The Best Free Screen Recorders in 2026: 13 Options for Windows, Mac and Phones

Every major operating system now has a free screen recorder built in, and for a quick clip of a bug or a how-to, that is usually all you need. The reasons to install something else are specific: recording the computer’s own sound on a Mac, adding a webcam bubble, recording for longer than a few minutes, or making a GIF. Each of those rules some tools in and others out.

The other thing worth knowing before you start is what kind of file you will get. Macs save MOV, browser extensions often save WebM, and OBS has long defaulted to MKV, and any of those can be the wrong format for where the video is going. This guide covers thirteen free recorders, what each allows, and what it saves. We checked each vendor’s own pages on 14 October 2026.

At a glance

Already on your device

1. Snipping Tool (Windows 11)

Press Windows+Shift+R, drag a rectangle, and record. Microsoft added options for recording PC audio and your microphone in 2023, and you can send the recording to Clipchamp to edit. A GIF export, capped at 30 seconds, began rolling out to Windows Insiders in June 2025. For a quick bug report or a short how-to, it is the fastest option on Windows.

2. Xbox Game Bar (Windows 10 and 11)

Press Windows+G, or Windows+Alt+R to start recording straight away. Game Bar saves MP4 files to Videos, Captures, named after the app and the time. Set it to capture all system sounds and toggle the microphone with Windows+Alt+M. It records the app you are using rather than the whole desktop, which suits games and single programs.

3. Mac: the Screenshot toolbar and QuickTime

Press Shift-Command-5 and choose to record the whole screen, a window or a selected area, with options for a timer, showing clicks and where to save. QuickTime’s File, New Screen Recording opens the same tool on recent macOS. Recordings are saved as .mov files. You can include your microphone, but Apple documents no option for recording the Mac’s own sound.

4. iPhone and iPad

Add Screen Recording to Control Center, then tap it to record; press and hold it to switch the microphone on. Recordings go to the Photos app. Some apps, typically video streaming services, block recording.

5. Android

Swipe down to Quick Settings and tap Screen record. Before it starts you can choose to record audio and to show touches on screen, and recent Pixel phones can record a single app. Labels and options vary between phone makers. Recordings appear in the Photos or Gallery app.

Free and full-featured

6. OBS Studio

OBS is the free, open-source tool that streamers and course creators use, on Windows, Mac and Linux, with no limits, no watermark and no account. It combines screens, windows, webcams, microphones and system audio as layers in a scene, which makes it far more flexible than anything above, at the cost of a real learning curve.

On formats: since version 32.0, new OBS profiles record to Hybrid MP4, which survives a crash without losing the recording. Older profiles may still be set to MKV, which OBS has long recommended for the same reason. If you have MKV files, OBS converts them itself: File, Remux Recordings, or turn on automatic remuxing to MP4 in the settings.

7. ShareX (Windows)

ShareX is a free, open-source capture tool for Windows that records video or GIFs directly, using FFmpeg, which it helps you install. It can then upload the result automatically to a long list of destinations, which is why developers like it for bug reports. It is a dense, settings-heavy program.

8. Clipchamp

Microsoft’s Clipchamp, in the browser and as a Windows app, records your screen, camera or both for up to 30 minutes per recording, then lets you edit before exporting. Free exports are MP4 at up to 1080p with no watermark, and clips of 15 seconds or less can be exported as GIFs.

For sharing a recording as a link

9. Loom

Loom, owned by Atlassian, is built for quick video messages at work: you record, and a link is ready to share. The free Starter plan allows 25 videos per person, five minutes each, at up to 720p, and you cannot download them; MP4 downloads are a paid feature. The desktop app captures full system audio; the Chrome extension only captures the current tab’s sound. Business plans start at $18 a user a month.

10. Screencastify

Screencastify is a Chrome and Edge extension popular with teachers, with Google Drive integration. The free plan allows ten videos of up to 30 minutes each. Its help centre says free users export WebM, with MP4, MP3 and GIF on paid plans, which start at $7 a month billed annually.

11. Vimeo Record

Vimeo’s Chrome extension records your screen and webcam for up to 30 minutes and uploads straight to your Vimeo account. It is included on every Vimeo plan, including Free, but recordings count toward your storage. Use it if you already host video on Vimeo.

12. Zight

Zight, formerly CloudApp, combines screen recordings, GIFs and annotated screenshots for support and product teams. The free plan allows five-minute recordings at 720p, 15-second GIFs and 1 GB of storage. Paid plans start at $9.95 a user a month billed annually.

Not recommended on the free plan

13. Bandicam

Bandicam is a capable Windows recorder for games, with webcam overlay and MP4 or AVI output, and there is now a Mac version. But the free version stops recordings at 10 minutes and stamps a www.BANDICAM.com watermark on them, and registering later does not remove the watermark from recordings you have already made. OBS does the same job free without either limit.

Worth paying for

If you make polished tutorials or product demos regularly, three paid tools are worth a look. Camtasia records screen, microphone, system audio and webcam on separate tracks with a full editor; its free download watermarks exports. On Mac, CleanShot X costs $35 once for screen recording with system audio, webcam and GIF export, and Screen Studio produces smooth, automatically zoomed demo videos from $9 a month billed yearly.

Which one to use

• A quick clip on Windows: Snipping Tool.
• A quick clip on Mac: Shift-Command-5.
• Long tutorials, gaming or webcam plus screen: OBS Studio.
• A GIF for a bug report: ShareX, or Snipping Tool for up to 30 seconds.
• A video message for a colleague: Loom, if five minutes is enough.
• Mac recording with the computer’s sound: OBS, or a paid tool.

When the recording is the wrong format

Screen recordings often land in a format the next step will not accept. If a website or a Windows program rejects a Mac recording, convert it with MOV to MP4. A WebM from a browser extension becomes an MP4 with WebM to MP4. For a short clip in a README, a support ticket or a chat, turn it into a GIF with MP4 to GIF. And if the recording is too large to send, our video compressor shrinks it. All of these run in your browser, so a recording of your screen, which may show private information, is never uploaded. They are slower than desktop software on long recordings.