Disable Xbox Game Bar and Background Recording via Registry
Turn off the Xbox Game Bar overlay and its background game recording on Windows 10/11.
Run `reg add "HKCU\System\GameConfigStore" /v GameDVR_Enabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f && reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\GameBar" /v AutoGameModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f`, then sign out and back in.
01Command
Command
$ reg add "HKCU\System\GameConfigStore" /v GameDVR_Enabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f && reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\GameBar" /v AutoGameModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f02What it does
Xbox Game Bar sits on top of every game (and some apps) and records clips in the background, which costs disk space and a little performance even if you never use it. Two registry values switch it off: GameDVR_Enabled=0 disables the game DVR recording hooks, and AutoGameModeEnabled=0 turns off the automatic Game Bar overlay. Both are per-user values, so no admin rights are needed.
03Risk
!Warning: If you ever want to record game clips with Win+Alt+R, don't disable this — you'll lose that shortcut. Some games' own screenshot features are unaffected either way.
04Undo
Undo
$ reg add "HKCU\System\GameConfigStore" /v GameDVR_Enabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f && reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\GameBar" /v AutoGameModeEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f05Sources
- Xbox Game Bar on Windows | Xbox SupportEvidence: Official guidance on Game Bar and its settings, including turning Game Bar off in Windows settings.
Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Media