If you don't plan to stream, choose 'Optimize just for recording. When you launch OBS for the first time, if you haven't already, you will be asked whether you want to optimize it for streaming or recording only.
However, if you are looking for the latest unstable version, need an older version. However, you can also use OBS to record the entire screen in Windows 10 or Windows 11 and save it as an MP4 file, without ever streaming what you do.ġ. to cover our own costs In most cases, the latest stable version will be the best choice for you: it has been thoroughly tested by the community and is already used by myriads of people around the world. OBS Studio is very popular in the game streaming community because it's free and great at broadcasting games out to Twitch and other sites. To capture your entire desktop and all the windows on it with a full suite of options, you need a third-party app and, while there are many, we like OBS Studio for this purpose. Snipping Tool can capture more but it doesn't support audio and it is rather feature-limited. The biggest drawback to using the Xbox Gamebar to screen record Windows is that it can only work with one app at a time and will not show the desktop or File Explorer.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware) Recording the Whole Screen with OBS Studio
