Free screen recorders for Windows: which ones to use

What are the best free programs to use to record PC screen in Windows. All practical tips to use them.

When you need to work on a presentation or show other users how to perform a series of steps, it comes in handy record the PC screen and generate a video file that can be played with any media player.

If you have the need to record the PC screen and therefore saving a series of operations carried out with the computer in the form of a video, it is useful to know that in Windows 10 and in Windows 11 it is not essential to install a third-party program. However, many alternatives to the integrated function at the operating system level are available free programs to record the screen of the pc which pose no restrictions.

The best Windows screen recording programs often offer the possibility to record theaudio. In this way it is possible to save in a single video file also its returned by the system and possibly also annotate a voice commentary with the microphone.

Below we present some of the best screen recording software obviously starting from what Windows 10 and Windows 11 offer as standard.

Record screen with gamebar in Windows 10 and Windows 11

The Microsoft operating system integrates a practical tool to start screen recordings. It is integrated into the Windows 10 and Windows 11 gamebar, which can be activated by pressing the Windows + G key combination.

This key combination can be customized by typing Game Bar Controller Settings in the Windows search box.

Alternatively, you can press Windows + G to bring up the gamebar, click on the icon depicting a gear icon and finally click on Connections.

Windows saves the PC screen recording in the form of file MP4 in the %userprofile%VideosCaptures folder.

To go directly to the video file created on the system, you can press Windows + G then click on Show all clips and finally on Open file path in the Collection window.

OBS Studio

The Sources box at the bottom allows you to select the source of the video stream: to record the screen, just select Display.

The Start/Stop Recording buttons at the bottom right allow you to start screen recording and save it, by default in Windows, as an FLV file in the %userprofile%Videos folder (quickly accessed by clicking on File, View recordings).

By clicking on Settings then on Shortcuts, you can define shortcut keys to start or stop recording.

With a click on File, Convert Recordings, you can use OBS Studio to convert FLV files to MP4 format.

ShareX: an all-rounder with infinite possibilities

It is a complete, very flexible and versatile program that allows you to select the area of ​​the screen to record and act on different preferences.

With ShareX you can also manage "high-DPI" screens and improve the performance of the recording by preventing what is recorded from appearing too small on subsequent viewing.

Use VLC for screen recording

To make one quick screen recording you can also use the well-known media player VLC.

The program, released under the GNU GPLv2 and GNU LGPL license, allows not only video capture from various inputs (such as the video camera) but also to record the PC screen.

To activate this feature, simply click Media, Open Capture Device, select the Capture Device tab, then choose Desktop from the Capture Mode drop-down menu.

For Desired frame rate for the capture, you can enter for example 60 fps so that the screen recording is absolutely smooth.

By clicking on the arrow to the right of the Play button, you must then choose Convert and finally select for example Video + H.264 + MP3 (MP4) from the Profile menu.

By clicking Browse to the right of Destination File, you can specify the MP4 file that will be created on disk.

PowerPoint includes a module for recording your PC screen

Power point it's not free software and it's an integral part of the Microsoft Office suite so, on paper, it shouldn't be mentioned in our "roundup".

Let's put it this way: if you have already purchased Office and have a valid license, PowerPoint will eventually become a free solution over time, especially if you have opted for the "stand alone" version of the office suite and not a plan by subscription Microsoft 365.

However, the function to record video of the PC screen is available in both the PowerPoint version included in the package Office both in Microsoft 365.

Operation is very simple: for Record PC screen with PowerPoint just launch the program then click on the Insert menu and then on the Screen Recording button.

"Below" the PowerPoint window, we suggest that you first prepare what must be recorded, then click the Screen recording button which will bring up a screen similar to the one shown in the figure.

The various icons are self-explanatory: you can get to the recording right away, stop it, record audio as well, and show or hide the mouse pointer.

Once you click Record, you can stop recording your screen by pressing the key combination Windows+Shift+Q.

The captured video is inserted as an integral part of the power Point presentation and you can refer to the bar below to view it.

With a click on Start it is instead possible to define how much the recorded video needs to be played back: for example following a click on another element of the presentation, automatically or after clicking on it.

The Save multimedia item as item in the context menu (right button) allows you to save the PC recording video in MP4 format in the folder of your choice. It is therefore not necessary that the recording of the PC screen is in any way linked with the PowerPoint presentation.

Ezvid also integrates a video editor

Ezvid is not a very recent software but still today it is useful for recording the screen and combining the video stream coming from the video camera connected to the PC.

The application, completely free, allows you to draw on the screen, apply enlargements, add superimposed texts and icons and much more.

To start screen recording, simply - once Ezvid is installed - click on the Capture screen icon.

What is recorded can then be easily reworked and combined with other audio/video streams (as well as with static images in order to create a slideshow) without abandoning Ezvid, thanks to the integrated editor.

Electa Live Screen Recorder

A very simple program that allows you to record the entire screen or by selecting a specific area.

Downloadable at this address, Electa Live Screen Recorder shows a small window in the lower right corner of the screen.

By clicking on New, it is possible to establish whether you want to record the whole screen or select a specific area. It is also possible to decide whether to add the video stream coming from the webcam and whether to combine system sounds and audio coming from the microphone.

Screencastify, a versatile Chrome extension

Google Chrome users will find in the Screencastify extension a valid support for recording not only what appears in the browser tabs or window but also in other running applications.

By default, screen recording is activated by pressing ALT+SHIFT+S but you can change it by right-clicking the extension icon, to the right of the taskbar, and then choosing Options.

Screencastify allows you to save screen recordings directly to Google Drive. Regardless, however, even if you want to save videos locally, the extension will still ask you to authenticate with a Google user account.

Only after completing the initial steps, you will be able to start the first screen recording.

The beauty of Screencastify is that it can combine the screen recording with the video stream coming from any video camera connected to the PC. Furthermore, using the integrated functionality in Chrome which takes care of casting the contents of the browser or other windows to devices connected to the network, it is possible to choose whether you want to record the entire screen or individual windows (even outside the browser ).

By clicking on Stop sharing, screen recording will be immediately stopped and you can, for example, export the video in .webm format (click on Download). To export the video as an MP4 file, you will need to activate the connection with Google Drive.

In the free version, Screencastify does not add any stamps or watermarks on the exported video files. Please note that videos longer than 5 minutes cannot be created.

To revoke Screencastify's access to your Google account, you will need to access this page.

Screen Recorder: Another Chrome extension for screen recording

Similar to the previous one, Screen Recorder is an extension for the Google browser that allows you to record the operations performed on individual browser tabs, on a specific window (even of programs other than the browser) or on the entire screen.

By clicking on the appropriate buttons, you can possibly ask Screen Recorder to record the system audio or that of the microphone.

The screen recording will be stored as a saved WEBM file: it can be opened again with Google Chrome or a media player such as VLC.