Windows Steps Recorder Is Deprecated: What to Use (2026)
Vorec Team · 2026-10-25 · About 8 min read
Steps Recorder (psr.exe, called Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7) is the built-in Windows tool that captured screenshots and wrote a description of each step as you worked. Microsoft has deprecated it, and since the Windows 11 update in February 2024 it shows a banner saying so. If you only need to show what happened on screen, use Snipping Tool's screen recorder, which Microsoft names as the main replacement. If you need written steps like PSR produced, look at a step-capture tool such as Scribe or Tango. Microsoft facts below come from its Steps Recorder deprecation page, read on 25 October 2026. Scribe and Tango prices come from their pricing pages, rechecked on 23 October 2026. We did not test these tools. Vorec, which publishes this page, appears briefly near the end.
What is Steps Recorder?
Steps Recorder is a Windows tool for recording what you do on screen so someone else can follow it. Microsoft describes it as capturing screenshots of the desktop along with descriptive, annotated steps while you perform a task. The screenshots and the step-by-step text are saved to a file, which you can review or send to a support team.
Its original job was troubleshooting. You recorded yourself reproducing a bug, and the person helping you got a step list with a picture for each action. That is why it was called Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7.
Is Steps Recorder going away?
Yes, it is deprecated. Microsoft says the change is part of a "plan to streamline our offerings" and that it wants to focus on more advanced, integrated tools.
What Microsoft has actually done so far:
- Starting with the Windows 11 update in February 2024, Steps Recorder shows a banner notification about the deprecation.
- The banner is there to make people aware and help them move to other Microsoft tools.
- Windows versions from before that February 2024 update still support it.
The page gives no date for removal. So the honest answer is that it is deprecated and on its way out, but Microsoft has not said when it will disappear. Don't build a new support or training process around it.
How to open Steps Recorder while it still works
If it is still on your PC, the quickest way to find it is search:
- Open Start (or the search box on the taskbar).
- Type Steps Recorder or psr.
- Open the result and start a recording, then do the task you want to capture.
- Stop the recording and save the file it produces.
On recent Windows 11 builds you should see the deprecation banner when it opens. If search finds nothing, it may not be available on your version of Windows. In that case, use one of the tools below.
What Microsoft recommends instead
The deprecation page names three tools. All three record your screen.
Snipping Tool. Microsoft calls its screen recorder a good alternative to PSR, and it ships with Windows. The recorder arrived in Snipping Tool for Windows 11 in 2023. You select the part of the screen to record, can pause along the way, preview the result and share it. Search for "Snipping Tool" in Start or the taskbar. If it is missing, Microsoft says to get it from the Microsoft Store.
Xbox Game Bar. Press Windows key + G. It is built for gaming, but it also records the screen.
Clipchamp. Microsoft's video editor, which can also record the screen. Search for "Clipchamp" on Windows 11, or get it from the Microsoft Store. If you are weighing its paid plans, our Clipchamp pricing guide covers them.
What Steps Recorder did that those tools don't
This is the part most people miss. Steps Recorder did two things at once: it took a screenshot of each action and wrote the text of each step for you. The person receiving the file could skim a numbered list.
The three tools Microsoft suggests record your screen. None of the three is described on that page as writing steps for you. You get a video, not a document, so someone has to watch it rather than skim it, and if you want written steps you write them yourself.
A video is often fine for showing a bug. But if your process depended on the written step list, for help desk tickets, internal how-to docs or audit trails, a screen recorder is not a like-for-like replacement.
Tools that capture steps like PSR did
Two well-known tools work closest to the Steps Recorder model: you do the task, and they produce a guide with screenshots and step text.
Scribe
Scribe captures a process and turns it into a step-by-step guide you can edit. On its free Basic plan, capture works in the browser (Chrome and Edge). Capturing desktop apps, which is what Windows users replacing PSR often need, starts on the paid Pro Personal plan. Exports to PDF, HTML, Markdown and Word also start there.
Prices, rechecked 23 October 2026: Basic is free. Pro Personal is $35 per seat a month, or $25 a month billed annually ($300 per seat a year). Pro Team is $29 a month or $23 a month billed annually, with a five-seat minimum. Scribe's own pages disagree on how many guides the free plan allows, so check inside your account. Full details are in our Scribe pricing breakdown.
Tango
Tango also builds step-by-step guides from captured clicks. Its free plan includes 5 published workflows in the shared library, up to 10 users and browser capture. Desktop capture is on Pro; Tango's desktop app is listed for Pro and Enterprise and supports Windows 10 (2004) or Windows 11.
Prices, rechecked 23 October 2026: Pro for 1 to 2 users is $30 per user a month, or $22 billed annually. For 3 or more users it is $20 a month or $15 billed annually. Enterprise is custom. See our Tango pricing breakdown, or Scribe vs Tango if you are choosing between the two.
Comparison table
| Steps Recorder | Snipping Tool | Xbox Game Bar | Clipchamp | Scribe | Tango | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output | Screenshots + written steps in a file | Video | Video | Video (plus editing) | Step guide with screenshots | Step guide with screenshots |
| Writes step text for you | Yes | Not described | Not described | Not described | Yes | Yes |
| Captures desktop apps | Yes | Yes (screen recording) | Yes (screen recording) | Yes (screen recording) | Paid plans | Paid plans |
| Price | Built in, deprecated | Built in | Built in | See our Clipchamp guide | Free Basic; Pro from $25/seat/mo annual | Free plan; Pro from $22/user/mo annual |
| Status | Deprecated, no removal date given | Microsoft's suggested alternative | Suggested alternative | Suggested alternative | Active | Active |
Prices for Scribe and Tango were rechecked on 23 October 2026. Plans change, so confirm before you buy.
Which should you use?
- Reporting a bug to IT or a vendor: Snipping Tool's recorder. It is already on Windows 11 and a short video shows the problem clearly.
- Writing a how-to that people skim while they work: Scribe or Tango. They are the closest match to Steps Recorder's screenshot-plus-text output. Budget for a paid plan if you document desktop apps rather than websites.
- Making training material people watch: a recording plus narration. Our guide on how to make a training video walks through the process.
Quick answers
What is Steps Recorder?
A built-in Windows tool that records screenshots and annotated, step-by-step text while you do a task, then saves them to a file for review or for a support team.
Is Steps Recorder available in Windows 11?
It is deprecated. Since the Windows 11 update in February 2024 it shows a deprecation banner. Microsoft has not published a removal date on its deprecation page.
What replaced Problem Steps Recorder?
Microsoft points to Snipping Tool's screen recorder first, plus Xbox Game Bar and Clipchamp. All three record video; none is described as writing steps for you.
Is there a Steps Recorder alternative that writes steps automatically?
Yes. Scribe and Tango both build step guides with screenshots from what you capture. Both have free plans with browser capture; desktop capture is on their paid plans.
Where Vorec fits
Steps Recorder was built for problem reports. If what you actually need is a tutorial, a narrated video plus written steps, Vorec handles that from a single recording. Its recorder app is macOS-only, so on Windows you record with Snipping Tool (or any recorder) and upload the file to Vorec in the browser. The AI drafts narration from what happens on screen and generates the voiceover, so you don't have to talk while recording. The same recording also produces a written step-by-step guide.
In the editor you get cursor-follow zoom, auto-zoom on clicks, and freeze-sync, which holds the frame while narration finishes explaining a step. Vorec plans are Starter $9 a month ($86 a year), Pro $24 ($230 a year) and Business $59 ($566 a year), after a free trial with no credit card required (current allowances on the pricing page). The trial covers up to 3 projects, with 1080p exports that carry a watermark.
See also: One Recording, Two Outputs: Video + Written Guide.
See also: How to Record a Teams Meeting (2026): Steps, Storage, Fixes.
Recorded a walkthrough with Snipping Tool? Upload it to Vorec and get AI narration plus a written step-by-step guide. Start your free trial, no card needed. Trial includes up to 3 projects; exports carry a watermark.