Snipping Tool screen recording: how to record your screen on Windows 11
Snipping Tool isn’t only for screenshots. On Windows 11 it records any part of your screen as a video, with your voice and your PC’s sound, and you don’t need to install anything. This guide shows each step, where the video ends up, what to do when the Record button is missing, and what to use instead on Windows 10.
Quick answer
Press Windows + Shift + R, drag over the area you want to record, turn on the microphone or system audio if you need sound, and select Start. Select Stop when you’re done. The video is saved as an MP4 in Videos > Screen Recordings. Screen recording in Snipping Tool needs Windows 11; on Windows 10, use Xbox Game Bar (Windows + Alt + R) instead.
Does Snipping Tool record on Windows 10?
No. Video recording in Snipping Tool is a Windows 11 feature. Microsoft’s Snipping Tool guide describes video snips only for Windows 11; on Windows 10, Snipping Tool takes screenshots only. Not sure which version you have? Press Windows + R, type winver and press Enter.
On Windows 10 you have three options:
- Xbox Game Bar, built in: press Windows + Alt + R to record the app you’re using. It records one app window at a time and can’t record the desktop or File Explorer. See our Xbox Game Bar recording guide.
- Clipchamp, free from Microsoft: records your screen, camera and voice inside its video editor. It needs a Microsoft account.
- Screen Crisp, our app: records the full screen, a window or a region with your microphone, PC sound and webcam, on Windows 10 (version 1903 or later) and Windows 11.
How to record your screen with Snipping Tool
- Open the recorder. Press Windows + Shift + R. Or open Snipping Tool from the Start menu, select the Record button (the video camera), then select New.
- Select the area. The screen dims. Drag a rectangle over the part you want to record. To record the whole screen, drag from one corner of the screen to the opposite corner.
- Choose your sound. In the toolbar at the top, turn the microphone and system audio buttons on or off (more on this below).
- Select Start. Everything inside the rectangle is recorded until you stop.
- Select Stop in the toolbar when you’re done. The recording opens in Snipping Tool’s preview window.
Microsoft’s own summary of these steps is in its Snipping Tool support article.
Record with sound: microphone and system audio
Snipping Tool can record two kinds of sound, and each has its own button in the recording toolbar:
- Microphone: your voice, for narration.
- System audio: sound playing on your PC, such as a video or app sounds.
Turn on the ones you want before you select Start. Microsoft added this in 2023 (Snipping Tool version 11.2307), together with settings for which audio is on by default and which microphone to use when you have more than one (Windows Insider announcement). If you don’t see the audio buttons, update Snipping Tool from the Microsoft Store.
Record a five-second test first and play it back. It is much quicker than finding out after a ten-minute take that the microphone was off.
Save, edit or turn it into a GIF
When you stop, the preview window gives you these choices:
- Save the recording as an MP4. With automatic saving on (the default), it is already in your Screen Recordings folder.
- Edit in Clipchamp to cut it, add captions or music in Microsoft’s video editor.
- Export GIF, in current versions: choose low or high quality, then save it or copy it. Recordings longer than 30 seconds can only be exported as a GIF of the first 30 seconds (Microsoft’s announcement).
Where Snipping Tool saves recordings
Recordings are saved automatically as MP4 files in:
C:\Users\<your name>\Videos\Screen Recordings
To change this, open Snipping Tool, select See more (the three dots) > Settings. There you can turn automatic saving of screen recordings off, so you choose each time, and in recent versions pick a different folder.
Snipping Tool shortcuts
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Windows + Shift + R | Open Snipping Tool in recording mode and select an area to record |
| Windows + Shift + S | Take a screenshot (image snip) instead of a video |
| Print Screen | Open Snipping Tool for a screenshot, on PCs where this is turned on |
| Windows + Alt + R | Xbox Game Bar: start or stop recording the active app (works on Windows 10 too) |
What Snipping Tool can’t do
Snipping Tool is made for quick clips, and it does that well. It starts to fall short when the video has to teach something:
- No webcam. Microsoft doesn’t list webcam recording, so you can’t show yourself in the corner of the video.
- No zoom or cursor effects. Small buttons and text stay small, which is hard to follow on a phone or in a help article.
- Little editing. Anything beyond saving means opening Clipchamp and editing by hand.
- A rectangle, chosen each time. You drag the area for every recording; there is no “follow this window” mode.
- GIFs stop at 30 seconds.
- Windows 11 only.
If those don’t matter for your video, Snipping Tool is all you need.
Troubleshooting
There is no Record button
- Check you are on Windows 11 (Windows + R,
winver). Windows 10 doesn’t have it. - Update Snipping Tool: open the Microsoft Store, select Library > Get updates.
- Repair it: Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Snipping Tool > Advanced options > Repair.
- Still missing? Uninstall Snipping Tool, then install it again from the Microsoft Store.
Windows + Shift + R does nothing
Another app may use the same keys. Open Snipping Tool from the Start menu and use the Record button instead. If that works, look for the app that took over the shortcut, such as another screenshot or recording tool.
The recording has no sound
- The microphone and system audio buttons must be on before you select Start.
- Check that Windows lets apps use your microphone: Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone.
- If you have more than one microphone, choose the right one in Snipping Tool’s settings, then record a short test.
Still silent? Our no-sound troubleshooting guide works out whether the microphone or the PC sound is missing and fixes each.
I can’t find the video
Look in Videos\Screen Recordings. If it isn’t there, automatic saving may be off in Snipping Tool’s settings, so the recording was only kept if you selected Save in the preview.
Recording a tutorial? Let the zooms place themselves
Screen Crisp is our Windows recorder for tutorials and product demos. It records the full screen, a window or a region with your microphone, PC sound and webcam, then opens an editor with a zoom already placed on each click (1.05× to 3×). You can restyle the cursor afterwards and export MP4 up to 4K at 60 fps. It works on Windows 10 and 11.
Recording and editing are free; exporting needs a license ($12.99/month, $46.99/year or $78.99 once). It has no automatic captions, so for captions use Clipchamp.
Get Screen Crisp for WindowsQuestions
Can Snipping Tool record video?
Yes, on Windows 11. Press Windows + Shift + R, drag over the area you want, and select Start. When you select Stop, the recording opens in a preview where you can save it.
Does Snipping Tool record audio?
Yes. Current versions can record your microphone and your PC’s sound. Turn on the microphone and system audio buttons in the recording toolbar before you select Start.
Where do Snipping Tool recordings go?
By default they are saved automatically as MP4 files in Videos\Screen Recordings in your user folder. You can turn automatic saving off or choose another folder in Snipping Tool’s settings.
Why is there no Record button in Snipping Tool?
Either you are on Windows 10, where Snipping Tool doesn’t record video, or your Snipping Tool app is out of date. On Windows 11, update it from the Microsoft Store (Library > Get updates), then repair it in Settings if the button is still missing.
Is there a time limit on Snipping Tool recordings?
Microsoft doesn’t list a time limit for MP4 recordings. GIF export is limited: recordings longer than 30 seconds can only be exported as a GIF of the first 30 seconds.
How do I screen record on Windows 10?
Use Xbox Game Bar: press Windows + Alt + R in the app you want to record. It records one app window at a time and can’t record the desktop. For the full screen or a region, use a recorder such as Screen Crisp, which runs on Windows 10 version 1903 or later.