This post covers some of the best free software to record the screen as GIF in Windows 11/10 PC. You will be able to set the recording area and start the recording for as long as you want. The best part is there will be no watermark to the recorded GIF.
The option to pause the recording and resume is also present in these software. If you want to create a quick video for demonstration purposes or for any other reasons and save that recording as a GIF file, these software are going to come in handy.
Record screen as GIF with these GIF screen recorder tools
We have mentioned five free software that will allow you to record Screen as GIF in Windows 10:
- ScreenToGif
- Captura
- GifCam
- ShareX
- LICEcap.
1] ScreenToGif
ScreenToGif is one of the best tools on this list. This open-source software can also record an open window/application. The best feature is you can edit recorded GIF before saving it to PC. It has integrated Editor that lets you remove or copy frames from the recording, remove duplicate frames, add text to a particular position in the recording which works as a watermark, insert keys pressed during recording, rotate or flip frames, add shadow, border, image watermark, and more. You can even play or preview recording to check if editing is done as expected and then save the final recording.
On its main interface, use Recorder button and then select a desktop area for recording. Or else, you can also select a particular window for recording. Before starting the recording, it also lets you adjust FPS (frames per second). You can use hotkeys to play/pause and stop the screen recording.
When the recording is completed, its Editor window is opened automatically where you can preview your recording, and perform the necessary editing. Finally, you can use the File menu, and press Save As button to save the recording as an animated GIF.
You can also enjoy other tools and options provided by this software. For example, you can use its webcam recorder, whiteboard along with the recording, feature to show/hide the mouse cursor in recording, etc.
TIP: You can now record Videos using the Snipping Tool in Windows 11
2] Captura
Captura is not just limited to record screen as GIF only. It comes with a lot of features. You can use Captura to record a specific window, region, or full desktop screen. It also has two unique features that you might like.
You can draw on the screen while recording and also take screenshots in between the recording. But these two features can only be used when you have selected some area on the desktop screen for recording. These won’t work for full screen or window mode.
It also lets you include the mouse cursor, mouse clicks, and keystrokes in the screen recording. Apart from this, you can use it to record webcam, record only audio, etc.
Download portable or installer version of Captura software and launch its main interface. There, you can use options like include/exclude mouse cursor, set output folder, output quality, and more.
Select Video source (full screen, region, or a window), and click on the Gif option as output format under the Video Encoder section. After that, you can use the record, pause, resume, and stop buttons to create an animated GIF from your recording.
3] GifCam
GifCam has some interesting features that make it a useful GIF screen recorder software. It lets you add text to a particular frame in screen recording, show/hide mouse cursor, delete a frame or delete frames from selected frame to end frame, change delay time for each frame, etc.
Apart from that, it also has a unique feature that lets you change the recording to greyscale or monochrome. You can download it from here.
After opening its interface, you can resize it to set the recording area, and then use the available buttons. It provides Rec/Stop button, Edit button to add text to a frame, delete frames, etc., Frame button to change the delay time, and Save button to store the final GIF. You can also use a drop-down icon just next to the Save button to change the recording color, preview output, etc.
4] ShareX
This might come as a surprise to you because ShareX is a very popular software to capture and edit screenshots, but it is also a good option to record screen. It lets you record the screen a video file as well as an animated GIF. FFmpeg is needed to use this software for screen recording. It can automatically download FFmpeg (if not present already) in the required folder.
After installing this open-source and multiplatform software, open the main menu of ShareX. Click on the Capture menu and then click on the Screen recording (GIF) option. After that, you can select the area for recording and it will start recording immediately. There are only Stop and Abort buttons that you can use accordingly.
This software has tons of other tools and options like changing the destination folder, capture a full screenshot or a specific region, access capture history, upload captured screenshots to Imgur, Gfycat, change the hotkey to start/stop animated recording, and more. Just play with all the available options and this tool will help you a lot.
5] LICEcap
LICEcap is another good GIF screen capture option. It lets you move the recording area in between the recording which is a good feature. Also, you can add/insert a custom text during the recording. Another useful option is you can add a title or starting text that is visible before the main recording. The option to set duration for title text is also present.
When you will launch this GIF screen recorder software, it will provide a frame that you can adjust to set as a recording area. That frame also provides Record, pause, stop, and set FPS buttons.
When the area is selected, press the Record button, and Save As window is opened. In that window, you can set the output folder and other options related to recording. For example, you can enable the title frame option, add title text, and time duration to display that title text, show mouse clicks, add the number of loops or GIF repeat count (set to 0 for infinite loops), GIF transparency, etc. Use options as per the requirement and press the Save button.
Now you will come back to the recording area. Move area whenever needed, pause/resume recording, and finally, press the Stop button. Your recording will be saved to the folder set by you.
That’s all.
Here I wrap up this list. ScreenToGif has tons of features and therefore it is definitely better than other tools. But, other tools also serve the purpose to record desktop screen as an animated GIF very well.
