How To Screen Record On Windows 10

Tips
1

I’m trying to record my screen on Windows 10 for a tutorial, but I’m confused by all the different methods (Game Bar, third-party apps, settings, etc.). I can’t seem to get clear audio and video without lag or weird quality issues. Can someone walk me through the easiest, most reliable way to screen record on Windows 10, including any free tools or built-in options I should use?

2

Short version so you stop fighting with it:

  1. Built‑in option: Xbox Game Bar
    • Press Win + G to open it
    • Click the Capture widget
    • Hit the record button or press Win + Alt + R
    • By default it records the current app window only, not the whole desktop
    • To change settings, go to Settings → Gaming → Captures
    • Set:
    • Video frame rate: 60 fps
    • Video quality: High
    • Audio: turn on “Record audio when I record a game” and pick your mic
      • Close heavy apps, browsers with 20 tabs, etc, to reduce lag

Common issues with Game Bar:
• No desktop recording for some stuff like File Explorer
• Some older GPUs stutter with 60 fps
• On weak laptops, switch to 30 fps in Captures settings if your video stutters

  1. Easiest free third party: OBS Studio
    • Download from obsproject.com
    • Run auto‑config wizard, pick “Optimize for recording”
    • In “Sources”:
    • Add “Display Capture” for full screen
    • Add “Audio Input Capture” for mic
    • Add “Audio Output Capture” for system sound
      • In Settings → Output:
    • Recording format: mp4
    • Encoder: use “Hardware (NVENC / AMD / Intel)” if you have it
    • Bitrate: start around 8000 kbps for 1080p60, go higher if quality looks soft
      • In Settings → Video:
    • Base and Output: 1920x1080
    • FPS: 30 if your PC struggles, 60 if smooth
      • Close the OBS preview while recording if CPU spikes

Lag fixes:
• Lower fps to 30
• Lower resolution to 1280x720
• Use hardware encoder instead of x264
• Update GPU drivers
• Record to a fast drive, not a full HDD

Audio clarity:
• Use a headset mic if possible, laptop mics sound bad and catch fan noise
• In OBS, add a “Noise Suppression” filter to the mic input
• In Windows Sound settings, disable enhancements on the mic if it sounds weird
• Test 10–20 seconds, watch it back before recording the full tutorial

If your PC is low end, Game Bar with 30 fps and “Standard” quality often works smoother than OBS. If you need more control or multiple sources, OBS wins.

3

Couple of extra angles to add on top of what @cacadordeestrelas already covered:

  1. Try the other built‑in thing: PowerPoint
    Sounds dumb, but it’s actually solid for tutorials.

    • Open PowerPoint
    • Insert → Screen Recording
    • Select the area of the screen
    • Hit Record
    • When you’re done, right‑click the video in the slide → Save Media as…
      Pros:
    • Super simple
    • Decent quality, usually less laggy than OBS on weak machines
      Cons:
    • Not great for long recordings
    • Fewer settings to tweak

  2. Fix lag by attacking background junk, not just FPS
    People always say “drop to 30 fps” which is fine, but if Chrome has 40 tabs and Discord + Spotify + a bunch of updaters are running, it will stutter no matter what.

    • Open Task Manager
    • Kill anything heavy you don’t need (browsers, game launchers, “helpful” OEM tools)
    • Also, turn off any live wallpaper or RGB control software during the recording. Those cause stupid micro‑stutters.

  3. Audio: stop letting Windows decide for you
    Instead of only using the recording app’s settings, go to:

    • Right‑click speaker icon → Sounds → Recording
    • Pick your mic → Properties
      • Levels: set between 70–90, not 100, to avoid clipping
      • Advanced tab: pick 48 kHz, 16‑bit (DVD quality) and untick “Allow applications to take exclusive control” if your audio keeps freaking out
        I slightly disagree with relying on all the Windows “enhancements.” Often they just make it sound weird. Better to keep them off and use light noise suppression in whatever app you’re recording with.

  4. Separate mic and system sound when you can
    If you use OBS or similar, record mic and system audio as separate tracks. Then if your voice is too quiet or loud you can fix it later without killing the game / system sound. For tutorials this is a lifesaver. In OBS:

    • Settings → Output → Recording → check “Audio Track 1, 2” etc
    • In Audio Mixer, assign mic to one track, desktop to another.

  5. If your PC is really low‑end

    • Record at 1280x720, 30 fps
    • Use hardware encoding if available
    • Close preview windows where possible in your recording app
    • Record to a different drive than the one Windows is installed on if you can
      Honestly, for very weak machines, I’d even prefer something lightweight like ShareX screen recording over a fully loaded OBS scene. Less pretty UI, more actual performance.

  6. Short test runs, every time
    Before recording the “real” tutorial, always do a 10–20 second test:

    • Talk like you actually will
    • Move windows around like you will
    • Stop, watch it back immediately
    • Tweak once, then record the full thing
      Skipping this step is how you end up re‑doing a 30‑minute tutorial because your mic sounded like it was inside a jet engine.

If you post your specs (CPU, GPU, RAM, and whether you’re on HDD or SSD) and what exactly you’re recording (game, browser, IDE, etc.), people can tell you the ideal combo of resolution, fps, and encoder so you’re not just guessing.

4

Quick angle that builds on what @cacadordeestrelas already dropped, but from a different direction: control the recording pipeline like a video editor, not like a gamer.

1. Record the “cleanest” thing possible, not the final thing

Instead of chasing the perfect in‑one‑go tutorial:

  • Capture a clean raw screen + clean raw audio, then
  • Do cuts, zooms, and text in an editor after.

Why it matters:

Pros

  • Way less pressure while recording
  • You can trim loading times, mistakes, and dead air
  • Smaller chance you overload your PC with overlays and effects in real time

Cons

  • Requires a bit of basic editing afterward
  • Slightly more storage needed for raw files

For Windows 10, this mindset works with any recorder you pick, whether it is Xbox Game Bar, OBS, ShareX, or even that PowerPoint trick mentioned before.

2. Swap “laggy” motion for “readable” motion

If your output looks choppy, people often just say “drop FPS.” I half disagree. Instead, try:

  • Keep FPS at 30, but:
    • Lower recording resolution (like 1600×900 instead of full 1080p if your monitor is 1080p)
    • Use simple cursor motion and slower window drags during the tutorial

Reason: Viewers care more about being able to see text and cursor clearly than about buttery 60 FPS. Lower resolution affects GPU and disk usage more predictably than randomly killing apps mid‑session.

3. Let your mic win the volume war

Against what a lot of people do, I prefer:

  • Mic louder than system:
    • System sounds at about 20–30 percent of mic level
    • Turn off any “ding” sounds from notifications entirely

Why:

Pros

  • Speech is always intelligible, even on bad phone speakers
  • You can keep background music super subtle without EQ tricks

Cons

  • If you are doing game tutorials, explosions might feel weak
  • You might need to manually bump system audio in editing if it ends up too low

This slightly pushes against relying on Windows volume mixer alone. Calibrate once, then barely touch it.

4. Use “How To Screen Record On Windows 10” as your own checklist

Treat “How To Screen Record On Windows 10” like a mini workflow rather than “which app do I click”:

  1. Decide target:

    • 1080p or 720p
    • 30 fps
    • Length of video (short = okay to use heavier settings)

  2. Choose encoder (if your software allows it):

    • Try hardware: NVENC (NVIDIA), VCE/AVC (AMD), or QuickSync (Intel)
    • Only fall back to software (x264) if hardware looks bad or buggy

  3. Test 15 seconds, always, then adjust 1 thing at a time.
    This part I fully agree with from @cacadordeestrelas, but I would actually test with a couple of browser tabs and the app you will demo, because “too clean” a test can mislead you.

5. Pros & cons of the “How To Screen Record On Windows 10” checklist approach

Pros

  • Works with any recorder (Game Bar, OBS, ShareX, PowerPoint)
  • Focuses on outcome: clear voice, readable text, no distracting lag
  • Easy to repeat for every new tutorial you make

Cons

  • Does not magically fix super ancient hardware
  • You still need to learn a tiny bit of post‑editing if you want polished results
  • Not a one‑click “record & forget” solution

6. When to ignore Xbox Game Bar entirely

Even though it is built in, I usually skip it if:

  • You want separate audio tracks (voice vs system) without wrestling settings
  • You care about consistent bitrate and encoder behavior
  • You plan to record more than 30–40 minutes at a time

In that case, anything focused like OBS or ShareX gives you more predictable outcomes than Game Bar, especially once your tutorials become a series rather than a one‑off.

If you post your CPU / GPU / RAM and whether you have SSD or HDD, people can suggest an exact combo of resolution + fps + encoder so you stop guessing and just hit record.