How to fix ‘Can’t Record Right Now Try Again Later’ issue?

Microsoft developed Windows 10 with gamers in mind, and enhancements are still being made to the OS to provide the perfect gaming experience. Part of the feature deployed to make gaming on the OS more fun and eventful is the Xbox Game Bar. The utility packs useful options and offers gamers several in-game capabilities. Game Bar also receives regular updates and enhancements, such as the newly introduced Xbox widgets and Spotify that Microsoft is making available.

You can activate Game Bar through the native Settings application in the OS, and while gaming, a simple simultaneous tap on the Windows and G keys summons the feature. There you can apply different settings and customizations.

With Game Bar, you can take screenshots and even initiate a Beam broadcast, but one of the prominent features of Game Bar is in-game recording. This feature allows you to record footage of your gameplay. The process isn’t always smooth, though, as Game Bar comes with its share of problems. One of the issues users face is the “Can’t record right now, try again later” error message when trying to record a game. Different problems trigger the error message, and there are several different methods to get rid of it.

If you’re frustrated by this issue, this guide provides everything you should know on how to fix the Windows 10 game bar error “Can’t record right now, try again later”.

What causes the “Can’t record right now, try again later” error?

Several system glitches and errors could be causing the error. Understanding each one will give you an idea of what may have gone wrong whenever you see the error and can point you to the right fix for your system. You’ll also learn how to avoid the problem in the future by knowing the possible causes. Here are known issues that can lead to the “Can’t record right now, try again later” error message:

Misconfigured Xbox files

Game Bar relies on specific Xbox files to function properly. If any of these files gets broken or goes missing for any reason, you’ll experience all sorts of problems with Game Bar, the recording issue being one of them. Some gamers reported that they had resolved the problem by fixing their Xbox installation files. You’ll find out how to do that later on.

Issue with previous recording

If the last recording you ran with Game Bar was interrupted or ended abruptly before the feature got to save the recorded game footage, this can cause a backlog of issues. There’s a simple fix in this case. Keep reading to find out.

Microsoft Store cache

The error message may come up because of issues with the Windows store cache. If you have used the store for a while without clearing the cache, this will lead to the cache becoming larger than it is advised. To get rid of the annoying error, in this case, you’ll have to clear the cache, and we’ll show you how.

Clashes with temporary files

Temporary files saved on your hard drive can cause storage issues and trigger the “Can’t record right now, try again later” error. If temporary files are the reason you’re facing the error message, the fix involves deleting these files. This fix worked for many users, and we’ll show you how to apply it.

How to get rid of the Game Bar “Can’t record right now, try again later” issue

Now, let’s dive into the fixes and how you can apply them. You should follow the solutions below one after the other because it boosts your chances of finding the right fix faster.

Before you go ahead:

Make sure Game Bar is switched on in Settings. To do this:

• Open the Start menu and click on the cog icon or press Win+I to open the home screen of Windows Settings.
• Click Gaming in the Settings home screen.
• Under the Game Bar tab, turn on the “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcasting using Game Bar” option.
• Now, go to the left pane of the screen and switch to the Game DVR tab.
• Under Background Recording, turn on the “Record in the Background while I’m gaming” option.

Now to the fixes:

Change the shortcut for recording

You can try adding your shortcut to Game Bar if the default Windows shortcut isn’t working. To do this, follow these steps:

• Open the search bar in your taskbar, type Xbox and launch the app. You can also press the Windows key and the S key together to summon Xbox.
• Click on the Settings icon once Xbox comes on.
• Navigate to the Game DVR tab and make sure the “Take screenshots using Game DVR” option is on.
• Select a shortcut of your choice beside Start/Stop Recording.
• You can also achieve this by going through Settings: simply open the Settings app (Win+I), go to Gaming and navigate to Start/Stop Recording under Keyboard Shortcuts in the Game Bar screen where you can input a shortcut of your choice.

Now, open the game and check if you can record using your shortcut.

Fix Xbox files

Like we mentioned, Xbox files are critical to Game Bar. If they’re corrupted or missing, there’ll be lots of problems. To fix the problem in this situation, you’ll have to reconfigure these files. Follow the steps below:

1. Open the search bar next to Start, search for PowerShell, and when it comes up, right-click it and select Run as Administrator. You can also right-click the Start button and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Click Yes in the User Account Control pop-up to grant PowerShell administrative privileges.
3. When Windows PowerShell comes up, type or copy and paste the following command and hit the Enter key:

Get-AppxPackage *xboxapp* | Remove-AppxPackage

1. This command will uninstall your Xbox app.
2. Save any open work and reboot your PC to apply the changes you just made through PowerShell.

Important tip: Make sure you delete your temporary files after Xbox is uninstalled. To do this:

• Open the Settings app.
• In the home screen of Settings, click on System.
• Go to Storage in the left pane and then click the This PC drive.
• Under the Storage Usage list, click on Temporary Files and choose the files you want to delete.
• Once you have selected the files you wish to delete, hit the Remove button.

1. Now, go to the Start search bar, type Store and launch the Microsoft Store.
2. When the Store application comes on, select the Apps or Games option and search for Xbox.
3. Select Xbox from the search results and click on the Download button.
4. Xbox will now be downloaded and installed on your computer.
5. Launch your game and see if it records.

Tip: Install Auslogics BoostSpeed so your system can be free of problematic junk files and corrupt registry entries that are causing a range of system issues, especially lags.

Reset the Microsoft Store cache

We’ll guide you on how to reset your Store’s cache easily. This fix would help you get rid of the error if issues with your Store’s cache caused it. The cache can become large to a problematic level if you haven’t cleared it in a while. Many users resolved the issue they faced with in-game recording by applying this simple fix. Follow the guide below to reset the Microsoft Store cache:

1. Search for Command Prompt in the Start menu and once it shows up, right-click it and select Run as Administrator.
2. Click Yes in the confirmation prompt that pops up.
3. Once the black screen comes up, type the following command and hit the Enter key:

wsreset.exe

Another easy way to perform this task is to open the search bar beside Start, type wsreset.exe, right-click on the first result and click on Run as Administrator.

1. A Windows store dialog will now pop up, telling you that Store reset was successful.
2. Now try opening your game and check if the issue is gone.

Use Task Manager to restart the Broadcast DVR Server

You could be facing this issue because of a previously failed recording attempt. There are cases where the recording you’re running stops suddenly and without saving because it encountered a problem or was abruptly interrupted. To fix the error message in this case, open Task Manager and reset the Broadcast DVR process. Here’s how:

1. Quit the game you can’t record.
2. Press the Windows and X keys together and select Task Manager from the menu or press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc combo to launch Task Manager.
3. Once the Task Manager window opens, go to the list of processes and navigate to the bcastdvr.exe (Broadcast DVR server) entry.
4. Click on the process and then click the End Task button in the lower-right corner of the window.

Once you’ve done this, check if the problem is still there.

Use the Troubleshooter tool

One thing about Windows that users are thankful for is the fact that you can always scan your system and specific apps for issues and fix them using an in-built tool – Troubleshooter. This tool will prove helpful if you’re experiencing the error due to some system glitches and conflicts.

1. Click the Notification icon in the far-right corner of your taskbar and then click the All Settings label to go to the home screen of Settings.
2. Click Update & Security.
3. Go to the left pane and switch to the Troubleshoot tab.
4. Under Find and Fix other problems, scroll down and click on Windows Store Apps.
5. The Run the Troubleshooter button will appear under the Windows Store Apps; click on it and allow the tool to scan for problems.
6. The tool will automatically fix any error it finds.

Transfer the Capture folder to your root folder

This fix is a bizarre one, but it was a godsend for many users, as they had resolved their issue by applying it. The method involves changing the default folder for your videos and screenshots, and as there is no way to do this via Game Bar settings, you’ll have to perform the task manually. Carefully follow the steps below to do this:

1. Open File Explorer by double-clicking on any folder on your desktop or by pressing the Win+E shortcut.
2. Go to This PC in the left pane of the File Explorer window.
3. Open your Local Disk where Windows is installed; it should be Drive (C:).
4. Open the folder tagged Users and then open the folder with the name of your user account.
5. Now open the Videos folder.
6. In the Videos folder, find the Captures folder, single-click it and then press the Ctrl+X combo. You can also right-click on the folder and select Cut from the context menu.
7. Go to another directory outside your user account folder. You’re doing this because some administrative permissions on the account could be prohibiting Game Bar from saving in the folder associated with your username. It’s recommended that you transfer the Captures folder to the root directory of the drive that houses Windows.
8. Now go back to This PC and open your Drive (C:).
9. Once in the drive, right-click the empty surface of the window and then choose Paste from the context menu or simply use the Ctrl+V combo to paste the folder in the directory.

That’s it. Go back to the game and check if you can now record.

Concluding

You should now be able to record your game without any issue. Remember that you can always enhance your PC’s general performance with Auslogics BoostSpeed and eliminate potentially frustrating problems. We’ll be happy to help if you have further issues. Just pop-in a message using the comments section below.