Change Max Recording Length for Game Bar in Windows 11

In this post, we will show you how to change the Max Recording Length for the Game Bar on a Windows 11 PC. Game Bar is a built-in feature that lets you capture videos and screenshots while playing games on your PC. It makes it convenient to document or share your gaming experiences by providing necessary tools that can be accessed without disrupting your gameplay.

The Game Bar in Windows 11 offers two versatile recording modes: automatic and manual. The automatic recording mode, known as background recording, continuously captures the last few minutes of gameplay, allowing you to save key moments even if you didn’t start recording in advance. On the other hand, the manual recording mode gives you full control over when to start and stop recording. You may initiate a session by pressing Windows + Alt + R, and the Game Bar will record your gameplay until you decide to stop or until it reaches the maximum recording length you’ve set, which can be up to 4 hours.

Change Max Recording Length for Game Bar in Windows 11

By default, Max Recording length records a gameplay of up to 2 hours. However, this value can be modified within the Game Bar settings, allowing for shorter or longer recording sessions as per your requirements. To change the maximum recording length for the Game Bar in Windows 11, you may follow either of these 2 methods:

1] Change Max Recording Length for Game Bar via Settings App

Click the Start button icon and select Settings from the menu that appears. In the Settings window, navigate to Gaming > Captures.

Under Recording preferences, you will see a Max recording length option (second option from the top). This option allows you to control how long the Game Bar records in a single session by enabling you to set the duration for your gameplay recordings.

The dropdown next to the Max recording length option displays its default value, which is 2 hours. To change this value, click the dropdown and select another value. Available values are 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 4 hours.

Once you’ve made your selection, you can close the Settings app.

2] Change Max Recording Length for Game Bar via Registry Editor

Note: Modifying the Windows Registry can have serious consequences if not done correctly. We recommend you back up the registry before making any changes.

Press Win + R to open the Run dialog. Type ‘regedit‘ and press Enter. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt. This will open the Registry Editor.

In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameDVR

In the right pane, look for a key named MaximumRecordLength. If it doesn’t exist, you’ll need to create it manually. Right-click on the right pane and select New > QWORD (64-bit) Value. Name it MaximumRecordLength.

Now double-click on MaximumRecordLength. In the ‘Edit QWORD (64-bit) Value‘ box, enter the desired recording length in the Value data field, keeping Base as Decimal. You may enter one of the following values:

144000000000 for 4 hours
72000000000 for 2 hours
36000000000 for 1 hour
18000000000 for 30 minutes

Click OK to save changes and close the Registry Editor. Reboot your PC to apply changes.

The built-in Game Bar allows recordings up to a maximum of 4 hours. If you need to record for a longer duration, consider using third-party game recording software.

I hope you find this useful.

Read: How to Turn Off Game Mode Notifications in Windows.

Can you record more than 30 seconds with Game bar?

Yes, to increase the duration of background recording beyond the default 30 seconds, open the Settings app by pressing Windows + I. Go to Gaming > Captures. Make sure the ‘Record what happened‘ toggle is set to On, and click the down arrow for more options. Look for Record the last dropdown and select a longer duration. You may select 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or even up to 10 minutes, depending on your preference.

How to change Game bar record settings?

To change the Game Bar recording settings in Windows 11/10, open the Settings app, navigate to Gaming > Captures, and customize various recording options to suit your needs. You can enable or disable background recording and adjust its duration, choose which audio sources to record (microphone input, system sounds, etc.), set the frame rate to 30 FPS or 60 FPS, adjust the video quality to standard or high, and choose to include or exclude the mouse cursor in your recordings. You can also modify the maximum recording length for manual recordings, choosing a value between 30 minutes to 4 hours.