15 Best Laptop Screen Recorders [2023]
Ever wanted to record the screen and audio of your laptop? You can with a screen recording app for a laptop – and we’ll help you find the best screen recorder software for your needs.
When selecting products to include in our reviews, we research both demand and popularity.
All products mentioned in this article have been tested by Movavi Content Team.
When testing, we aim to highlight the best features of a product and what it’s best suited for.
We study user reviews from popular review platforms and make use of this information when writing our product reviews.
We collect feedback from our users and analyze their opinions of Movavi software as well as products from other companies.
Best screen recorders for a laptop with audio
Best for: Anybody looking for a video recording app that’s packed with features, easy to use, and versatile.
OS:
Windows, Mac
4.5 out of 5 stars, 49 reviews
Movavi Screen Recorder is one of the best laptop screen recorders with audio. It’s packed with screen recording features and built-in editing options and allows you to capture your entire screen or just a part of it. It’s easy to take and save screenshots and record video with your webcam or sound from your microphone.
Key features:
Pros:
Easy to set up and simple to master
Grab system sound, mic, even speaker feeds
Works perfectly on any Windows or Mac computer
Tweak your footage and create videos on the fly
Cons:
The full version gives you limitless creativity
Best for: Those looking for a free screen recorder app for a laptop who don’t want to download and install software on their PC.
OS:
Windows 10 only (already built in)
3.5 out of 5 stars
Windows Game Bar is a laptop screen recorder free to use and built into Windows 10. It’s easy to activate it from your settings menu, and you can use keyboard shortcuts to start and stop recording your screen. It’s a very basic screen recorder, but it’s free and easy to use.
Key features:
Basic screen recording
Take screenshots
Sharing widgets
Pros:
Built into Windows – no need to download
Free to use
Easy to get started
Export without watermark
Cons:
No additional features, just screen recording and screenshots
Best for: Bandicam is great for organizations or individuals looking for a free screen recorder for a laptop that allows them to record short (under 10 minutes) videos.
OS:
Windows Vista, 7/8/10/11 (64-bit)
4.4 out of 5 stars, 48 reviews
Bandicam is a laptop video recorder for Windows devices. As well as recording your entire screen, you can record certain areas, add a webcam overlay, or draw on videos while they’re being recorded. Recordings can be saved as AVI or MP4 video files or still images.
Key features:
Screen, webcam, or game recording
Schedule recording
Chroma key for webcam overlay
Add mouse click effects and animation
Real-time drawing on videos or screenshots
Pros:
Add own logo to recording
Add mouse effects/animations while recording
Record games
Choice of the free or full version
Cons:
The free version has a 10-minute recording limit
Videos are watermarked with the free version
Best for: Screen Grabber Pro is great for anyone looking for laptop screen recording software that’s easy to use and allows quick sharing of videos to various sites.
OS:
Windows and Mac
4.2 of 5 stars, 192 reviews
AceThinker Screen Grabber Pro is a free laptop screen video recorder that’s simple to use. Available for Mac and Windows, you can record your entire screen or a specific area and record audio both from your computer itself and an external microphone.
Key features:
Multiple recording modes
Different audio input
Annotate in real time
Add webcam overlay
Schedule recording
Pros:
Easy to use
Upload video to YouTube, Google Drive, or Dropbox
Free version available
Available for Windows and Mac
Cons:
Adds a watermark in the free version
Best for: Individuals and small businesses looking for a screen recorder for laptop for free with additional features.
OS:
Windows and Mac
4 out of 5 stars, 24 reviews
Icecream Screen Recorder is a free way to record video and audio on a laptop screen on Mac or PC. Select certain areas to record, add your own watermark, or record via your laptop webcam. There’s a Pro version available, too, with additional features. If you use it on the best laptop for the money, you will achieve amazing great results.
Key features:
Pros:
Can take screenshots
Lets you record selected parts of the screen
Audio recording
Save screenshots and send via Skype or email
Cons:
Some features only available in the Windows version
Best for: Windows users looking for a free, compact solution for video recording that’s simple to use.
DVDVideoSoft Free Screen Video Recorder
OS:
Windows only
DVDVideoSoft Free Screen Video Recorder is a compact app for Windows that’s packed with features. Record your screen and speech from your laptop mic or an external microphone. The software also lets you save screen captures and resize, rotate, and crop images taken.
Key features:
Free download
Save captures to file, clipboard, or print them out
Set a program to run at Windows start-up
Record from full screen or a window
Capture screenshots
Pros:
Capture multiple windows
Save screen captures to edit, share, or print
Save your recordings in MP4 format
Cons:
No Mac version – only available for Windows
Best for: Beginner gamers streaming from their laptops
Action! – Screen and Game Recorder
OS:
Windows
4.8 out of 5, 12 reviews
If you want to record Let’s Plays or stream gameplay, you should check out Action!. This game recording software prides itself on low CPU usage, which is perfect, if you’re gaming from a laptop. The free trial version lets you test out all the features of the full one. So why not check it out!
Key features:
Capturing gameplay up to 120 FPS
Streaming to YouTube, Twitch, Ustream, etc.
Controlling the capture via your smartphone
Pros:
Great performance with low CPU usage
Comprehensive and modern interface
30-day free frail version
Cons:
Watermarks in the free trial
Best for: All-in-one screen recording
Aiseesoft Screen Recorder
OS:
Windows, macOS
4.5 out of 5
Aiseesoft Screen Recorder is an all-encompassing program that helps you save videos and images of your screen. The software is great for using on a laptop, because it saves space on your hard drive. You don’t need three programs: you can use one for recording screen activities, capturing gameplay, and taking snapshots. The free trial version has time limitations, but it is definitely worth your attention.
Key features:
Recording screen activities
Capturing gameplay
Taking informative screenshots
Pros:
Recording, saving, and sharing videos of your screen
Easy recording management and accessing videos from iPhone and Android devices
Taking snapshots with text, callouts, and shapes
Cons:
The trial version limits the recording time to 3 minutes
Best for: Shortcuts and auto splitting of long videos
Recordzilla
OS:
Windows
3.7 out of 5
Recordzilla is a screen recorder by Softdiv Software. Because of its small size and compatibility with a big variety of Windows OS versions (including Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11), the app is great for laptop users. Another useful feature for laptops is the webcam capture. If you’re interested, you can check out the free trial version.
Key features:
Recording websites and online videos
Annotating video recordings
Auto-splitting of long recordings
Pros:
Recording desktop and webcam
Capturing TV, DVD, and VCD
Saving gameplay
Cons:
Few output video formats
The interface may look dated
Open-source video recorders for laptop
Best for: Professional videographers or gamers looking to live stream and record video on laptop screens.
OS:
Windows, Mac, Linux
4.7 of 5 stars, 694 reviews
OBS (Open Broadcaster Studio) is one of the best screen recorders for laptops. It's free, open-source, and also supports live streaming. With its powerful API, it’s packed with features and allows you to capture your entire screen, browser windows, still images, webcam recordings, and more.
Key features:
Modular ‘Dock’ UI
Unlimited number of scenes
Intuitive audio mixer
Wide array of settings and configurations
Studio Mode to preview scenes
Pros:
Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Free
Modular ‘Dock’ UI that’s easy to set up to suit your needs
Cons:
There’s a steep learning curve as it’s designed for professionals
It can frequently crash on lower-spec machines
Best for: Anybody looking for a free laptop screen recorder that’s simple to use to create AVI videos.
OS:
Windows only
4.5 of 5 stars
CamStudio is a free, open-source laptop screen video recorder. You can record all or part of your screen as well as audio, but videos can only be saved in AVI format. There’s a handy built-in help file if you get stuck using the software.
Key features:
Add high-quality, anti-aliased screen captions
Video Annotation feature
Record all or part of the screen
Lossless Codec for crystal clear results
Reduce or increase video quality
Pros:
Free to use
Lets you add captions to recorded videos
Cons:
Can only save videos in AVI format
The installer may install unwanted programs on your computer
Windows only
Best for: Those already using VLC as their media player, or anybody looking for a quick and easy solution for screen recording.
OS:
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, iOS, Android
4.5 of 5 stars, 517 reviews
VLC is one of the most popular media players around, but it can also be used as a laptop screen video recorder. If you already use VLC as your media player, it’s easy to set it up to record your screen, but it doesn’t have any advanced features.
Key features:
Free download
Choose desired frame rate
Includes VLC Media Player
Save files in MP4 format
Easy setup
Pros:
Easy to set up
Choice of desired frame rate
Great if you already use VLC for playing media
Cons:
Only saves files in MP4 format
Online laptop screen recorders for free
Best for: Anybody looking for a free online solution to record meetings or training sessions.
OS:
Supports Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera browsers
4.7 out of 5 stars, 467 reviews
If you’re wondering how to record a laptop screen with audio, Screencapture is the free online solution you need. There’s no software to download, and you can save your videos in HD quality – you can also record your webcam.
Key features:
Fast video saving in HD
Screen and/or webcam recording
Record voice and/or computer system sounds
High privacy
Pros:
Free, and no software to download
Record voice and computer system sounds
Option to add or remove a watermark
Cons:
Watermarks in the trial version
Best for: Anyone looking for a free, fully-featured screen recording tool that allows you to edit, annotate, and share recordings easily.
Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder
OS:
Works in most browsers
4.5 out of 5 stars
Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder is a free online tool that’s easy to use. You’ll need to install the browser extension, but then you can start to record video on your laptop screen in a few clicks. You can also record webcam and audio and annotate your videos in real-time.
Key features:
Real-time annotation
Flexible one-click recording
Wide range of output formats
Insert webcam in recording
Easy online uploading to YouTube and other sites
Pros:
No time limits
Real-time editing and annotation
Easy to share to YouTube or other sites
Handy user guide to help you get started
Cons:
Requires browser plugin
Not suitable for recording games
Best for: Educators and professionals creating how-to videos, lessons, and presentations.
OS:
Works in most browsers
4 out of 5 stars, 84 reviews
Panopto Express is a free online screen recorder that makes it easy to record anything on your computer screen. There are no recording limits, and you can easily share your recordings through Panopto, Google Classroom, or YouTube.
Key features:
Simple one-click recording
Choice of recording quality options
Add backgrounds to recording
Picture in picture or tile layout
Record audio only
Pros:
No software to download or install
No recording limits
Record webcam using SmartCam technology
Capture multiple sources simultaneously
Cons:
Can be a bit clunky to use
UI is very basic
Can only download recordings in MP4 format
How to screen-record on a laptop
If you’re wondering how to screen record on a laptop using Movavi Screen Recorder, here are the steps you need to follow:
Step 1. Download and install the software
Download the software. Then double-click the file to install it on your computer.
Step 2. Launch the software
Open Movavi Screen Recorder by double-clicking the icon in your Start Menu or on your desktop.
Step 3. Set up recording parameters
Adjust your recording settings to suit and set up the screen capture area by clicking the Video Camera icon in the right-hand menu and following the on-screen prompts.
Step 4. Capture audio and video
Hit the red REC button to start recording audio and video. Tap the Stop button in the bottom right or hit F10 to stop recording.
Step 5. Edit
Simple editing tools make it easy to edit your recording.
Step 6. Save your recording
Your file will automatically be saved to Videos > Movavi, but you can change this in the settings.
How to choose a screen recorder for your laptop?
So what is the best app for you? Here are some important things to consider when choosing the best screen recorder for a laptop with audio:
Compatibility: Don’t forget to check that the laptop screen recording software you’re planning to use is compatible with your OS (or if you’re using an online recorder, that it works in your browser).
Supported formats: Look for recorders that support a wide variety of output formats. Some free software may only support very specific formats that may not meet your needs.
Usability: Always check to ensure the software you choose suits your experience level. It can be tempting to opt for feature-packed apps aimed at professionals, but if you’re new to screen recording software then this could be complicated.
Free trial: Wherever possible, try to choose software that offers a free trial or a free version before purchasing, so you can ensure it’s right for your needs.
User reviews: We’d always recommend checking out user reviews and rating for any software before purchase. This will allow you to see whether other users are enjoying using the software, and will also fill you in on any issues or problems you might expect to experience.
Support: Finally, always check to see what support is available in case you run into any problems – for example online, email, or live chat support.
15 best laptop screen recorders
Hopefully, this article has helped you consider what to look for in a video recorder for a laptop. Now you have several great options to consider. Check out the free versions and see what works best for you.
Paula Beaton
Paula is a seasoned content creator, copywriter, and editor, with more than 8 years of experience writing for tech and travel brands such as Thomas Cook, Skyscanner, Eltima Software, and DigitalTrends.com, as well as many others. She studied fiction editing with Liminal Pages in 2016 and launched her fiction editing business the same year, working with publishers in the UK and US and authors from around the world across a range of genres, from sci-fi and fantasy to thrillers and crime fiction. Today she writes regularly for DigitalTrends.com and Skyscanner's blog. She's also passionate about film photography and enjoys gaming.
Movavi Screen Recorder
Disclaimer: Please be aware that Movavi Screen Recorder does not allow capture of copy-protected video and audio streams.
Frequently asked questions
One of the easiest ways to record video on a laptop screen is to use Movavi Screen Recorder. Follow these steps to record your screen:
Download and install the program.
Open Movavi Screen Recorder and set up recording parameters: the screen capture area, webcam, system audio, and microphone.
Hit REC to start recording.
Tap the Stop button to finish recording.
Export your recording in the format of your choice.
There are plenty of great, easy-to-use laptop screen recorders out there packed with features, but here are some of the best screen recorders for laptops, in no specific order.
Fully-featured program with editing options: Movavi Screen Recorder
Windows built-in screen recorder: Game Bar
Gameplay recording and streaming: OBS
Quick and secure recordings via browser: Screen Capture
Recording and editing online: Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder
Yes, it does. Windows Game Bar comes built into Windows 10 and can be activated by following our step-by-step guide in the first FAQ above. It doesn’t have any advanced features, but it’s a quick and easy way to record video on your laptop screen if you’re using a Windows laptop.
Wonder which screen recorder is best for low-end computers? Try these:
Movavi Screen Recorder
Game Bar
VLC
Gamers should definitely check out these apps:
OBS
Gecata by Movavi
Action! – Screen and Game Recorder
Movavi Screen Recorder
The perfect way to record anything from your screen
An easy way to record from your screen in HD. Make video footage of any application, record online streaming video, webinars, even Skype calls, and save clips in all popular formats.
Popular
Sign up for news and special offers