How to Record a Video on a PC

In this article, we’ll discuss how to record a video on a PC with a few different methods: an online screen recorder, built-in tools, desktop programs, and browser extensions.

Best for: professional-looking screen recorded videos

Rating: 4.5/5 stars, 49 reviews

OS: Windows, macOS

Best for: recording video online without downloading an application to your desktop

Rating: 4.7/5 stars, 439 reviews

OS: online

Step 1. Open Screen Capture

Screen Capture is an easy answer to how to record video on a laptop or PC in your browser with no download. You’ll need to ensure that you’re using a browser that supports Screen Capture, so first, open a Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Microsoft Edge window. Go to Screencapture.com, and click the Start Recording button.

Step 2. Choose what to share

A window will pop up with options to capture your entire PC screen, a single window, or a single Chrome tab. Choose the area you want to record and click Share.

Step 3. Download your recording

When you hit Share, your recording will begin. When you’re finished, hit the green Stop Recording button, and it will take you to a screen to download your recording or start a new one. If you want to change the file format, you’ll need to get the Screen Capture app.

Best for: recording gameplay on a Windows 10 PC and Xbox gaming system

Rating: unknown

OS: Windows

Step 1. Open Windows Game Bar on your PC

Windows Game Bar is a native application to all Windows 10 PCs. You can open it by pressing the Win + G.

Step 2. Start recording

Press the Record from now button to start recording a clip of your screen. You can stop recording at any time by hitting the Stop recording button.

Step 3. Access and edit your video clip

To access your captured video, open the Game Bar again. In the app, go to Show all captures to edit your video.

Windows Game Bar

Best for: capturing screen recordings for PowerPoint presentations

Rating: unknown

OS: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS

Step 1. Open PowerPoint and select a slide

Microsoft Office PowerPoint has a little-known screen recording feature. It’s designed to let users embed videos in slides, but you can also use it to screen record on a computer and save the resulting video for later use.

Step 2. Select the recording area

Open the Insert tab and select Screen Recording. This should open options on the Control Dock. Choose Select Area or press the Windows logo key + Shift + A. Then, you can click and drag your mouse over the area that you want to record.

Step 3. Start recording

In the Control Dock, hit Record or press the Windows logo key + Shift + R. PowerPoint will now start capturing a video of the selected area on your screen. You can also control your recording by hitting the pause, record, and stop buttons on the Control Dock at any time. The hotkeys for these commands are:

• Windows logo key + Shift + R to pause when recording or to start recording again when paused.
• Windows logo key + Shift + Q to end your recording session.

Step 4. Save your video

PowerPoint automatically saves the videos you record as part of your presentation when you hit the Windows logo key + S, but you can also save your recording as a separate file. Right-click on the image of the recording in the slide and choose Save Media As. Then, just choose a destination and file name, and hit Save.

Download Microsoft Office PowerPoint

Best for: high-quality screen video recording

Rating: 4.8/5 stars, 199 reviews

OS: Windows, macOS

Step 1. Choose your preferred recording parameters

Run the software and click on Video Recorder. Afterward, you will be able to adjust the recording settings as you like. You can pick to record the entire/whole screen or just a specific part of the screen and select the audio input source from the microphone or system sound. You can also turn on the webcam if you want to include yourself in the recording.

Step 2. Record screen video on your PC

When the settings are OK, click the REC button to start the recording. During the recording process, you can utilize the built-in editing tools to annotate the video in real-time by adding highlights, texts, lines, drawings, etc., if needed.

Step 3. Preview and save the recording

When you think the recording is done, you can click the Stop button to end the recording process. Next, a preview window will pop up for you to check and preview the recording you just captured. Finally, you can simply click the Done button to save the video if you are satisfied.

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Best for: screen captures for streaming videos

Rating: 4.7/5 stars, 686 reviews

OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Step 1. Select a scene and add a source

When you first open OBS Studio, you’ll notice two boxes: Scenes and Sources. There should already be a scene (named “Scene”) on the left in the Scenes box. Click on it to select it. With Scene highlighted, click the + button to add a source. A dropdown box will open. Scroll down and choose Display Capture. A new box will pop up. Click OK.

Step 2. Choose your Output settings and recording path

Open the Settings tab at the bottom right of the window. Here, choose the Output tab and select your file’s video format, as well as its name and where to save it (the recording path).

Step 3. Record your screen capture

After you adjust your settings, you can start recording by clicking the Start Recording button. You can stop by clicking the Stop Recording button. OBS Studio doesn’t have a pause button, but you can edit your video later if you need to break it up.

Download OBS Studio

Best for: capturing part or all of a Chrome browser tab

Rating: 4.6/5 stars, 24 000 reviews, 2M users

Browser: Chrome, Firefox

Step 1. Get the extension from the Chrome web store

Awesome Screenshot & Screen Recorder is a plugin for Google Chrome. So, the first step is to go to the Chrome web store and download the app on your computer.

Step 2. Open a Chrome browser tab

In your browser, click on the Awesome Screenshot bubble. You’ll find it at the upper right of the window with the other plugins.

Step 3. Choose what you want to record

When you click on the Awesome Screenshot bubble, you’ll see a dropdown menu with options to:

• Capture visible part of page
• Capture selected area
• Capture entire page

If you choose Capture selected area, you can use your mouse to draw a rough perimeter around the area you want to capture. You can then record your screen video and share it with team members in Chrome, Trello, Asana, and other tools. Or you can simply save the recording on your computer for later.

Add Awesome Screenshot & Screen Recorder

Best for: capturing webcam videos online without downloading an application

Rating: 4.7/5 stars, 439 reviews

OS: online

Step 1. Open Screen Capture in a supported browser

Like Screen Capture, Screen Capture webcam recorder is a web-based application that supports Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. Open the app in any of these browsers to get started.

Step 2. Select Microphone

To the left of the Start Recording button, you’ll see two options with checkboxes. Check the box for a microphone if you want to use your microphone to capture sound in your webcam video. Unchecking Watermark will let you capture a video without a watermark, but you will need to sign up for the premium version of Screencapture.com to do this.

Step 3. Record your webcam video

Hit the green Start Recording button to start your video. When you’re finished, click the green Stop Recording button, and you’ll be taken to a page to download your video.

Step 4. Download your webcam video

Hit the green Download button to save your video. If you want to change file formats, you’ll need to download the Screen Capture app. If you’re happy with the default format, you’re all set and can continue recording and playing video clips from your screen as much as you want.

Best for: recording webcam videos on Windows 10 PCs

Rating: unknown

OS: Windows, Xbox

Step 1. Open the Camera app

If your PC has a built-in webcam, or if you’re running a connected camera, you can use the native Windows 10 Camera app on your computer. Go to Start and select Camera.

Step 2. Record your video

Click on Video in the Camera app. Tap it again to start recording. When you’re done recording, tap it one more time.

Step 3. Find and watch your saved video

To access the webcam video you just recorded, go to Start and select Photos. You should find your video in one of the collections here.

Download Windows Camera

Best for: recording and sharing quick webcam videos

Rating: 4.8/5 stars, 700 reviews, 40 000 users

Browser: Chrome

Step 1. Download the extension

BombBomb Video is a Chrome extension. So, you can find and download it in the Chrome web store. Then, find the BombBomb logo bubble at the top right of your Chrome browser window and click on it.

Step 2. Record your video

Clicking on the BombBomb extension opens a Record tab. Here, select Camera only to record only from your webcam. You can also select Screen recorder to capture both your screen and your webcam video. Once you’ve hit Camera only, click Launch Recorder and tap the red circle to start recording.

Step 3. Finish up

After you finish recording, you have a few options to finish up your video, including adding a CTA button or link banner. Then, just save your video and you’re ready to go.

Add BombBomb Video

Sometimes it’s difficult to pick one program over another, so here’s a list of things you should pay attention to when choosing a screen recorder:

OS: make sure the software is compatible with the operating system you are using.

Features: you should consider functions necessary for your goal and choose accordingly. For example, you probably need to record both your screen and microphone sound to make a video lesson. In this case, you should pay attention to whether the software actually includes these features.

Support: try to find a program that has accessible customer support. It’ll help you out in case of trouble.

Reviews: before trying a product, check out user reviews – other people may have shared their positive experiences or pointed out problems with the software.