The Xbox Game Bar is a built-in feature of Windows 11 that lets you record and share clips of video games. However, there are a lot of other features this app holds and these are quite useful and handy for a normal user. It includes features like the ability to track CPU or GPU performance, a widget to communicate with Xbox buddies, and so on.
How to open the Xbox game bar in Windows 11?
Press the Windows key and start typing the Xbox game bar in the search bar. Since the Xbox game bar comes pre-installed in Windows 11 PCs, the app appears immediately in the search results.
Click on Open and the bar appears on the top of the screen.
Using the Widget Menu in Xbox Game bar
The widget menu in the Xbox game bar includes several options which you can set and modify as per your requirement. For this, click on the widget icon (second from left) and the menu appears.
The widget menu includes settings for Audio, screen/game Capture, Performance, Resources, and so on. You can also see the games that are running by clicking on the From the developer tab.
The Gallery tab shows you the screenshots and game clips recorded using the game bar.
Besides, you can also find other players and chat with them in the Looking for Group Tab. The remaining tabs in the Widget menu are Spotify, Xbox Achievements, Xbox Social, and Widget Store.
Features of Xbox Game bar in Windows 11
As mentioned in the beginning, the Xbox game bar has several features apart from the screen, video, and audio capture. Here are some features of the Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11.
- Recording gameplay using Xbox Game Bar
- Changing audio inputs using Xbox Game Bar
- Finding players on ‘Looking for Group’
- Seeing tips when playing a game
- Setting up the shortcut keys for the Xbox game bar
- Using social media while playing games
- Personalizing the Xbox Game bar
Let us look at some of these features in more detail.
1] Recording gameplay using Xbox Game Bar
Follow the steps given below to record gameplay:
- Launch the game/app
- Open the Xbox Game Bar
- Manage the widgets in the Game Bar overlay
- Start recording
- Stop recording
- Access the saved clip
Let us look at these steps in more detail.
Launch the game/app:
You should first launch the game or the application that you wish to record.
Open the Xbox Game Bar:
Once inside, select Windows + G for the Game Bar overlay.
If you are launching the Game Bar for the first time, you will see a message on your computer, “Do you want to open the Game Bar?”. You can then click on the Yes, this is a game option.
Manage the widgets in the Game Bar overlay:
The overlay appears in the foreground once you are inside the app. The overlay consists of several widgets.
You can add and remove widgets from the Game Bar. You can also view additional settings for the Xbox Game Bar by clicking on the “cog” icon.
Start recording:
Click on the Start recording button in the Capture widget or select Windows + Alt on your keyboard to start recording the video.
After the recording start, you will see another widget, Capture Status. This widget will display a timer that lets you know how long you are recording and remains on the screen after closing the Xbox Game Bar.
Stop recording:
If you want to stop recording, select Windows + Alt + R on your keyboard or click on the blue circle present in the Capture Status widget.
Once the recording is stopped, you will see a message, “Game clip recorded” on the screen.
Access the saved clip:
The clip will be saved in the default directory. You can access the recordings from the Videos folder in the Captures section.
2] Changing audio inputs using Xbox Game Bar
Xbox game bar not only captures a video clip but also lets you record a voice-over for this clip. To do this, click the Settings icon (cog icon) on the extreme right side of the Xbox game bar. Now select the Capturing tab from the menu to open the audio settings. It opens the options under Capturing.
Under the AUDIO TO RECORD section, there are three options, namely Game, All, and None. To record audio, you can select Game or All as per your requirement. To disable the audio, select None.
3] Finding players on the ‘Looking for Group’ tab
This tab helps you find other players on particular Xbox games. Click on the Widget menu. Now click on the Looking for Group. When you click on this tab, a list of games appears. Click on the game you want to play and find other players for (Halo Infinite in this example).
Now click on the FIND PLAYERS tab within this window. You will see the players of this game in this section. You can even chat with these players via Voice or Text messages.
4] Seeing tips when playing a game
If you want to get tips while playing a game, you need to do the following setting.
Click on the cog icon to open the Settings window. Now click on the General tab. Now, check the box in front of the words, ‘Show tips when I start a game’.
Apart from this setting, you can also check out the version of the Xbox game bar and What’s News in this tab.
5] Setting up the shortcut keys for the Xbox game bar
You can set up shortcut keys for the game bar for the functions like opening the game bar, taking a screenshot, and so on.
For this, click on the cog icon to open the Settings window. Now click on the Shortcuts tab. You will see several function names for which you can set the keyboard shortcuts. Enter the desired shortcut in the textbox given below each of these functions.
6] Using social media while playing games
This is an interesting feature of the Xbox game bar in Windows 11. You can log into your various social media accounts through the game bar and use them while playing the games. For example, you can log into your Twitter account and share your screenshots immediately. You can also log into Spotify and listen to music while playing games.
To use this feature, click on the cog icon and open the Settings window. Now click on the Accounts tab.
You can log into various other social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn. YouTube and so on once you log into Xbox Game Bar.
7] Personalizing the Xbox Game bar
You can personalize the Xbox Game bar for the features such as Theme (light, dark or current Windows theme), Widget Transparency, and so on.
For this, again open the Settings window by clicking on the cog icon. Now click on the Personalisation tab.
The Xbox Game Bar which is a built-in feature in the Windows 11 toolbox lets you record and play videos as and when required. You need not use third-party apps for game recording anymore. Let us know if the above-mentioned instructions help. Do let us know in case of any suggestions.
Read: Windows 11 Gaming Settings – All you need to know.
Do I need to enable the Xbox game bar in Windows 11?
No. Xbox Game Bar is an in-built app in Windows 11 machines. Hence, you would not require any installation. Simply press the Windows key and type the words Xbox game bar in the search window. You will see the app.
Why is my Xbox game bar not working?
There could be several reasons if the Xbox game bar is not working on Windows machines. However, you can try updating Windows 11 for the latest updates and checking the game bar setting.
For this, go to Update & security (Windows Update on Win11), then select Check for updates.
You can also check your Game Bar settings. For this, press the Windows key, then choose Settings. Go to Gaming and then Xbox Game bar. Now, turn on the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar.
