A free screen recorder software can be a great ‘investment’ if you’re looking to make it big on the internet. with YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo, etc. recording what’s happening on your screen is the basis of a new and exciting career.
You can record tutorials, video games, or just basically anything. Maybe you need to record something for your existing business. Or maybe for some freelance work? The limit is endless, your creativity and imagination are your limiting factors. A free screen recorder can be the first step of your success and that’s not an exaggeration in the slightest.
7 Best Free Screen Recorder Software For Windows
1. DVDVideoSoft’s Free Screen Video Recorder
Free Screen Video Recorder
How do I record my screen on Windows 10 for free? If you have Windows 10, I recommend DVD Videoide’s Free Screen Video Recorder as one of the best. It’s a full-features but lightweight screen recorder that you can get for free. It’s developed by a famous developer known for its free conversion software. Once you know that a company is known for creating free software, you’ll know that there is no catch or ulterior motives behind it.
The software itself is capable of recording Skype interviews and online conference calls without any kind of limitations. Very useful for people who talk through Skype often which involves important businesses.
You choose to capture a specific window open on your computer. You can simply single out different applications for Windows and capture it as a discrete program. You can use the included basic and user-friendly image editor which is surprisingly good.
The coolest thing about this software is available to resize features, crop, and rotate the output images. You can easily select the recording screen on your computer.
The screenshot feature is very convenient, you can take a screenshot and immediately edit it before actually saving it on your drive. You can choose between two different modes between the recording screen and video. For more information, you can refer to the official instructions on their website.
The instructions are very easy to read and follow, even the most casual users will learn a lot from it. There are 10 languages available and it supports formats such as: BMP, TGA, JPEG, PNG, and GIF.
But it has some limitations, for example: for recording sound, it only supports sound from a microphone; a lot of ads that can be really annoying, we understand that many people can’t stand ads; the interface is a bit lacking; may install unwanted or 3rd party software during download, so please beware, uncheck any options that will make you install any 3rd party software.
2. ShareX Screen Recorder
sharex screen recorder
ShareX is a very famous open-source software and free screen recorder. It has been used by millions of people for years now. Despite being free, it can compete with many paid-software in terms of functions and features.
ShareX can be useful for all kinds of users; it’s easy enough for casuals and powerful enough for developers and power users. For casuals, all the features you see might be too overwhelming, but you can just ignore most of those and will be just fine.
You can record full screen, window, monitor, region, freehand, or scrolling. Pretty much anything you can think of. This way you can let your creativity flowing and the software will be able to accommodate you. For professional use, you can capture every bit of information on your screen and making it easy to follow.
You can assign hotkeys for certain tasks or navigation. With a little bit of practice, you can operate ShareX like a professional. No need to keep using your mouse to click the menu, simply press the hotkeys and done. If you’re planning to use ShareX for a long period of time or even for your work, you should try assigning some hotkeys.
Let’s say you just took a screenshot, with ShareX you can easily share that screenshot you just took on the internet. for example, you can set it so that your screenshot will be automatically uploaded to imgur.com, then it’ll also automatically copy the link to the uploaded screenshot. All can be done in seconds.
Besides screenshots, ShareX supports videos, music, or photos and also custom watermarks and color effects. ShareX is definitely on our recommended software list and the fact that it’s open-source makes it even better. The community behind it is striving to this day.
3. Ezvid Screen Recorder
Ezvid Free Screen Recorder
The developer behind Ezvid claims that their free screen recorder is the easiest screen recorder, and they may be not lying. Ezvid is great for people who want to record their screen and import the finished work in minutes.
Ezvid really excels at speed. It’s designed to save as much time as possible. You can produce and upload videos directly to YouTube in mere minutes. For younger readers out there, Ezvid is popular among gamers and movie fans who are interested in making video clips of their favorite moments as quickly as possible.
That being said, Ezvid won’t cut it for enthusiasts or power users. The software is designed for speed not for power. Ezvid will automatically produce high-quality resolution or 1280x 720p. it’s good enough for YouTube, but 720p isn’t really satisfying, especially with 1080p, 1440p, 2k, or even 4k are available for the masses.
The interface is really great. It’s very easy to navigate or even master the software. That’s why, casual users love this so much. They even provided a selection of popular music tracks to accompany your videos.
4. Windows 10 Free Screen Recorder
Windows 10 Free Screen Recorder
Windows 10 has a built-in screen recorder that you can use. Just like any Windows built-in features, the best thing about it is that you don’t have to install 3rd party software. It’s lightweight, requires very little space, and will do its job. It’s straightforward without other additional features that you might not need.
Many people don’t know this feature even though they’ve been using Windows 10 for quite some time. the screen recorded itself is not a standalone program, it’s part of another software called Game Bar.
You can access Game Bar from the Start menu or from the hotkey Windows key + G. the game will appear. The “Game Capturing” section shows you what can you do with it.
You can start recording immediately by pressing the record button or the circle icon or you can press the hotkey Windows key + Alt + R. Using the hotkey, it’s possible to record immediately without launching Xbox Game Bar at all.
You need to turn on the gaming features to record your gameplay, simply tick the box in the window that appears and recording will start immediately. When you’re recording, you can see a message informing you that screen recording is in session.
Your recordings are automatically saved as .MP4 in the Videos > Captures subfolder of your user folder or through the Game Bar menu. Not much customization you can do with it.
5. OBS Studio Screen Recorder
obs studio screen recorder
This is the most popular free screen recorder available. Millions of streamers use OBS for its versatility, ease of use, and the community behind it. You capture screencasts, record your gameplay, stream to Twitch, and much more.
You’d be surprised at how much people can do with this free software. But for beginners, the many features that it has can be scary. We won’t go into details about the features here, you can consult the community or its official documentation on their website.
The community has a lot of guides and tips on using OBS properly. With a lot of practice and adequate equipment, you can turn your computer into a professional studio where the magic happens. We think that OBS is really the best free screen recorder software that anyone can get.
6. Debut Video Capture
Debut Video Capture is a feature-rich and intuitive screen and webcam recorder that makes capturing high-quality videos easy for anyone. With versatile recording options, powerful editing tools, and a user-friendly interface, it is one of the best free screen recording software choices for beginners and professionals alike.
Some key features that make Debut Video Capture stand out include:
Flexible Video Formats
You can record video in a wide range of popular formats including AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG, MP4 and MOV. This gives you compatibility across many devices and platforms.
Multi-Source Capture
Debut allows recording your computer screen, webcam, external video devices, IP cameras or even VHS tapes. The webcam overlay feature lets you record your screen and webcam together, ideal for tutorials, demos and video calls.
Annotations and Markups
Emphasize important areas of your screen with cursor highlighting, or spotlight your mouse clicks and keystrokes during a recording. Draw directly on your video with a mouse or annotations toolbar.
Webcam Customization
Adjust your webcam’s color settings, effects, resolution and size for the perfect picture quality before recording. Debut makes it easy to produce professional looking webcam videos.
Video Customization
Control output settings like video size, frame rate and aspect ratio according to your end-use. Add captions, time stamp your videos, insert logos or watermarks with the available tools.
One-Click Upload
Share your videos instantly by exporting directly to YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook or Flickr with a single click. Alternatively, burn videos to DVD using the integrated Express Burn disc burner.
Scheduled Recordings
Set Debut to automatically begin recording at a specified date and time. Great for capturing important events even when you can’t be present.
Editing and Enhancement
Use Debut’s sister software VideoPad Editor to trim, adjust speed and enhance your videos after recording. Integrates seamlessly for a streamlined workflow.
Trusted by over 63 million users worldwide, Debut Video Capture provides all the tools you need for truly professional screen capture and video recording with a simple and intuitive workflow. It works great on Windows and Mac machines, offering unbeatable value to everyone from students to large enterprises.
7. FlashBack Express
FlashBack Express provides a capable free screen recorder for Windows without any watermarks. As part of Blueberry Software’s wider FlashBack lineup with over 2 million users, it offers a streamlined screen capture experience ideal for quick recordings.
During our hands-on testing, we found the software works as expected with an intuitive interface centered around a prominent record button. Useful recording options include simultaneous webcam capture, external audio input, and area selection for partial screen recording.
On the downside, FlashBack Express has limited post-processing capabilities. The only editing you can do is trimming the start and end points of your video. More advanced timeline editing or annotations are not possible. As we noted, “calling that editing is a pretty generous way of referring to trimming.”
The exporting functionality focuses on simplicity. You can upload directly to YouTube, Google Drive and other web services in one click. Or save the video file locally to your computer. The maximum resolution is 720p which may be insufficient if you need full HD 1080p videos.
Overall, FlashBack Express excels at no-frills screen recording. If you just want to quickly capture your screen or record short video clips, it has all the necessities covered with a user-friendly interface. But those wanting deeper editing, annotations and full HD capability will need to upgrade to FlashBack Pro or other paid screen recorders.
For game recording specifically, Blueberry also offers the FBX free screen recorder. It focuses on lag-free, glitch-free game footage capture with options to overlay custom graphics and effects on your gaming video. Definitely a good complement to check out as well.
How to choose the best free screen recorder for Windows?
Choosing the best free screen recorder for your needs can seem daunting given the many options available. However, keeping a few key factors in mind will help streamline your decision making process.
First and foremost, consider ease of use. The best free screen recording software should have an intuitive interface that is simple to navigate, regardless of your technical prowess. Complex programs with steep learning curves will only slow you down, so opt for something straightforward that won’t hamper your workflow.
Also evaluate recording resolution and output quality. While free options may be limited compared to paid software, you still want crisp, high-definition video capture. Review sample videos to verify satisfactory image sharpness and framing. Optimal programs will record in Full HD 1080p or 4K resolution.
Additionally, examine the actual recording capabilities. Not all free screen recorders are suited for all purposes. If you intend to capture streaming gameplay footage, the software needs to be optimized for that. Conversely, if you want to record video conferences or webinars, choose a program tailored to that application.
Post-processing functionality is another consideration. Some free screen capture programs include basic video editing tools for trimming footage or adding annotations. If you envision needing significant post-production work, seek out a solution with more advanced editing capabilities baked in.
Finally, be sure to check the output file formats. Even free video recording software should support common shareable formats like MP4, MOV, and GIF. The best free tools will also allow easy export to various platforms like YouTube, Facebook, etc.
Finding the ideal free screen capture program requires clearly defining your usage case and priorities upfront. Keep ease of use, recording quality and flexibility top of mind during your search to land on the perfect free option for your unique needs and workflow.
