Xbox game bar's capture tools suddenly stops working

Arnaldo Miyashiro · May 22, 2025 at 5:42 PM

I'm on Windows 11 Pro 24H2.

So, simply put, after some time using the PC, the capture tools in the Xbox game bar just stops working. Buttons are darker, as if they're disabled.

Using the shortcuts for screen capture/recording doesn't work. Clicking directly in the corresponding buttons also doesn't work.

Things I've done already:

Restarting the PC: It kinda works, except it doesn't. The capture tools starts working again, but after some hours, those tools disables for some obscure reason;

Repairing/Restoring: I tried to repair and restore through System->System Components->Game Bar. Didn't work either;

Altered registry values: I altered the following registries that supposedly helps with this issue(it didn't):

Computador\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameDVR\AppCaptureEnabled -> 1

Computador\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\System\GameConfigStore\GameDVR_Enabled -> 1

Computador\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\GameDVR\AllowGameDVR -> 1

Windows Update: I should be already at the latest version of the Windows 11.

I don't know what else I can do. I'm pretty sure it was working before some of the latest updates.

:)

Emmanuel Santana

Hello, and welcome to the Xbox Community! I'd be happy to help you today.

I had the same problem a few weeks ago, and what worked for me was uninstalling the Game Bar using PowerShell and then reinstalling it via the App Store.

First, search for PowerShell, right-click it, and choose “Run as Administrator.”

Then, copy and paste this command:

Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers

After running it, restart your computer.

Once restarted, open PowerShell as admin again and run this command:

Start-Process "ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9NZKPSTSNW4P"

This will open the Game Bar page in the Microsoft Store. Just click “Get” or “Install,” whichever option appears. After that, try launching the Game Bar like you normally do and see if it fixes the issue.

Nkosana23

You can try follow these steps on data file recovery to recover your lost Xbox Game Bar captures: https://support.microsoft.com/windo...c modes,recover files: Regular and Extensive.

NyanApple

Hi, I've looked at all the questions under Solutions but none of them are alike the problem I am facing.

Nkosana23

Hi. My name is Brilliant and I am happy to assist you today.

For troubleshooting tips on similar issues to what you're currently faced with, kindly visit: https://support.xbox.com/help/games-apps/game-setup-and-play/troubleshoot-game-bar-windows

I hope this helps resolve your query.

AArdvark_76

Captures work fine when not streaming. The problem is down to how the game bar and xbox console companion app work together . The game bar doesn't know what game I am streaming

Xbox game bar's capture tools suddenly stops working