record button (a circle icon). Click it to start recording, and the same button will turn into a stop button when recording is active.

By default, Xbox Game Bar records your entire screen and captures system audio—the sounds your computer makes. If you want to add your voice, you need to turn on microphone recording before you start. Click the settings icon (gear) in the Game Bar menu, then go to Audio and toggle on Record microphone. Your recording will save to your Videos folder in a subfolder called Captures, as an MP4 file.

One limitation: Xbox Game Bar records your whole screen. If you have multiple monitors, it records all of them. If you only want to record one window, you'll need a different tool.

Using Screenshot on macOS

On macOS, press Shift+Command+5 to open the Screenshot app. A menu bar will appear at the bottom of your screen with five icons. The fifth icon (a rectangle with a dot inside) is the screen recording tool. Click it to choose whether you want to record your entire screen or just one window.

Once you've chosen, a red record button appears. Click it to start. When you're done, click the stop button in the menu bar, or press Control+Command+Esc. A thumbnail of your recording will appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Click it to preview, edit, or save the file. By default, macOS saves screen recordings to your Desktop as MP4 files.

The Screenshot app records system audio by default. To add your voice, you'll need to record your microphone separately and combine the files later, or use a third-party tool like ScreenFlow or OBS Studio.

Using OBS Studio for more control

OBS Studio is free software that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It's more complex than built-in tools, but it gives you precise control over what you record and how. read it from obsproject.com and install it like any other process.

When you open OBS, you'll see a blank canvas on the left called the Scene. You need to add a source—the thing you want to record. Click the + button under Sources and choose Display Capture to record your entire monitor, or Window Capture to record just one process window. A preview will appear on the canvas.

Before you record, check your audio settings. Click Settings in the bottom-right, then Audio. Under Mic/Auxiliary Audio, choose your microphone if you want to record your voice. Under Desktop Audio, choose your speakers if you want to record system sounds. You can use both at the same time. When you're ready, click the red Start Recording button. OBS saves your file to a folder you choose in Settings under Output.

Choosing video quality and file size

Screen recordings can be large files. A one-hour recording at 1080p resolution can be 2 to 4 gigabytes, depending on how much motion is on your screen. If you're recording mostly static content—a document, a spreadsheet, a code editor—the file will be smaller. If you're recording video playback or animation, it will be larger.

Built-in tools like Xbox Game Bar and macOS Screenshot record at your monitor's native resolution and a fixed quality level, so you have little control. OBS Studio lets you change the resolution and bitrate before you record. Lower resolution (720p instead of 1080p) and lower bitrate (4000 kbps instead of 8000 kbps) both shrink file size, but they also reduce clarity. For a tutorial or documentation, 720p is usually clear enough. For detailed work like code or spreadsheets, 1080p is safer.

Recording audio alongside your video

Most screen recordings capture system audio—the sounds your computer makes—by default. If you want to add narration, you have two options: record your microphone at the same time as your screen, or record them separately and combine them later.

Recording both together is simpler. In Xbox Game Bar, turn on microphone recording in settings before you start. In OBS Studio, select your microphone under Mic/Auxiliary Audio in settings. In macOS Screenshot, you'll need to use a third-party tool because the built-in app doesn't record microphone audio.

If you record them separately, you'll need video editing software to sync them. That's more work, but it gives you the option to re-record your voice without re-recording your screen, or to adjust the volume of each track independently.

What to do with your recording after you finish

Screen recordings save as MP4 files by default, which play on any device and any media player. You can upload them to YouTube, Google Drive, OneDrive, or any other platform without converting them. If you need to edit your recording—trim the beginning or end, add text, speed up slow parts—you can use free tools like DaVinci Resolve (Windows and macOS) or Shotcut (Windows, macOS, and Linux).

If you recorded your microphone and system audio separately, you'll need to combine them in video editing software. Import both files into the timeline, sync them by ear or by looking for a visual cue (like a mouse click), and export as a single MP4 file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I record just one window instead of my whole screen?

Yes, but only with certain tools. macOS Screenshot and OBS Studio both let you choose a single window. Xbox Game Bar on Windows records your entire screen. If you need to record one window on Windows, use OBS Studio instead.

Why is my recording file so large?

Screen recordings are large because they capture every pixel on your screen many times per second. A one-hour recording at 1080p can be 2 to 4 gigabytes. Lower your resolution to 720p, reduce the bitrate in OBS Studio, or record shorter clips. Compressing the file after recording also shrinks it, but reduces quality.

Can I pause my recording without stopping it?

OBS Studio lets you pause and resume. Xbox Game Bar and macOS Screenshot do not—you have to stop and start a new file. If you need to pause, use OBS Studio.

What if I want to record two monitors at once?

Xbox Game Bar records all monitors together. OBS Studio lets you add multiple display sources to one scene, so you can record them both in a single file. macOS Screenshot records one screen at a time.

Do I need to install anything to record my screen?

No, not if you use the built-in tools. Xbox Game Bar comes with Windows, and Screenshot comes with macOS. If you want more features, you'll need to read OBS Studio or another third-party tool, but they're all free.