If you don't plan to stream, choose 'Optimize just for recording. When you launch OBS for the first time, if you haven't already, you will be asked whether you want to optimize it for streaming or recording only. However, you can also use OBS to record the entire screen in Windows 10 or Windows 11 and save it as an MP4 file, without ever streaming what you do.ġ. OBS Studio is very popular in the game streaming community because it's free and great at broadcasting games out to Twitch and other sites. To capture your entire desktop and all the windows on it with a full suite of options, you need a third-party app and, while there are many, we like OBS Studio for this purpose. Snipping Tool can capture more but it doesn't support audio and it is rather feature-limited. Many of those features simply aren’t offered on other free options. It has many useful editing features for still screenshots, including the ability to add shapes, blur, pixelate, rotate, and even freehand draw if you’re able. The biggest drawback to using the Xbox Gamebar to screen record Windows is that it can only work with one app at a time and will not show the desktop or File Explorer. PicPick is a versatile tool that’s completely free for personal use. (Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Recording the Whole Screen with OBS Studio
