How to Disable GameDVR and Xbox Game Bar — Check Whether It Affects Your Games
If you notice random FPS drops while gaming, background recording (GameDVR) is one of the things worth checking. Depending on your Windows version and settings, it may be turned on without you noticing.
What Is GameDVR?
GameDVR (Game Digital Video Recorder) is a Windows feature that can record gameplay in the background when background recording is enabled. When it is on, it keeps the last 30 seconds to 10 minutes of gameplay so you can save highlights with Win+Alt+G. The Xbox Game Bar is the overlay interface that controls it.
The problem? When background recording is on, it can use GPU encoder resources, CPU cycles and disk I/O — even if you never save a clip. When it writes buffered video to disk, some systems can show a micro-stutter.
How It Can Affect Performance
- GPU overhead: While background recording is on, the hardware encoder (NVENC/AMF) can stay busy, using part of the GPU
- CPU overhead: When recording is active, encoding and buffering use CPU resources and may compete with the game on some systems.
- Disk I/O: When recording is active, writes to disk can cause frame time spikes on some systems
- Memory: The recording buffer uses some RAM
If background recording is enabled and affects your game, disabling it may help. Compare frame times and 1% lows before and after.
Method 1: Windows Settings (Quick)
Open Settings → Gaming → Captures → Turn off "Record what happened" and all other recording toggles.
Go to Settings → Gaming → Xbox Game Bar → Turn off "Enable Xbox Game Bar".
Method 2: Registry Editor (Complete)
This is the most thorough method and ensures GameDVR is fully disabled at the system level.
Press Win+R → type regedit → Enter. Navigate to the keys below and set the values:
; Disable GameDVR capture HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GameDVR AppCaptureEnabled = 0 ; Disable Game Bar HKCU\System\GameConfigStore GameDVR_Enabled = 0 ; Disable via Group Policy HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\GameDVR AllowGameDVR = 0 ; Disable Game Monitoring HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\xbgm Start = 4
Restart your PC for changes to take effect.
Apply tweaks like these safely
DRX Optimizer can apply tweaks like these for you — only the ones that fit your PC, with a restore point first and undo anytime.
Download FreeMethod 3: PowerShell (Remove Entirely)
If you want to remove the Xbox Game Bar app entirely:
Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay* | Remove-AppxPackage Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.XboxApp* | Remove-AppxPackage
How to Verify It's Disabled
Press Win+G. If nothing happens, Game Bar is disabled. Also open Task Manager → Details and search for "GameBar" or "GameDVR" — if no processes appear, it's fully disabled.
You can also check in a game: if you no longer see "Recording" notifications or the Xbox overlay, you're good.
Results vary a lot from PC to PC. Measure your own game before and after (for example with CapFrameX) and compare the 1% lows, not just the average.
Apply tweaks like these safely
DRX Optimizer can disable GameDVR and review other supported Windows settings, with a restore point first. Measure whether the changes help your games. The free version includes the Recommended profile.
Download DRX Optimizer — FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Win+Shift+S for Snipping Tool. For in-game screenshots, use your game's built-in screenshot function or your GPU software (NVIDIA GeForce Experience uses Alt+F1, AMD Software uses Ctrl+Shift+I). Steam's F12 also works for Steam games.