How To Screen Record On Windows 11

Screen record with Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, and AMD Radeon Software on Windows 11.

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Screen recording on Windows 10 is easy to do, so understandably you might be wondering how it works on Windows 11. The good news is the process is very much the same as long as you know where to look and what to do.

Xbox Game Bar, a feature installed as standard as part of Windows 11, allows you to capture in-game footage via an easy-to-navigate overlay. For those looking for desktop and game capture, NVIDIA GeForce Experience and AMD Radeon Software both have built-in screen record functionality that’s both sufficiently robust for most users and intuitive to use.

Read on for a step-by-step guide to screen record on:

  1. Windows 11 using Xbox Game Bar
  2. NVIDIA GeForce Experience
  3. AMD Radeon Software
1

Screen Record On Windows 11 With Xbox Game Bar

It’s possible to screen record gameplay footage natively in Windows 11 using the Xbox Game Bar. Recording is limited to in-game and isn’t available for desktop or file explorer.

Step

1

Click the Start menu icon

Click the Start menu icon or tap the Windows key on your keyboard.

Step

2

Select Settings

Select the cogwheel Settings icon. Alternatively, click the Search magnifying glass on the taskbar and type in ‘Settings,’ then click on the first ‘Best Match’ result of the same name.

Step

3

Click Gaming

Next you will need to click on Gaming in the Settings window.

Step

4

Select ‘Enable Xbox Game Bar’ Toggle

After that, click on the ‘Enable Xbox Game Bar for things like recording game clips, chatting with friends, and receiving game invitations’ toggle to turn it on.

Step

5

Click the Start Menu icon

Click the Start Menu icon

Step

6

Select Xbox Game Bar

Select Xbox Game Bar from the pinned shortcuts in the start menu. If it isn’t among the pinned apps, click on the Search (large magnifying glass icon) in the taskbar and type Xbox Game Bar in the search field and select the ‘Best Match’ result of the same name. Alternatively, you can hit Win+G on your keyboard.

Step

7

Click the record button

With the Xbox Game Bar now open, click on the record button in the top left, represented by a single large dot (the universal symbol for record), or type Win+alt+R to trigger the start of capture. A capture status window in the top right of your screen confirms recording is in process.

Step

8

Stop recording

Hit the stop button on the capture status window to end capture.

Step

9

Show all captures

Click on ‘Show all captures’ in the Xbox Game Bar (Win+G to bring it up) to view the recorded footage (you can also click on Open file location to view in file explorer.)

2

Screen Record On Windows 11 With NVIDIA GeForce Experience

Those with a PC sporting an NVIDIA GPU can use NVIDIA GeForceExperience to screen record in Windows 11.

Step

1

NVIDIA Settings

Right-click on the NVIDIA Settings tray icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the Windows 11 taskbar.

Step

2

Click on NVIDIA GeForce Experience

Next up, you will need to  click on NVIDIA GeForce Experience

Step

3

Open in-game overlay

In NVIDIA GeForce Experience, click on the ‘Open in-game overlay’ icon in the top-right represented by an oblique triangle with three-dotted points. Alternatively, hit alt+z on your keyboard to bring up the NVIDIA GeForce Experience overlay.

Step

4

Click record

With the overlay on-screen, click on Record. You can click settings to adjust the quality of the captured footage, the resolution, frame rate, and bit rate from several options.

Step

5

Click Start

Click Start. You’ll be prompted to confirm where you want to turn on desktop capture. Select yes or no as required. Note that choosing no will only record footage from games.

Step

6

Stop recording

To stop recording, return to the overlay and click on Stop and Save. You can then view the footage by clicking on Gallery among the options on the overlay’s right-hand side or navigating within windows to the file location (generally saved in the Videos folder).

3

Screen Record On Windows 11 With AMD Radeon Software

For AMD Radeon GPU users, the AMD Radeon Software offers a similar screen record function.

Step

1

Select AMD Radeon software

Right-click on the Radeon Software tray icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the Windows 11 taskbar and select AMD Radeon Software. Alternatively, right-click anywhere on the Window 11 desktop and select AMD Radeon Software.

Step

2

Click on the Record & Stream

Once open, click on the Record & Stream tab at the top of the AMD Radeon Software window.

Step

3

Select recording settings

A setup wizard will start up the first time you use the feature, allowing you to choose whether you are recording or live streaming, set the default microphone and camera, select recording quality, and whether you want to record the desktop or not. Go through the options, then click on Finish to save your choices.

Step

4

Start Recording

On the Record & Stream screen, click on Start Recording to start capturing footage. You can also adjust microphone levels, full screen or specific region recording, and a range of other options here. Alternatively, you can hit Ctrl+Shift+E on your keyboard to trigger recording without opening the AMD Radeon Software.

Step

5

Stop Recording

Click on Stop Recording to end capture. You can then view the footage by clicking on the Media sub-tab on the Record & Stream screen.

Summary

So there you have it, the three most straightforward ways to screen record on Windows 11, with at least one or two available on most PCs and laptops regardless of their specifications.

For those looking for more robust, dedicated screen record tools, we recommend investigating OBS, notably if live streaming is on the cards. Twitch integration and a vast array of options let you fine-tune pretty much every aspect of screen recording.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, do let us know by dropping a message below. For those looking for more Windows 11 step-by-step guides, be sure to check our growing library of how-to articles here on PC Guide.

Kevin is the Editor of PC Guide. He has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs and all things consumer tech - and more than 15 years experience in tech journalism.