How Can I Record Just One Specific App Window in Windows 11 Without Capturing Entire Screen?

What’s the Easiest Way to Screen Record Specific App Windows in Windows 11 Using Built-in Snipping Tool?

What Is This New Windows 11 Screen Recording Feature All About? Windows 11 just got smarter with screen recording. The Snipping Tool now lets you pick one app window and record just that. No more messy recordings that show your whole screen.

The new feature works with a simple keyboard combo: Win + Shift + R. But here’s what makes it special – you can now choose exactly which window to record instead of recording everything.

Why This Feature Matters for Your Daily Work

Recording your screen used to be tricky. You had to:

1. Drag a selection box around the window you wanted
2. Hope you got the borders right
3. Deal with extra stuff showing up in your recording
4. Edit the video later to crop out unwanted parts

This new feature fixes all these problems. The tool automatically finds your app window and records just that part.

How the Window Selection Feature Works

The updated Snipping Tool makes recording much easier. When you start a video capture, you’ll see a new “window” option in the snipping area menu.

Here’s what happens:

1. Click the video capture button
2. Choose the window selection option
3. The tool highlights your chosen window automatically
4. Start recording with clean, precise borders

Important note: You need to open the app window first, then start the recording tool. There’s no window switching feature yet.

Current Availability and Testing

This feature isn’t available for everyone right now. Microsoft is testing it in the Canary channel. Testers using Snipping Tool version 2022.2507.14.0 can try it out.

If you’re not in the testing program, you’ll have to wait for the official release.

Live Annotations Coming Soon

The Snipping Tool is getting another useful feature – live annotations. This means you can:

• Add notes and marks before taking a screenshot
• Edit the capture area beforehand
• See your changes in real-time

Right now, this feature is hidden and doesn’t work fully. But it shows Microsoft is making the tool more powerful.

File Explorer Gets New Quick Actions

Windows 11’s File Explorer is also improving. The Recent, Favorites, and Shared sections now show helpful buttons when you hover over files:

• Find file location – Quickly jump to where the file lives
• Ask Copilot – Get AI help about the file
• More options – Access the context menu without right-clicking

The location finder seems most useful. The Copilot button could help with file questions. The third button feels unnecessary since right-clicking is faster.

Benefits for Different Users

For content creators:

• Clean window recordings for tutorials
• Less editing time needed
• Professional-looking captures

For work presentations:

• Record specific apps without showing personal stuff
• Create focused demonstrations
• Share recordings without privacy concerns

For tech support:

• Show exact problems in specific windows
• Create clear help videos
• Reduce confusion with precise captures

What Makes This Feature Stand Out

The automatic window detection saves time and reduces mistakes. Instead of manually drawing selection boxes, the tool does the work for you.

This feature joins other recent Snipping Tool improvements:

• Text Actions for copying text without screenshots
• Better screenshot options
• Improved user interface

Microsoft continues improving Windows 11’s built-in tools. The Snipping Tool went from basic to powerful in just a few updates.

These changes show Microsoft listening to user needs. Screen recording is common now, and making it easier helps everyone.

The window selection feature will likely roll out to all users soon. Keep checking for Windows updates to get these improvements.