Medal

How to Clip on PC

To clip on PC, install Medal and press F8 after a play. Medal saves the last 15 seconds to 10 minutes of gameplay as a clip, so you never have to hit record first.

Record and clip your best gameplay moments on PC in seconds. Medal records in the background so you never miss a highlight - press F8, say "clip that", or let Medal auto-clip for you. Works on any GPU.

Last updated

How to Record and Clip Gameplay on PC

1

Download Medal

Install Medal from medal.tv/download. It works on Windows 10/11 with any GPU - NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. The installer takes under a minute.

2

Set your clip hotkey

The default hotkey is F8. Press it anytime during gameplay to save a clip of what just happened. You can change this to any key in Medal settings.

3

Choose your clip length

Medal records in the background so you can clip after the moment happens. Set your buffer from 15 seconds up to 10 minutes in settings. When you press F8, it saves that many seconds backward.

4

Edit and share

After clipping, Medal opens a built-in editor where you can trim, add text, or slow-mo. Hit share to get an instant link that works on Discord, TikTok, X, and anywhere else, and anyone with the link can watch, even if they don’t use Medal.

Download Medal

3 Ways to Clip on PC with Medal

Different situations call for different clipping methods. Medal gives you three ways to capture your gameplay.

Instant Replay (F8)

Most popular

The classic way to clip. Medal records in the background, and when something happens, press F8 to save the last 15 seconds to 10 minutes. You decide the buffer length.

Voice Clip

Hands-free

Say "clip that" out loud and Medal saves the clip. No hotkey needed - just keep playing and let your voice do the work. Great for when your hands are busy.

Auto-Clip

Zero effort

Medal detects kills, wins, and highlights in supported games like Valorant, Fortnite, CS2, and League of Legends and clips them automatically. Finish a match and your best moments are already saved.

Medal app - clip library showing saved gameplay clips

Medal saves all your clips in one place - ready to edit, share, or export.

Clips vs Full Session Recording

Clips (Medal)

  • Only saves the moments that matter
  • Small file sizes (50-150 MB per clip)
  • Ready to share immediately
  • Medal finds highlights for you in supported games
  • No sifting through hours of footage

Full Session (Medal or OBS)

  • Records everything start to finish
  • Large files (2-5 GB per hour)
  • In Medal, F8 bookmarks moments to clip later
  • OBS adds scenes, overlays, and streaming
  • Good for long-form YouTube content

Medal does both, so you do not have to pick one app. Leave instant replay on to save kills, wins, and funny moments to share with friends, or turn on Full Session Recording in Clip Settings when you want the whole uncut session for YouTube editing. OBS Studio is the alternative for full sessions if you also need scenes, overlays, or live streaming.

4 Ways to Record Game Clips on PC

Each tool takes a different approach to gameplay recording. Here's how they compare.

Medal

Full sessions and clips

Our Pick

Best for: Gamers who want full sessions, highlights, or both

Records in the background using hardware encoding. Press F8 to clip, say "clip that", or let Medal auto-clip in supported games. Turn on Full Session Recording to capture the whole session instead. Built-in editor and instant share links included.

Pros

  • Full Session Recording for whole matches, with F8 bookmarks
  • No FPS drops - hardware encoding on any GPU
  • Auto-clipping captures kills, wins, and highlights
  • Voice clip - say "clip that" to save a moment
  • Built-in editor (trim, text, slow-mo)
  • Instant share links for Discord, TikTok, X
  • Cloud hosting for all clips

Cons

  • Windows PC, iPhone and Android only - no Mac or console recording
Download Medal

OBS Studio

Full session recording

Best for: Streamers who also want local recordings

Records your entire gameplay session as a video file. You configure scenes, sources, encoding settings, and output format. After recording, you need separate software to edit and share.

Pros

  • Full session recording
  • Highly configurable (scenes, overlays, sources)
  • Free and open source

Cons

  • Manual setup required - not plug-and-play
  • Replay buffer needs manual setup; no auto-clipping
  • Large files eat disk space fast
  • Need separate software to edit and share

NVIDIA ShadowPlay

Hardware-accelerated replay

Best for: NVIDIA GPU owners who want basic instant replay

Uses NVIDIA's NVENC encoder to record. Offers instant replay and manual recording through the GeForce Experience overlay.

Pros

  • Instant replay buffer
  • Free with GeForce Experience

Cons

  • NVIDIA GPUs only - no AMD or Intel
  • No auto-clipping or voice clip
  • No built-in editor
  • No instant sharing - files only

Windows Game Bar

Built-in screen recorder

Best for: Quick one-off recordings when nothing else is installed

Press Win+G to open Game Bar, then click record or use Win+Alt+R. It saves clips to your Videos folder. Basic trimming available through the Photos app.

Pros

  • Already installed on Windows 10/11
  • Works with any GPU
  • Simple to use

Cons

  • No auto-clipping
  • Basic editing only (through Photos app)
  • No instant share links
  • Limited replay buffer
  • Can conflict with some fullscreen games

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Medal safe to use for clipping?

Yes. Medal does not inject into games or interact with anti-cheat systems. It records your screen using hardware-accelerated encoding and runs as a separate process.

Which games does Medal support for clipping on PC?

Medal supports auto-clipping in supported games including Valorant, Fortnite, CS2, League of Legends, Minecraft, and more. For games without auto-clip support, you can still use instant replay (F8) or voice clip ("clip that") to save any moment.

What clipping features does Medal have?

Medal has instant replay (save the last 15 seconds to 10 minutes with F8), auto-clipping (kills, wins, and highlights are captured automatically), voice clip (say "clip that"), a built-in editor (trim, text, slow-mo), and instant share links for Discord, TikTok, and X. It also works as a full screen recorder for PC when you need to capture desktop apps, not just games. To save a clip as an MP4, see how to download Medal clips.

Why use Medal instead of Windows Game Bar for clipping?

Windows Game Bar has no auto-clipping, no built-in editor, no instant share links, and a limited replay buffer. Medal has all of those plus voice clip, auto-clipping in supported games, and cloud hosting. Game Bar works in a pinch, but Medal is built for gaming clips.

How do I clip on PC?

Install Medal, open your game, and press F8 right after something happens. Medal saves the last 15 seconds to 10 minutes as a clip, opens it in the built-in editor to trim, and gives you a link to share in Discord or anywhere else.

How do I record in Medal?

Medal starts recording in the background when it detects your game, so for clips you only press F8 to save the moment. To record a whole session instead, turn on Full Session Recording in Clip Settings, and F8 then drops a bookmark you can clip from later.

Start Clipping on PC

Press F8. Say "clip that". Or let Medal do it for you. Works on any GPU.

Download Medal

How to clip a specific game

Related

Learn

Best Clipping Software

Learn

Best Recording Software

Learn

Instant Replay on PC

Feature

Clips You Are In