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How to Enable and Use Game Bar on Game Bar on Windows

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How to Enable and Use Game Bar on Game Bar on Windows

Because XBOX and Windows are owned by the same company, Microsoft, some XBOX features have been incorporated into Windows. One such feature is the XBOX Game Bar.

Game Bar allows you to take a screenshot, manage computer audio, or record your screen in an instant using a keyboard shortcut.

Although the Game Bar is enabled by default on most systems, there are cases where you need to enable it manually. Especially if you have reset Windows or upgraded it to a newer version, Game Bar will be disabled. 

Whether you are new to game mode or just want to know its features, this article provides a step-by-step process for enabling game mode and explains a detailed guide on how to use it.

How to Use Game Bar on Windows?

By default, XBOX Game Bar overlay automatically pops up, and the game bar will run in the background when you press Windows + G. However, if you have a disabled XBOX game bar, this shortcut key may not work.

You can easily enable the XBOX game bar from Windows settings.

  1. Press Windows + I key to open Settings.
  2. Go to Gaming > XBOX Game Bar.
    enable xbox game bar
  3. Enable Open Xbox Game Bar using this button on a controller.
    open xbox game bar using this button
  4. Press Windows + G to open Xbox Game Bar Overlay.

If the above step does not work, it could be that the Game Bar is disabled from the application package. In that case, you will need to enter a command to enable Xbox Game Bar.

  1. Press the Windows + R key to open Run.
  2. Type powershell and press Ctrl + shift + Enter to open Command as Administrator.
  3. Type the following command and press Enter after each command.
    • Get-AppxPackage -allusers *Microsoft.XboxGamingOverlay* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
      reinstall xbox game bar application
    • Get-AppxPackage -allusers *Xbox* | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
      reinstall xbox services and app
  4. Restart your PC and check if the Xbox game bar overlay opens when you press Windows + G.

Now that we have prepared the game bar app for use, let’s dive a little into how to actually use it.  

Using XBOX Game Bar

What makes XBOX Game Bar so useful is that it is inbuilt software that allows users to look over and manage the system using an overlay. Meaning that you will not need to minimize your application when using the Xbox game bar.

Manage Computer Audio

XBOX Game Bar audio allows users to select the desired Windows default audio output device and set the sound level for each application that is currently running, either in the background or foreground.

Besides output, you can also select the desired input device. To manage sound settings from the game bar,

  1. Press the Windows + G and click on the speaker icon on the game bar.
  2. Under the Mix tab, you can adjust the audio output for all your applications. 
    manage audio game bar
  3. Similarly, click on the voice tab to manage your audio input device.

Screen Capture

The Capture feature is one of the most used features in the XBOX Game Bar. You can capture your screen, record the last 15 seconds, start recording, and also set the microphone while recording using the capture overlay.

However, Gaming features are not available for Windows Explorer or while on a desktop. You cannot record your screen when Windows Explorer is in your foreground.

To use the capture feature, here are some tips you can try.

  1. Press Windows + G to open the Game Bar overlay.
  2. Click on the camera icon on the game bar to open the capture window.
  3. The camera icon or Windows + Alt + PrtSc allows you to take a screenshot of your desktop.
    screen capture xbox game bar
  4. Refresh icon records last 15 seconds when you have an application running in full screen. Its shortcut key is Windows + Alt + G.
    record last second xbox gamebar
  5. The recording icon or the icon with the white dot starts recording your screen. Its shortcut key is Windows + Alt + R.
    record screen xbox gamebar
  6. Finally, the Mic icon allows you to enable or disable the default mic when recording is in progress. Its shortcut key is Windows + Alt + M.
    enable disable mic xbox game bar

Check System Performance and Resources in Use

Game Bar Shortcut

Besides the default shortcut Windows + G, you can also assign a different shortcut key for XBOX game bar functionalities. However, you can only add one separate shortcut key for your functions. To set a particular shortcut key, 

  1. Open XBOX Game Bar.
  2. Click on the gear icon on the right side of the game bar.
  3. Select Shortcut.
  4. On the right panel, under Keyboard, set the desired shortcut key.
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Apple reportedly considering touchscreen Mac laptop for 2025

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Apple reportedly considering touchscreen Mac laptop for 2025

Apple could release a MacBook Pro laptop with a touchscreen as soon as 2025, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Teams inside Apple are working on the project, and the first design would include a trackpad and keyboard as well as a touchscreen, according to the report.

The move, if it were to happen, would mark a significant reversal for Apple, which has said for years that touchscreen laptops are ergonomically inferior, even as competing Windows laptops now have touchscreens as a standard feature.

“We really feel that the ergonomics of using a Mac are that your hands are rested on a surface, and that lifting your arm up to poke a screen is a pretty fatiguing thing to do,” Apple’s head of software Craig Federighi said in 2018, adding that he’s “not into touchscreens” on PCs.

More recently, he was asked at a conference whether Apple would release a touchscreen laptop, and he said, “who’s to say?”

Apple’s Mac business doesn’t need a shot in the arm, though. Mac sales surged when Apple replaced Intel processors in most of its computers with its own silicon. The change improved battery life and reduced overheating. Apple’s Mac business generated $40.1 billion in revenue during the company’s fiscal 2022, up 14% from 2021.

A touchscreen Mac would require significant software changes to accept finger taps, which require larger buttons, instead of mouse clicks. Apple’s iPhone and iPads use an operating system designed for touchscreens, while macOS can currently only be controlled with a mouse and keyboard.

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Amazon’s Twitch CEO steps down nearly 10 years after acquisition

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Amazon’s Twitch CEO steps down nearly 10 years after acquisition

Emmett Shear, the CEO of Amazon’s livestreaming service Twitch, is stepping down from his role effective immediately, the company announced Thursday.

Amazon acquired Twitch for almost $1 billion in 2014. The site is most known as a popular livestreaming platform for video gamers. After buying Twitch, Amazon was largely hands off with the business, though it has offered Prime subscribers perks on the livestreaming platform, such as free games and in-game loot.

Shear will be replaced by Twitch President Dan Clancy, who has been a “close partner” to Shear, he wrote in a blog post. Shear said he’s stepping away to spend more time with his newborn son. Shear will continue to work at Twitch in an advisory role.

“With the arrival of my son, the time has come for me to focus my energies on building that tiny little startup family, and I’m ready to dedicate my energies there,” Shear wrote. “Twitch will always remain part of my extended family, a community where I grew in so many ways alongside Twitch itself.”

Shear’s resignation adds to a recent exodus of leadership under CEO Andy Jassy. Earlier this month, Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff announced he was stepping down from his role at the home security subsidiary. Last year, executives overseeing Amazon’s Alexa and hardware research and development group, known as Lab126, exited the company. Last July, public policy chief Jay Carney announced he was leaving to join Airbnb, and 23-year Amazon veteran Dave Clark resigned as retail chief the same month.

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How to Fix HP Black Ink Not Printing

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How to Fix HP Black Ink Not Printing

If your HP printer is not printing in black color, there may be some issues with the black cartridge. However, HP printers have a special ink-backup mode that allows printing using only tricolor cartridges (C, M, Y) when the black cartridge encounters a problem.

In such cases, the black color can either disappear on the printout or appear as a grayish color instead of true black. Mostly, a low level of black ink is responsible for the issue. Sometimes, a mispositioned or clogged printhead can also prevent the printer from printing in black color.

Check the Level of Black Ink

If your HP printer is refusing to print in black color, you should first check the level of black ink on the cartridges. There are multiple ways you can check the ink levels on your HP printer.

If you have an HP Ink Tank series printer, you can inspect the ink levels from outside the printer only. Otherwise, you can use the HP assistant tool to check it.

  1. Open Control Panel.
    open control panel on your computerhttps://9db0732cdace87f6755b80f95f544792.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
  2. Click Hardware and Sound.
    hardware-and-sound
  3. Click Devices and Printers on the next window.
    devices-and-printers
  4. Double-click the HP printer profile.
    double-click-hp-printer-on-control-panelhttps://9db0732cdace87f6755b80f95f544792.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
  5. Again double-click HP Printer Assistant.
    open-hp-printer-assistant-1
  6. Go to Estimated Levels.
    estimated-level-tab-on-hp-printer-assistant
  7. Now click Estimated Cartridge Levels to see the level of black ink on your printer. Consider refilling the ink tank or changing the ink cartridges if the ink levels have gone too low.
    estimated-cartridge-level-on-hp-assistant

You can also refer to this guide to learn about multiple ways to check ink levels in HP printers

Change Paper Settings

An incorrectly configured paper setting is another reason the printer refuses to print in black color. Not only black, but it can also sometimes cause problems printing in color. It is because the ink spraying mechanism of the printer varies depending on the paper type.

So, you should always set the paper size and paper type that exactly matches the papers in the input tray of the printer. Also, make sure you are using papers compatible with your printer.

  1. Hit Windows and keys simultaneously on your keyboard.
  2. Type control printers in the text area.
    control-printers-on-run-box
  3. Click the OK button.
  4. On the new Control Panel window, look after the HP printer name and right-click it.
  5. Select Printing preferences.
    printing-preference-of-hp-printer-1
  6. Click the Paper/Quality tab.
  7. Choose the correct Paper Size and Paper Type from the respective drop-downs.
    paper-size-and-paper-type
  8. Click OK.

Align the Printheads

The printheads of your printer should be correctly aligned so that it can properly spray the ink onto the paper and generate quality printouts. Even a slight change in the position of the printhead can prevent the colors from getting to the paper. Aligning the printheads also helps if you have started facing issues after installing the cartridge.

  1. Open HP Printer Assistant from Control Panel.
    open-hp-printer-assistant-1-1
  2. Go to the Maintain Your Printer menu.
    maintain-your-printer-in-hp-printer-assistant
  3. Now click the Device Services tab and select Align Cartridges.
    align-cartridge-option-on-hp-printer-assistant
  4. Click Print alignment page > Next.
    print-alignment-page-on-hp-printer-assistant
  5. You will get a printout of an alignment page like this.
    printed-alignment-page
  6. Insert the printout over the scanner assembly.
  7. Now click the Scan button.
    scan-the-printed-alignment-page
  8. You will get an alignment successful popup after the printer completes the alignment process.
    alignment-successful-message

You can consult this comprehensive guide to learn more about aligning the printheads of HP printers.

Run the Printhead Cleaning Cycle

Running a printhead cleaning cycle will be helpful if the printhead of the black cartridge is blocked due to ink residues or any foreign bodies. We recommend you run about three cycles of printhead cleaning for better results.

  1. Open the Run application on your PC.https://9db0732cdace87f6755b80f95f544792.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
  2. Type control printers and click OK.
    control-printers-on-run-box
  3. Double-click HP printer > HP Printer Assistant.
    open-hp-printer-assistant-1-1
  4. Select Maintain Your Printer.
    maintain-your-printer-in-hp-printer-assistanthttps://9db0732cdace87f6755b80f95f544792.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html
  5. Click the Device Services tab.
  6. Click Clean Cartridges.
    clean-cartridges-on-hp-printer-assistant
  7. Your printer will eject a diagnostic report after completing the cleaning process.
    print-quality-diagnostic-report-of-hp-printer-1

You may also read our other article on how to clean the HP printheads and learn more about the manual process of cleaning them.

Running a manual clean cycle will help if you cannot sort out the issue after performing the automatic cleaning cycle.

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