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A free, open-source screen recorder for Windows

OpenScreen is a free, MIT-licensed screen recorder for Windows 10 and 11 that also edits the take into a finished video. On Windows it records through Windows Graphics Capture, takes system audio with no extra driver, writes a file that stays playable if the recorder crashes, and exports MP4 or GIF with no watermark and no account. OBS Studio is still the better choice if you stream.

This page is published by the OpenScreen project. The details about other tools come from their own sites and documentation and were checked in September 2026. The sources are listed at the end.

At a glance​

PriceFree, including commercial use. No account
Windows versionsWindows 10 (1903 or later) and 11. Native capture needs build 19041 (version 2004) or later
Architecturex64 only. No ARM64 package
InstallMicrosoft Store, signed by Microsoft. Or an unsigned .exe installer
Screen captureWindows Graphics Capture. A display or one window, targeting 60 fps, up to 3840×2160
Recording fileFragmented MP4 in one-second fragments, H.264 through Media Foundation
System audioWASAPI loopback. No third-party driver
WebcamMedia Foundation, with a DirectShow fallback. Saved as its own file
Recording controlsKept out of the capture, from build 19041
ExportMP4 (H.264 or H.265) or GIF. No watermark
Export encodersAMD AMF, NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync, Media Foundation, then software
CaptionsWhisper on your machine, on Vulkan or the CPU. Burned into the video
UpdatesBuilt into the .exe build. The Store updates its own build

What OpenScreen does on Windows​

Screen Studio, the app that defined this kind of recorder, runs only on macOS, and its FAQ says there are no near-future plans for Windows (as of September 2026). OpenScreen runs on Windows and records through the system's own capture, audio and encoding APIs there. If Screen Studio is what brought you here, the Screen Studio alternative page compares the two.

Recording​

  • Native capture. A helper built on Windows Graphics Capture records a display or one window, from Windows 10 build 19041. It targets 60 fps, up to 3840×2160. Crop the frame in the editor afterward. See Recording.
  • Hardware H.264 where available. The helper encodes through Media Foundation. Since version 1.11, it uses a hardware encoder when one is installed and working.
  • A take that survives a crash. The recording is written as fragmented MP4, one second per fragment. If the capture process dies, the file still plays up to the last complete fragment. If that process fails to stop cleanly and exits, OpenScreen keeps the playable file and opens it like any other take.
  • System audio without a driver. WASAPI loopback captures what the PC plays, with no virtual audio device to install. It is mixed with the microphone on one track.
  • Webcam through Media Foundation. Cameras that Media Foundation cannot see, such as NVIDIA Broadcast, are picked up through a DirectShow fallback. The webcam is saved as its own file and composited in the editor.
  • Controls that stay out of the video. On Windows 10 build 19041 and later, the floating recording controls and the notes window are excluded from the capture, so they can stay on screen while you record. The notes window has a teleprompter mode.
  • A cursor you can change later. In the default mode, the real cursor shape and clicks are recorded as data rather than pixels. You can resize, smooth and restyle the cursor after the take, and automatic zooms are placed from its movement.

Editing and export​

  • The same editor as on macOS and Linux. A multi-clip timeline, trims, speed changes, annotations, backgrounds, webcam layouts, and Auto-enhance → Automatic zooms, placed from the recorded cursor. See auto-zoom and Editing & timeline.
  • Rendering on Direct3D 11. The live preview and the MP4 export share one native compositor, which runs on Direct3D 11 on Windows.
  • Hardware export encoders. MP4 export tries AMD AMF, NVIDIA NVENC, Intel Quick Sync and Media Foundation, in that order, then a software encoder. You choose H.264 or H.265, 720p, 1080p or Source quality, and 24, 30 or 60 fps. GIF export is also available, and neither format has a watermark. See Export. For export speed, read the export benchmark post and its caveats.
  • An export without a usable GPU. On a PC with no compatible GPU, OpenScreen renders on the CPU through WARP, with software decoding. The export dialog says so before you start, and the export takes longer.
  • Captions on your machine. whisper.cpp runs on Vulkan, with a CPU fallback. It uses one Whisper Small model of about 264 MB, downloaded once, and the captions are burned into the video. See captions.
  • A command-line interface. The CLI records, exports, captions and packs projects, with JSON output. With the installer, it runs from Openscreen.exe in the folder chosen during setup.

Installing and updating​

  • Microsoft Store, the recommended route. Microsoft signs the package during certification, so it installs without a warning, and the Store keeps it up to date. From a terminal: winget install --source msstore OpenScreen.
  • A standalone .exe installer. Use it where the Store is not an option. It is about 231 MB and is not code-signed, so SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC". Choose More info, then Run anyway.
  • Updates for the .exe build. The app checks for a new version every 24 hours and, by default, only tells you. You can set it to download updates, or to download and install them. Installing always goes through a restart prompt, and no update is offered during a recording.
  • What goes online. OpenScreen has no account, no server of its own and no analytics. It still goes online for a few things: fonts at launch, the one-time Whisper model download, update checks, and the AI provider if you connect one.

When OpenScreen is not the right tool​

  • Your PC runs Windows on ARM. OpenScreen publishes an x64 build only. OBS Studio publishes a Windows ARM64 zip (as of September 2026).
  • Your Windows 10 is older than version 2004. OpenScreen supports Windows 10 from version 1903, but its native recorder needs build 19041. Older builds record only through a browser-capture fallback, without the native capture described above.
  • You stream. OpenScreen records and edits, and does not stream. OBS Studio, also free and open source, records and streams live.
  • You share recordings by link. OpenScreen gives you a file to upload wherever you share. Cap can publish a capture to a web page that viewers watch in the browser, and Loom shares a recording through a copied link with access settings. See OpenScreen vs Cap and the Loom alternative.

Getting started​

  1. Install OpenScreen from the Microsoft Store, or get the .exe from the download page.
  2. Follow the Windows steps in Installation, and check the system requirements on the same page.
  3. Make a first recording with the quick start, then run Auto-enhance → Automatic zooms on it.

On another system? See OpenScreen for macOS and Linux. Comparing tools? See the Screen Studio alternative, OpenScreen vs OBS Studio and the Camtasia alternative. The FAQ answers questions people ask before installing, or go back to the OpenScreen home page.

Sources​

Other tools, checked September 2026:

OpenScreen facts describe version 1.11.0 and link to its documentation above.

Screen Studio, OBS Studio, Cap, Loom, Windows and the other product names on this page are trademarks of their respective owners. OpenScreen is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.

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