How to record your screen with Microsoft PowerPoint

If you're looking for an easy way to make a quick screen recording or screenshot on your computer, look no further than PowerPoint. Yes it's correct! Microsoft's software for creating presentations actually has a hidden screen recording feature in its tools.

How to record your screen with Microsoft PowerPoint

To create a screen recording with Powerpoint, create a new presentation, and then do the following:

1. Go to the Insert tab and click Screen Recording .
2. In the dock that appears, click Select area or use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Shift + A .
3. Using the crosshair tool that appears, click and drag to select the part of the screen you want to record.
4. By default, both the audio and the mouse pointer are recorded. If you don't want to record them, click the buttons on the dock to turn them off.
5. Click the Record button or use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Shift + R to start recording. You can also use this shortcut to pause and resume recording. You can switch to a different program or window and PowerPoint will keep recording.
6. Once you have finished your recording, move your mouse point to where the base was and it will reappear. Click the Stop button or use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + Shift + Q to end the recording. (If you want to pin the dock while recording, click the pin icon in the bottom right corner.)
7. To save the recording to your computer, right-click the video still photo and select Save Media As .
8. In the dialog that opens, you can choose the name and location of the file and click Save .

This feature only works on PCs running Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 and updated versions of PowerPoint 2013.

How to take a screenshot with Microsoft PowerPoint

You can also use PowerPoint to take screenshots. What's especially convenient about using PowerPoint to take screenshots is that you can easily select any of your open windows to capture, with the click of a button:

1. Create a new presentation and go to Insert> Screenshot .
2. You will see a grid of all open windows on your computer, with the exception of minimized windows.
3. Click on the window you want to take a screenshot of. If you prefer to select an area on the screen, click Screen clipping . This will minimize PowerPoint, allowing you to click and drag to take a screenshot of whatever is directly behind the PowerPoint window.
4. The screenshot will appear in PowerPoint. To save it to your computer, right-click on the image and select Save as image .
5. In the dialog that opens, you can choose the name, the file format (for example, JPG, PNG, PDF, GIF, BMP), and the file location.

This feature works on both Macs and PCs running Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 and updated versions of 2013.

If you don't already have Microsoft Office, you can consider any of these desktop screencasting apps. Record Your Desktop With These 12 Great Screencasting Apps Record Your Desktop With These 12 Great Screencasting Apps Need to record your desktop? Fortunately, you'll find that screencasting apps are more common than you think. Here are some of the best free ones. Read more.