How to Record Your Screen in PowerPoint (Free Screen Recorder)
Need a quick "here's how you do it" video of something on your computer? You've already got a screen recorder — it's hiding on PowerPoint's Insert tab. It records any part of the screen, with your voice and the mouse pointer, and saves an MP4 you can use anywhere.
Quick reference
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Start | Insert → Screen Recording |
| Choose the area | Drag across the part of the screen to record |
| Record / pause / stop | Windows key + Shift + R / Windows key + Shift + R / Windows key + Shift + Q |
| Include your voice | Audio button on (before recording) |
| Save the video file | Right-click the recording on the slide → Save Media as |
1. Set up
1. Open the thing you want to record (a website, an app, a folder) and arrange it on screen.
2. Open PowerPoint on a slide where the recording can land.
3. Go to Insert → Screen Recording. PowerPoint minimises and a small control bar appears at the top of the screen.
2. Open PowerPoint on a slide where the recording can land.
3. Go to Insert → Screen Recording. PowerPoint minimises and a small control bar appears at the top of the screen.
2. Choose the area
Click Select Area and drag a rectangle over the part of the screen to capture. To record everything, press Windows key + Shift + F. Keep the area as small as the job allows — it makes the video clearer and the file smaller.
3. Audio and pointer
On the control bar, Audio (microphone) and Record Pointer are on by default. Turn off Audio if you'll add a voice-over later; turn off Record Pointer if the cursor is distracting.
4. Record
1. Click Record (or press Windows key + Shift + R). A three-second countdown runs.
2. Do the thing. Talk as you go.
3. Windows key + Shift + R again pauses; the same keys resume.
4. Windows key + Shift + Q (or click Stop) finishes.
2. Do the thing. Talk as you go.
3. Windows key + Shift + R again pauses; the same keys resume.
4. Windows key + Shift + Q (or click Stop) finishes.
The control bar hides itself while recording. Move the mouse to the top edge of the screen to bring it back.
5. Trim and tidy
The recording drops onto your slide as a video. Select it and use Playback → Trim Video to cut the fumbling at the start and end. Playback → Start → Automatically if it should play as soon as the slide appears.
6. Save it as a video file
Right-click the recording → Save Media as → choose a name → Save. You get an MP4 to email, upload to YouTube, drop into Teams, or put in a Word document. You can delete the slide afterwards if PowerPoint was only the tool.
Troubleshooting
No sound was recorded. Audio was off on the control bar, or the wrong microphone is the Windows default. Check Settings → System → Sound → Input.
The recording is blurry. The area was small and the video has been stretched on the slide. Record a bigger area, or show the video smaller.
Screen Recording is greyed out. Save the presentation first, or you're in PowerPoint for the web, which doesn't have it.
It recorded the wrong screen. With two monitors, drag the PowerPoint window to the screen you want to capture before clicking Screen Recording.
Wrapping up
Insert → Screen Recording, drag the area, Windows key + Shift + R to start and Windows key + Shift + Q to stop. Trim it, then Save Media as for an MP4. A free screen recorder that was there all along.
