How To Screen Record On Windows

Tips
1

I’m trying to screen record on my Windows PC for a tutorial, but I’m confused about which built‑in tools or free apps I should use, and how to capture both system sound and my microphone clearly. I’ve tried a couple of recorders, but either the video looks choppy or the audio doesn’t record at all. Can someone walk me through the best way to reliably screen record on Windows, including any settings I should double‑check so I don’t lose footage again?

2

Short version. Use Xbox Game Bar if you want simple. Use OBS Studio if you want control.

  1. Built in Xbox Game Bar
    Good for quick tutorials, single app, basic mic plus system audio.

Steps

  1. Press Windows key + G
  2. If asked, check “Yes, this is a game”
  3. On the Capture widget, click the mic icon to toggle your microphone
  4. Hit the record button or press Windows key + Alt + R
  5. When done, press Windows key + Alt + R again

Files go to
C:\Users\YourName\Videos\Captures

To tweak audio

  1. Press Windows key + G
  2. Open Settings icon
  3. Go to Capturing
  4. Set “Audio to record” to “All”
    This records system sound and your mic.

Limitations
• Often only records one app, not the whole desktop
• No separate tracks for mic and system
• No scenes or overlays
• Some apps block it

  1. OBS Studio, free app
    Better if you want overlays, better audio control, or multiple monitors.

Install

  1. Go to obsproject.com
  2. Download Windows version
  3. Run installer with defaults

Basic setup for screen + system + mic

  1. In OBS, bottom center: Scenes. Keep “Scene” or create new.
  2. Under Sources, add
    • Display Capture for full screen
    • Or Window Capture for one app
  3. For audio
    • OBS usually adds Desktop Audio and Mic/Aux automatically
    • If not, click + in Sources, add Audio Output Capture for system sound
    • Add Audio Input Capture for your mic

Check audio levels

  1. Speak into mic, look at the audio meter for Mic/Aux
  2. Play system sound, check Desktop Audio meter
  3. Aim for yellow peaks, avoid red
    If your voice is too quiet
    Right click Mic/Aux, Filters, add “Gain” filter, try +5 dB to +10 dB.

Settings for clear recording

  1. Click Settings, then Output
  2. Recording
    • Type: Standard
    • Recording Format: mp4 or mkv (mkv is safer, then remux to mp4 via File menu)
    • Encoder: x264 or hardware encoder like NVENC if you have Nvidia GPU
    • Bitrate:
    • 1080p 30 fps: 8000 kbps is solid
    • 1080p 60 fps: 12000 kbps or so
  3. Video
    • Base resolution: your monitor res
    • Output resolution: usually same as base
    • FPS: 30 for tutorials, 60 if you scroll and move fast

Avoid echo
• Wear headphones, do not let speakers feed into mic
• In Windows Sound settings, set your mic input separate from system output
• In OBS Audio settings, disable extra inputs you do not use

  1. Quick Windows audio checks
    Right click sound icon in taskbar
    • Sound settings
    • Output: your speakers or headphones
    • Input: your mic
    Use “Test your microphone” there, check it picks up your voice cleanly.

If you just want fast results and do not care about fancy stuff, use Xbox Game Bar.
If you want cleaner audio, separate control, overlays, or plan to record often, use OBS Studio.

3

If Game Bar and OBS are the “obvious” picks (like @voyageurdubois covered), here are some other routes that might fit better depending on what annoyed you with those.

1. Use PowerPoint’s built‑in screen recorder

Yeah, seriously.

If you have Office:

  1. Open PowerPoint
  2. Insert → Screen Recording
  3. Select the area of the screen you want
  4. Enable Audio and Record Pointer if you want them
  5. Hit Record

When you stop, it drops the recording into the slide.
Right‑click the video → Save Media As → get an MP4.

Pros:

  • Super simple UI
  • Captures system audio + mic together if you choose “Audio”
  • No “this is a game” nonsense

Cons:

  • No fancy mixing
  • No multiple tracks
  • Slightly clunky for long recordings

2. Use Clipchamp (built in on newer Windows 11)

If you’re on Win11, search Start for “Clipchamp”.

  1. New video → Record & create → Screen and camera (or just Screen)
  2. Pick your screen, choose your mic in the prompt
  3. Record, then stop and trim in the timeline
  4. Export as MP4

Pros:

  • Dead simple editor included (trim, text, simple cuts)
  • Lets you choose mic and system audio source
  • Good for tutorials where you want to clean up mistakes

Cons:

  • Not as light as Game Bar
  • Cloud-ish workflow if you sign in, which some people hate
  • Exports can be slower for long clips

3. If your issue is “system sound + mic are messy”

A couple concrete things to try that don’t require OBS-level config:

A. Fix input / output in Windows first

  1. Right‑click speaker icon → Sound settings
  2. Output: set your headphones/speakers
  3. Input: pick your actual mic, not “Stereo Mix” or webcam unless intentional
  4. Scroll to “App volume and device preferences”
    • Make sure your browser / app is using the right output device
    • Make sure your recording app uses the right input

B. Use a “virtual cable” for finer control

If you’re okay installing one tool, VB‑Audio Virtual Cable is nice:

  • Install it, then in Windows:
    • Set default output device to “CABLE Input”
    • In your recording app, record that as system audio
    • Monitor through your headphones from “CABLE Output”

This lets you cleanly separate what gets recorded vs what you hear. It’s a bit nerdy, but once set up, everything is more predictable than Game Bar’s sometimes-weird behavior.

4. If your voice is muddy or quiet

Doesn’t matter what recorder you use if the mic sounds like it’s underwater:

  • Use a headset or dedicated USB mic, not the laptop mic if you can avoid it.
  • In Sound settings → Device properties (for the mic)
    • Turn off “Enhancements” if they make you sound like a robot
    • Turn input volume up until normal talking hits around 70–80 percent in the test bar.
  • Record a 10–20 second test, listen back, adjust, repeat. Seriously, this saves you from re‑doing whole tutorials.

5. Very quick, no-install option: in‑browser recorder

If you just need something once and don’t want all the configuration:

  • Use any reputable online screen recorder that:
    • Lets you pick “System audio” and “Microphone”
    • Saves locally as MP4
  • In the Chrome/Edge capture dialog, check both audio sources.

Downsides:

  • Browser permission popups, upload limits, privacy concerns
  • Not great for really long recordings

Personally, I’d do this:

  • Short, simple tutorial: PowerPoint or Clipchamp
  • Longer series / frequent tutorials: bite the bullet and refine OBS
  • If Game Bar was glitching audio, ignore it; it’s convenient but not worth wrestling once it misbehaves.

Which tool gave you the worst experience so far? The main “best choice” kind of depends whether your pain is audio, editing, or just too many confusing buttons.

4

If Game Bar and OBS annoyed you and you’re not sold on the PowerPoint / Clipchamp route that @voyageurdubois laid out, you’ve still got a few angles to cleanly grab both system audio and mic on Windows.

I’d split it into two parts: how you capture, and how you make the audio not suck.

1. Try the “browser + Windows routing” combo

Instead of installing another big recorder, use an in‑browser recorder plus Windows’ own audio plumbing.

Setup

  1. Right click the speaker icon → Sound settings.
  2. Under Output, pick the speakers / headphones you actually use.
  3. Under Input, pick your real mic (USB mic or headset if possible).
  4. Scroll to “App volume and device preferences.”
    • Make sure your main tutorial app (browser, IDE, whatever) outputs to your default device.
    • If the recorder appears there, force its input to your mic and leave output on default.

Use a browser recorder that supports:

  • Screen + system audio
  • Screen + microphone

Chrome / Edge screen capture dialog will let you tick both, as long as the site supports it.

Pros

  • No heavy installs
  • Works for quick tutorials
  • Output is usually plain MP4

Cons

  • Browser permission popups
  • Not brilliant for very long recordings
  • Privacy is only as good as the site you pick

I actually disagree a bit with leaning on PowerPoint for anything over a few minutes. It works, but if your tutorial goes 30–60 minutes, it feels clunky and fragile.

2. Lock in your audio so every app behaves

Most of the “system sound + mic is messy” complaints are about routing, not the recorder.

A. Normalize mic gain

  1. Sound settings → Input → your mic → Device properties.
  2. Turn off weird “Enhancements” if they add echo or noise gate artifacts.
  3. Talk at normal tutorial volume and push the input level until you hit ~75–85 percent on the test bar.

B. Do one 15‑second dry run

  • Record a tiny test in any recorder (even the Voice Recorder app)
  • Check for:
    • Your voice is clear and louder than system sounds
    • No clipping on loud words
    • No massive background hum

Fix here, not after you finish a 40‑minute take.

3. When you really care about levels: virtual cable + any recorder

If you ever feel like “system is too loud, my mic is too quiet” and the app’s sliders are not enough, a virtual cable like VB‑Audio Virtual Cable is a middle ground before diving full OBS complexity.

Very rough pattern:

  1. Install the virtual cable.
  2. Set Windows default output to the cable.
  3. In your recorder, capture from that cable as “system audio” and your mic as input.
  4. In the cable’s control panel, monitor the output through your headphones.

You then have predictable, separate control of what is recorded versus what you hear.

Pros

  • Much clearer control of levels
  • Works with almost any recorder that can pick an audio source
  • Once configured, very repeatable for future tutorials

Cons

  • Initial setup feels nerdy
  • Overkill if you only do one short video
  • One more virtual device to manage in Windows

4. Mic and room matter more than the recorder

Even the best app will sound bad if:

  • You use a laptop mic 2 feet away on a loud keyboard
  • You record in a reflective room with lots of echo

Quick wins:

  • Use a cheap USB mic or headset and keep it 10–15 cm from your mouth, slightly off to the side.
  • Turn off fans or move away from the loudest one.
  • If the room is echoey, record near soft stuff (curtains, sofa, wardrobe full of clothes).

5. Where this fits vs what @voyageurdubois suggested

  • If you want a simple all‑in‑one with light editing, their Clipchamp suggestion is fine, though I find exports slow for bigger projects.
  • If you want quick one‑offs, their PowerPoint tip is clever but I’d still lean to a browser‑based recorder plus solid Windows audio setup so you are not locked into Office.
  • If you care more about predictable audio than fancy features, the routing tricks above will help no matter which recorder you settle on later.

Once you have your audio chain solid, pretty much any reasonable recorder on Windows will behave. At that point, Game Bar, OBS, PowerPoint, Clipchamp or a browser tool all become just different skins over the same working setup.