You may wish to record your screen for various purposes. It could be for a video tutorial that you wish to share on YouTube, or to send your friend the killer moves you pulled off on the latest game. Whatever your reasons for recording the screen may be, they come very handy in many ways. Someone who knows how to explain steps and procedures over a recorded screen knows that screenshots pale in comparison to the efficacy with which you can explain these steps. Unfortunately, recording your screen can get really messy with having to install third-party apps and giving them control and access. However, if you have a Windows 10 device then you have hit the screen recording jackpot. Windows 10 has a built-in feature that allows you to record video clips up to 2 hours long!
Neatly tucked inside the Xbox app, Game DVR, originally meant to record videogame footage, can also record your device screen. Whether it is Microsoft Word or any internet browser, Game DVR will record the screen for you. Unfortunately, Game DVR has limited features considering that it can only record one window or app at a time.
Here are the steps to use Game DVR:
Open the Xbox app. Click on the Start menu, go to All Apps and click on Xbox. If this is the first time you are opening the app, it will require you to set up some settings.
Once the Xbox setup is complete, open the Game bar by using the shortcut keys (Windows key + G).
Check out the settings of Game bar by clicking on the Game Bar’s gear icon on the Xbox app. You can adjust the recording time, impose limits on the duration of the clips, and also feed a list of programs where you can turn on Game bar by default.
When you attempt to open the Game bar in any window or application, you will receive a pop-up asking you if you wish to open the Game bar, check the “Yes, this is a game” box. Check the box even if it isn’t a game since Game DVR also works on other applications.
Click on the circular red button to begin recording the screen. Remember that since Game DVR does not record the entire screen and instead it only records the app/window that is active, make sure that the what you wish to record is the active window.
Note: The Game DVR also does not record the mouse movements.
To stop the recording, once again press the shortcut to open Game bar (Win + G) and click on the Stop button.
The newly recorded video clip will be visible in the Xbox app. You can access it by clicking on the Xbox button located on the Game bar or by the Xbox app through the Start Menu. You will notice a series of features depicted by icons on the left-hand side of the Xbox app.
Click on the sixth icon (that is, a film strip in the background of an Xbox controller) to open the Game DVR menu.
You can see all your recorded videos here. You can even carry out basic editing such as renaming the clip, trimming it, etc.
Now that you can easily record your screen on your Windows 10 device, go ahead and get recording. Who knows, you may turn out to be the next Twitch sensation or YouTube’s Tutorial Guru!
Karen Minton is a Microsoft Office expert and has been working in the technical industry since 2002. As a technical expert, Karen has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as office.com/setup
