Guide · 24 October 2026

How to record your screen on Windows 11 with audio

Windows 11 has two recorders built in, and each has a limit you’ll hit quickly. Here’s how to use them, what they leave out, and how to record your whole screen with your PC’s sound, your voice and your webcam for free.

Option 1: Snipping Tool

Snipping Tool comes with Windows 11 and can record part or all of your screen.

1. Open Snipping Tool from the Start menu.
2. Switch from the camera icon to the video camera icon (Record).
3. Click New, then drag over the part of the screen you want to record.
4. Click Start. Click Stop when you’re done, then save the video.

Limits: it doesn’t record your webcam, and GIF export is capped at 30 seconds. There’s no editor beyond a basic preview, so trimming or zooming means another app.

Option 2: Xbox Game Bar

1. Open the app you want to record.
2. Press Windows + Alt + R to start recording, and the same keys again to stop.
3. Find the clip in Videos › Captures.

Limits: Game Bar records one app window at a time. It can’t record the desktop or File Explorer, and it can’t switch windows partway through, so it’s a poor fit for tutorials that move between apps.

Option 3: Panwise (free, with audio, webcam and zooms)

Panwise is a free screen recorder for Windows 11 and Windows 10. It records a whole screen or a window, with your PC’s sound, your microphone and your webcam, each on its own track.

1. Download and open Panwise.
2. Click Choose what to record and pick a screen or a window.
3. Turn on System audio to record your PC’s sound, and Microphone for your voice. Turn on Webcam if you want your face in the corner.
4. Click Record, or press Ctrl + Shift + 2 from any app.
5. Click Stop. The recording opens in the editor, and the MP4 is already saved on your disk.
6. Export as MP4 or GIF. Free exports go up to 1080p with no watermark; Pro goes up to 4K. The export window shows the file size first, so you can keep it small for Discord or Telegram.

While you record, Panwise notes where you click. In the editor those clicks become suggested zooms, which you can keep, delete or turn off. If Panwise or your PC crashes, the recording comes back the next time you open it.

Which one should you use?

For a quick clip of part of the screen, Snipping Tool is enough. For a game, Game Bar. For a tutorial, a demo or anything you’ll share, use a recorder that captures the whole desktop with sound and lets you fix things afterwards.

Questions

Can Windows 11 record the screen with sound?

Yes. Xbox Game Bar records the sound of the app you’re recording, and recent versions of Snipping Tool can record your microphone and system sound. Panwise records system audio and your microphone on separate tracks, so you can adjust each one afterwards.

What’s the shortcut to record the screen on Windows 11?

Windows + Alt + R starts and stops Xbox Game Bar recording. In Panwise, Ctrl + Shift + 2 starts a recording from any app.

Is there a free screen recorder for Windows 11 without a time limit?

Yes. Panwise’s free version has no time limit and no watermark, and exports up to 1080p.

More guides

• How to record your screen on a Mac with system audio
• Best free screen recorder for Windows
• A Screen Studio alternative for Windows
• A Loom alternative that keeps the file