Game DVR is a built-in Windows 10 tool that lets you record screen and games in the background. After recording, it will save the recorded file in the Game DVR capture folder so that you can enjoy it later or upload it to your favorite site.
If you are gamer, Game DVR is a very handy feature. On the other hand, Game DVR does take up system resources and it is quite easy to accidentally launch the application. If you are not a gamer or don’t see yourself using Game DVR, you can easily disable it. Follow the below steps to disable Game DVR on Windows 10.
There are three ways to disable Game DVR and GameBar on Windows 10. I will show all three ways. Use the jump links below to follow the method of your choice.
Jump to:
#1: Use PC Settings App Options to Disable Game DVR
The PC Settings app has the necessary options to disable Game DVR and Game Bar. All you have to do is toggle a switch and you are good to go.
1. Press the keyboard shortcut Win + I to open the PC Settings app. You can also click on the PC Settings icon appearing on the left bar in the start menu.
2. In the PC Settings app, go to Gaming -> Game Bar page.
3. On the right panel, toggle the switch under “Record game clips, screenshots and broadcast using Game bar” to Off position.
That is it.
#2: Group Policy Method
If you are running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you can use the Group Policy Editor to disable Game DVR. This method is especially useful if you are on a network or looking to manage multiple computers. If you are using Windows 10 Home edition, follow the registry method instead.
1. In the Run dialog box, type gpedit.msc and click on the Ok button. This action will open the Group Policy Editor.
2. In the Group Policy Editor, go to the following folder. You can use the left panel’s folder tree to navigate.
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Game Recording and Broadcasting
3. Here, you will find a single policy. Double-click on the “Enables or disable Windows Game Recording and Broadcasting” policy.
4. Select Disabled in the policy properties window. Click on the Apply and Ok buttons to save changes.
5. Finally, reboot Windows to make the changes take effect.
After restarting Windows, Game DVR is completely disabled. If you want to enable Game DVR, just select Not Configured or Enabled in the policy properties window.
#3: Disable Game DVR via Registry
Windows 10 Home users can use the registry editor to disable the game bar. Before editing the registry, back it up so that you can restore it when needed.
1. Open the start menu, search for regedit and click on the result to open Registry Editor.
2. In the registry editor, copy the below path, paste it in the address bar and press Enter. This action will take you to target key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
3. Right-click on the Windows folder appearing on the left panel and select New -> Key.
4. Name the new folder as GameDVR.
5. Select the newly created folder, right-click on the right panel and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name the DWORD value as AllowgameDVR.
7. Double-click on the AllowgameDVR value, type 0 on the value data field and click on the Ok button.
8. Reboot Windows to apply the changes.
After restarting Windows, the Game DVR will be completely disabled. To enable Game DVR, just delete the AllowgameDVR value that we created in step 6.
That is it.
I have noticed that even though GameDVR is disabled through settings, whenever I access settings, control panel or …, GameDVR pops up. I assume that Microsoft is using GameDVR to take a screen shot of whatever I am doing – irksome. As my system does not have group policy, I shall consider your registry fix.
Irksome addendum : User data, contact data, etc – I don’t use apps, basic laptop and yet while on-line my user_data array of six services pops up at random presumably leaking my data all over the internet. Question: I don’t use MS email. I use Opera. Why do they collect my contact data and can they if I am not using their system? I realize that Google is worse and generally avoid their crap. Why in addition does Print Work Flow _12333 pop up since shutting it off seems to have not affect. Is this just a way to collect a copy of everything I print?
GameDVR doesn’t activate in applications other than Games. If you want to restrict an app from accessing your data then go to the Privacy page in the PC Settings page. There you can configure which apps can access the data.
Is there anyway to disable/block the GameBar completely? For parental control means? On a child’s account using Microsoft Family, I cannot figure out how to limit access. They can just go into settings and reactivate GameBar without any password, through this, they can access the internet freely with the Gamebar Browser, which Microsoft Family/Windows 10 also doesn’t allow me to block.
Yes, you can fully disabe Game Bar by following the Group Policy or Registry method shown in the article. I just tested it on my end.
After making the changes, you can still toggle the GameDVR toggle switch in the Settings app but it will not be enabled. It will automatically turn itself off.