How to Record One Window/App in OBS? (7 Steps)

OBS is powerful, particularly its video and audio capture capabilities. It offers flexible capture options that extend far beyond a simple screen display. For targeted recording, OBS can capture individual windows or applications.

So, how to make OBS record a specific window? More, regarding OBS's common issues with window detection and black screens, what are the primary causes to troubleshoot?

Get all here.

How to Record a Specific Window in OBS?

Open the program that you want to record on your Windows/Mac computer. Then launch OBS.

Step 1. Click + in the Sources menu.

Step 2. Select Window Capture.

Step 3. Give a name to this source and click OK.

Step 4. In the Properties window, drop down “Window.”

Step 5. A list of available windows and apps will appear. Choose one.

Now you can see it in the preview ares.

Step 6. Click OK to save it.

Step 7. Click Start Recording in Controls menu.

Learn more

● Capture Method: it defines the technique for capturing selected window content.
When to Use: If no program is detected in the Window list, try changing "Automatic" to a different setting.

● Window Match Priority: it determines how OBS finds the window to capture if the original one isn't detected.
When to Use: ditto.

Why a Window/App Not Showing up in OBS Window Capture? (with Solutions)

11. Limited or no compatibility

Window Capture doesn't work with certain types of apps, even the system built-in programs, for example, games, meeting apps, Microsoft Office, text, and some overlay widgets.

From my testing, I found OBS Window Capture is available to record these windows:

Google Chrome browser, Edge, Microsoft’s Camera, Media Player, OneNote, other utilities, Discord, screen mirroring apps, etc.

It's frustrating when compatibility issues lead to detection failures. However, you can try these methods to fix it.

a. For game apps: run OBS as administrator; use Game Capture instead of Window Capture; don’t use full-screen mode for the game but try Borderless Windowed mode as an alternative.

b. For MS Office: use screen mirroring app like Kingshiper to cast the file from your phone to the pc; screen share the file with apps like Discord first, and then use OBS to capture the Discord window.

2Hardware Acceleration (GPU Rendering)

Apps that use hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling (HAGS) feature can cause performance and capture issues. Some common situations: black screen, freeze, blank, etc.

Apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, some creative software and streaming applications can lead to this problem.

3Random or intermittent failures

Some users report that OBS randomly fails to detect windows or capture them properly without clear reasons.

More Way to Record Single Windows on PC

Use Kinsshiper Screen Recorder.

This is a easy-to use recorder that works well on Windows and Mac. There are five recording modes to choose from. To record only one window, you can follow the below guide.

1) Open Kingshiper Screen Recorder.

2) Choose Window Recording in Mode.

3) Set Audio as Mic and Sys Sound.

4) Click the red Record button to start recording.

Why choose Kingshiper?

● Multiple recording modes and format supported.
● High resolution available to bring quality video.
● Advanced settings for multi-GPU or monitor, GPU hardware encoding, etc.
● Customizable watermark and mouse click effect.