How to Disable Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11/10 Permanently

Is it annoying every time you want to Steam record or take screenshots with your Xbox controller, it is not Steam, but the Windows game bar does it? Do you know how to remove the Microsoft gaming service if you don't use it?

Read this article and get stepwise instructions on how to disable Xbox game bar in Windows 11 and 10.

How to Permanently Turn off Xbox Game Bar?

Game players often complain that Xbox Game Bar screen recording conflicts with Steam gameplay. Some users may find they have no need for this game bar and would like to uninstall it on their laptops and desktops.

However, when pressing the Xbox controller, some users may find that the MS-gaming overlay popup appears again even if they have already turned off the Windows game bar from Windows settings.

So, how to disable Xbox Game Bar in Windows 11 and Windows 10? Here are two ways for you:

Let's continue to read if you want to delve into more details.

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How to Disable Xbox Game Bar Windows 11

Users can get rid of Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11 via Settings. This will stop the game bar from running in the background. If you want to disable the MS-gaming service completely, you need to uninstall it from your PC.

Remove Xbox Game Bar via Settings

To turn off the Microsoft game bar from Settings, follow the steps below.

Step 1. Click the Windows button and tap Settings.

Step 2. Under Settings, go to System > System components > Game Bar.

Step 3. Click the … next to Game Bar and select Advanced options.

Step 4. Go to Background apps permissions. Click the dropdown menu and select Never.

Step 5. Scroll down to find Terminate. Click the Terminate button to stop the game bar app.

Step 6. On the left Settings panel, click Gaming. Go to Game Bar and toggle off Allow your controller to open Game Bar.

Now, the Xbox game bar is being disabled and will not run in the background. Even if you mistakenly launch the game overlay from the controller, it will not pop up.

Uninstall Game Bar Completely from PowerShell

However, you may find when you press the Win + G hotkeys, the game bar still shows up. That is because the method above only disables the Windows game bar. The default game screen recorder is still installed on your PC.

If you want to remove the game bar permanently, you need to uninstall it from the PowerShell. To uninstall Xbox game bar in Windows 11 and 10:

Step 1. Click the Windows button, type powershell, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Enter the command: Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay | Remove-AppxPackage. Hit Enter.

Step 3. Wait for the progress bar to finish, check if the Xbox bar is disabled, and close the PowerShell window.

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How to Disable Xbox Game Bar Windows 10

Windows 10 users can disable the service from Settings. Using PowerShell to disable Xbox Game Bar is only applicable to Windows 11.

Steps on how to remove game bar from Windows 10 are different from that of Windows 11. Check for more details:

Step 1. Press the Windows + I keys together to launch Settings.

Step 2. Under the Gaming tab, go to Xbox Game Bar and toggle off Enable Game Bar for things like….

Step 3. Toggle off Open Xbox Game Bar using this button on a controller. This prevents your Xbox Series controllers from launching the game bar.

Bonus: What Is the Best Xbox Game Bar Alternative

Although Windows Game Bar requires no installation, you can see some issues over the internet, like Xbox Game Bar can't record and prevents Steam from recording itself. To overcome limitations such as incorrect screen ratio, screen recording without audio, and recordings that are too large, you can try its best free alternative, the Windows screen recorder EaseUS RecExperts.

⭐What makes it stand out:

• Record Xbox Series X gameplay for more than 1 hour.
• Record multiple windows without interrupting.
• Record the game with your face.
• Extract audio from Mov and transcribe audio to text.
• Trim or edit the video.

Let's see how to record gameplay with EaseUS RecExperts.

Step 1. Start the gameplay you want to record and launch EaseUS game recorder. Next, select the Game mode.

Step 2. Click the nut icon to open the Settings window, and then click on "Video" to adjust the frame rate (from 1 to 144), video quality, format, etc. 

In addition, you can click on the "Game" button to change some game overlay options. Once done, click "OK".

Step 3. Go back to the Game mode interface and click "Select Game" to choose the gameplay you want to capture. Next, click REC to start your game recording.

Step 4. You will see a small bar showing the time of your record. If needed, you can take screenshots in recording, or set the specific time to stop the recording by clicking the "Clock" icon on the toolbar.

Step 5. Once done, you can watch and edit the recorded footage with the built-in video editor. On the recorded video, you can trim the recordings as you want.

Final Words

Using the methods above, it can be easy to disable Xbox Game Bar on your Windows 11 and 10 computers. You can turn off the MS overlay or remove it completely.

If you are looking for a simpler screen recording utility, try EaseUS RecExperts. With several clicks, you can record single or multiple screens of your gameplay. Download and give it a shot.

Disable Xbox Game Bar Overlay FAQs

Check more frequently asked questions on how to disable the Xbox Game Bar.

1. How to turn off Game Mode?

To turn off Game Mode:

Step 1. Press the Windows + I keys together to launch Windows Settings.

Step 2. Go to Gaming > Game Mode > toggle off Game Mode.

Step 3. Close Settings.

2. Should I enable or disable Xbox game bar?

If you don't use the Xbox game bar, we suggest turning off this feature to free up resources.

3. Does game bar slow down PC?

Windows Game Bar doesn't slow down your PCs. Compared with other overlays like Nvidia's Shadowplay, it has less of an effect on your PC's performance.

4. How did Xbox game bar get on my computer?

Xbox Game Bar is a built-in screen recording tool in Windows 10 and 11. It helps you record videos and take screenshots while you are playing games or watching other videos. To initiate it, you can press the Win + G shortcut.

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