Last updated: 2026-01-15

To screen record on Windows, start with StreamYard in your browser for clear, presenter-led recordings you can reuse everywhere, then fall back to Xbox Game Bar, OBS, or Loom when you have very specific needs. If you just want a quick local clip, use Xbox Game Bar; if you want polished, brandable recordings with multiple participants and layouts, use StreamYard.

Summary

• StreamYard: browser-based studio for high-quality, presenter-led screen recordings with layouts, branding, and local multi-track files.
• Xbox Game Bar: fast, built-in Windows shortcut for simple full-screen or app clips saved locally as MP4s. (Microsoft)
• OBS: powerful, free desktop app for advanced local capture when you are willing to tune settings. (OBS)
• Loom: share-first async recording tool; free plan limits quality and video length, paid plans add HD and custom sizes. (Loom)

How do you screen record on Windows with StreamYard?

If you care about how your recording looks, sounds, and gets reused, StreamYard is usually the easiest place to start.

Here’s the basic workflow:

1. Open StreamYard in your browser
   Go to the studio dashboard and create a new record-only session (no need to go live). Screen, camera, and guests can all be captured from here. (StreamYard)

2. Choose your inputs

   • Select your microphone and camera.
   • Share your screen, a specific window, or a browser tab.
     In the studio, you can independently control screen audio and mic audio so viewers clearly hear both your voice and system sound.

3. Set your layout and branding
   At StreamYard we let you place your screen, camera, and any guests into different layouts. You can add branded overlays, logos, and other visual elements live so your recording looks produced without editing later.

4. Use presenter tools while you record
   As the host, you can see private presenter notes, switch layouts mid-recording, and even enable multi-participant screen sharing for collaborative demos from the same browser session.

5. Capture local multi-track recordings
   StreamYard supports local recordings that create separate audio and video files per participant, stored in the browser first for higher quality and resilience against network hiccups. (StreamYard)

6. Download and repurpose your files
   After the session, you can download individual tracks or the mixed file and cut them into tutorials, social clips, or full-length courses. Accounts have storage measured in hours, with 5 hours on the free plan and 50 hours on typical paid plans. (StreamYard)

For most Windows users who want clear, presenter-led training, walkthroughs, or interview-style content, this record-only studio approach gives better long-term value than a quick bare-bones capture. You also avoid installing heavy desktop software, which matters on locked-down or older laptops.

How do you use the built-in Xbox Game Bar to record your screen?

If you only need a quick local recording and don’t care about layouts or branding, the Windows Xbox Game Bar is surprisingly handy.

On Windows 10 or 11:

1. Open the screen or app you want to record.
2. Press Windows key + G to open the Game Bar overlay.
3. Press Windows key + Alt + R to start recording immediately. (Microsoft)
4. Use the same shortcut to stop recording.
5. Your video is automatically saved as an MP4 file under Videos > Captures on your PC. (Microsoft)

Pros:

• Already installed on modern Windows.
• Very quick keyboard-based workflow.
• Saves directly to your drive.

Trade-offs:

• Limited control over layouts or branding.
• Not ideal for multi-participant content.
• You handle all sharing, storage, and editing yourself.

For a one-off bug report or short gameplay clip, Game Bar is fine. Once you need repeatable, polished recordings (especially with your face on camera and a deck or app on screen), StreamYard’s studio tools become much more useful.

When should you use OBS instead of the built-in recorder?

OBS Studio is a free desktop app many power users install when they outgrow the Game Bar.

Basic recording flow on Windows:

1. Install and open OBS Studio.
2. In the Sources area, add a Display Capture (full screen) or Window Capture (specific app) source. (OBS)
3. Optionally add your webcam and extra layers.
4. In the Controls dock, click Start Recording to capture, and Stop Recording when finished. (OBS)

OBS offers deep control over encoders, bitrates, formats, and scenes, and it runs entirely on your machine with no time-based vendor limits; your only constraints are hardware and storage. (OBS)

However, that flexibility comes with trade-offs:

• You must install and update a full desktop app.
• You are responsible for CPU/GPU tuning and disk management.
• There is no built-in cloud storage, branding system, or simple multi-guest studio.

A practical rule of thumb: use OBS when you specifically want to tune encoding or build complex scenes and you are comfortable managing a heavier tool. Use StreamYard when you want great-looking, shareable recordings with minimal setup and built-in layouts.

How does Loom fit into Windows screen recording?

Loom focuses on quick, shareable videos for async communication—think design reviews, code walkthroughs, or status updates.

On Windows, you install the Loom desktop app or extension, then hit record to capture your screen with a camera bubble and system audio. The free version of Loom records up to 720p quality, while paid plans add HD up to 4K and custom capture sizes. (Loom)

The free Starter plan has notable limits: short recordings and a cap on how many videos you can keep before upgrading. (Loom)

So where does this leave you?

• If your top priority is hosted links and comments inside tools like Slack or Jira, Loom is a straightforward async option.
• If your priority is production-quality, reusable content—webinars, course lessons, live-style demos—StreamYard’s layouts, multi-track files, and branding tools are usually a better foundation.

How does StreamYard compare to OBS and Loom for Windows recordings?

Most people searching for “how to screen record on Windows” want five things: fast setup, presenter-led clarity, instant reuse, decent quality, and something that runs well on a typical laptop. StreamYard is designed around that list.

Here is a practical comparison:

• Setup and hardware

  • StreamYard: runs in the browser, no heavy install.
  • OBS: installed desktop app with more demanding hardware needs and system requirements. (OBS)
  • Loom: lightweight app/extension, but still an extra install.

• Recording style

  • StreamYard: presenter-led shows with controllable layouts (screen + camera), overlays, and multi-participant support.
  • OBS: highly configurable scenes, often used for gameplay or composite layouts.
  • Loom: single-presenter clips with a camera bubble, built for async sharing.

• Audio and tracks

  • StreamYard: separate local audio/video files for each participant, ideal for post-production and podcast-style workflows. (StreamYard)
  • OBS: one mixed file by default unless you configure multiple tracks.
  • Loom: focuses more on playback convenience than multi-track editing.

• Team economics
  Loom prices are per user, and paid plans unlock higher quality and recording time. (Loom) StreamYard’s subscriptions are per workspace, not per user, so a whole team can collaborate in one studio without multiplying per-seat costs.

If you want maximum raw control and are willing to babysit settings, OBS is the right project. If you want quick async messages, Loom is tailored for that. If you want to look and sound like a show host—whether you ever go live or not—StreamYard combines the browser simplicity of Game Bar with the production quality people usually expect from more complex tools.

How do you choose the right Windows screen recorder for your workflow?

A simple decision path:

• “I just need a fast one-off clip on my own computer.”
  Use Xbox Game Bar. It’s already installed and saves straight to your Videos > Captures folder as MP4.

• “I’m recording tutorials, interviews, or demos I want to repurpose later.”
  Use StreamYard’s record-only studio so you get layouts, branding, and separate local tracks for clean editing and multi-channel reuse.

• “I’m a power user who wants to fine-tune encoding and scenes.”
  Use OBS, and plan to invest time in learning scenes, sources, and output settings.

• “I live in async tools and mostly send links to quick walkthroughs.”
  Use Loom, keeping in mind that free accounts are limited in length and video count while paid plans add HD and custom capture sizes. (Loom)

Most creators and teams in the U.S. who want ongoing, high-quality Windows screen recordings find that starting in StreamYard gives them better long-term leverage: one studio for shows, webinars, and record-only sessions, all accessible from a browser.

What we recommend

• Use StreamYard as your default Windows screen recorder for anything presenter-led, team-based, or meant to be reused.
• Keep Xbox Game Bar in your toolkit for quick, local, no-frills captures.
• Reach for OBS only when you truly need advanced scene and encoding control.
• Add Loom if async, link-first sharing is your primary goal, and pair it with StreamYard when you need polished, brand-ready recordings.