Quick Answer:
You can record what happened on your PC with the built-in game recorder on Windows 10 and later: Xbox Game Bar. It support record the last 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes on your computer as long as you have enabled the background recording feature.
If you are a gaming enthusiast, there are likely moments when you wish to record past gameplay on your PC to capture your peak performance or entertaining moments. Fortunately, recording what just happened on your computer is not a challenging task, provided you have the recording settings properly configured. If this is what you desire to accomplish, refer to this guide to learn how to record what happened on your PC.
Table of contents
How to Record What Happened on PC in Windows 10 or Later
Make sure your computer is running Windows 10 or later and then follow the guide below to record previous plays on your computer:
The Tool You Need: Xbox Game Bar
Xbox Game Bar is the built-in screen recorder on Windows 10 and later that allows you to record recent moments on your PC. Whether you want to record the last 5 minutes on PC or clip the last 10 minutes on your computer, it will do you a favor.
Besides, you can record what’s happening on your computer with Xbox Game Bar to capture on-screen activities without difficulty. Whenever you need to record gameplay on a PC, you can consider using this preinstalled screen recorder.
Preparations to Make Before the Game Recording
To record what happened on your PC, you need to enable background recording on your computer and then set the replay time you need. Afterward, you can easily save a previous play via a shortcut.
To set up background recording on Windows:
Step 1. Click the Start menu and choose Settings.
Step 2. Select Gaming and choose Captures.
Step 3. Toggle on Background recording and select the time you need, including 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes.
Step 4. Go to the Recorded video section to choose the video frame rate and video quality you need.
Record What Happened on PC in Game
After setting up the game recording, you can now follow the easy steps below to record what just happened on your computer:
Step 1. Make sure your game window is currently active.
Step 2. Press Windows-Alt-G to save the past gameplay to your computer.
Step 3. Go to Xbox Game Bar (Windows-R) > Widget Menu > Gallery to check the gameplay.
Wrapping Up
Although it’s convenient to record game clips on a PC with Xbox Game Bar, it doesn’t support webcam recording. That means when you want to record yourself playing a game, it won’t help.
In addition to Xbox Game Bar, there are other tools available for you to record what just happened on PC, including NVIDIA ShadowPlay and OBS Studio. If you are interested in these tools, check the guide on how to record the last 30 seconds on PC for the details.