Screen Capture Software Download: Screenshots and Recording

If you mainly need still images with arrows, blur, and quick sharing, a focused screenshot tool like Greenshot or ShareX is ideal. If you need video, audio, and webcam overlays, a recorder like OBS Studio is the standard. Many people keep one of each, but ShareX notably handles both screenshots and recording on Windows.

• Greenshot / Flameshot: fast, annotated screenshots.
• ShareX: screenshots, recording, and automation on Windows.
• OBS Studio: professional recording and streaming.

For a full walkthrough of ShareX, including which of its four official builds to pick, see our ShareX download guide. For recording-first tools, our OBS Studio download guide covers the official installers.

You may not need to download anything. On Windows, the Snipping Tool opens with Windows logo key + Shift + S for a quick region screenshot, and it can also record the screen; our screenshot tool guide lists the shortcuts Microsoft documents. On a Mac, Shift-Command-5 opens the screenshot toolbar, which offers both still captures and screen recording. Built-in tools are the safest choice because there is nothing extra to install. Move to a dedicated app when you need features they lack, such as scrolling capture, GIF recording, OCR, automatic file naming or a multi-scene recording setup.

ShareX has had a busy year. Its changelog lists version 19.0.1 in January 2026, which disabled automatic upload by default for new installations, a rebuilt image editor in 20.0.2 in April, and version 21.0.0 on 3 July 2026, which added a background remover and an image comparer. Version 20.0.2 also brought native ARM64 support through the Microsoft Store. The project lists four official sources: getsharex.com, GitHub releases, the Microsoft Store and Steam. ShareX remains Windows only, so on macOS or Linux pick one of the cross-platform tools above.

• Bug reports and support tickets: a region screenshot with arrows and blurred personal data. Greenshot or ShareX.
• Whole web pages or long documents: scrolling capture in ShareX.
• Short how-to clips and GIFs: ShareX or ScreenToGif.
• Tutorials, webinars and gameplay: OBS Studio, then a free editor from our video editor guide to trim the result.
• Streaming: OBS Studio.

For more recorders compared side by side, see our screen recorder download guide.

Excellent free, open-source options exist for both screenshots and recording, with no watermarks and no time limits. Many commercial recorders advertise as free but stamp a watermark or cap recordings until you pay. Before downloading a "free" recorder, confirm it truly is free for your use, or choose an open-source tool where the terms are clear.

The capture is only half the job. Good screenshot tools let you add arrows, text, highlights, and blur sensitive info before sharing. For video, look for at least basic trimming, and pair OBS with a free editor if you need cuts. Built-in upload and copy-to-clipboard features speed up sharing in chats and tickets.

On Windows, ShareX is the powerhouse, while the built-in Snipping Tool covers basics. macOS has strong built-in screenshot and recording shortcuts, with CleanShot X as a popular paid upgrade. On Linux, Flameshot handles annotated screenshots and OBS handles recording. Match the tool to your OS for the smoothest experience.

Recording is resource-intensive, so a tool that uses hardware encoding (available in OBS) keeps frame rates smooth. For privacy, blur or crop anything sensitive before sharing, and be careful with auto-upload features that post captures to a server. Review where your captures go, especially in tools that offer instant public links.