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Getting Started
This page takes you from download to your first saved clip. It takes a few minutes, needs no account, and you can leave every setting at its default.
Before you start, check that your PC meets the System Requirements: 64-bit Windows 11 and a GPU with a hardware video encoder.
Download the installer from one of the two official places:
- https://flashbk.gg: the Download button always points at the current release.
-
This repository's Releases page: current releases (0.6.74 and later) have exactly two files,
Flashback-Setup-<version>.exeandSHA256SUMS.txt. GitHub also adds Source code archives to every release; they contain only this repository's README, not Flashback.
Don't download Flashback from anywhere else. Mirrors and re-uploads can't be checked against the official checksum.
You can confirm the file is the official one before running it: compare its SHA-256 hash with the checksum at https://flashbk.gg/faq or in the release's SHA256SUMS.txt. It takes one PowerShell command; Verifying Downloads shows how.
Double-click Flashback-Setup-<version>.exe (about 105 MB for 0.8.0). Setup installs Flashback for your Windows user, so there is no administrator prompt, nothing to extract, and no Visual C++ or other runtime to install first: everything the recorder needs ships inside Flashback. The Flashback install screen shows the version and a progress bar along the bottom; when it fills, Flashback opens by itself and its window shows the replay buffer starting.
Already have Flashback? Setup first asks whether to Update (or Repair, for the same version) and closes a running Flashback, so quit it from the tray first. See Installing and Updating.
The installer is signed by Flashback's verified publisher through Microsoft Artifact Signing, so Windows can show who published it. Because the signing certificate is new, SmartScreen may still ask you to confirm for a while as the download builds reputation. That is expected.
If you see Windows protected your PC:
- Click More info.
- Check the Publisher line. It should name a verified publisher, not "Unknown publisher".
- Click Run anyway.
If the publisher is missing, or the checksum doesn't match, don't run the file. Download it again from https://flashbk.gg. Verifying Downloads explains both checks.
Flashback lives in the notification area next to the clock. The replay buffer starts on its own, so from the moment Flashback is running it is already keeping the last 30 seconds.
- Double-click the icon to open the Flashback window.
- Right-click it for the menu:
| Menu item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Status line | Shows the buffer state, for example starting or recording |
| Voice status | Shows whether voice controls are listening |
| Open Flashback | Opens the main window |
| Open clips folder | Opens your clips in File Explorer |
| Save replay | Saves the replay right now |
| Take screenshot | Saves a PNG of the recorded display |
| Pause buffer / Start buffer | Stops or restarts the rolling buffer |
| Ghost Mode | Turns Ghost Mode on or off; checked while it's on |
| Quit | Closes Flashback completely |
Can't see the icon? Windows may have tucked it behind the Show hidden icons arrow next to the clock. You can drag it out onto the taskbar so it's always visible.
Closing the window doesn't stop recording. Flashback keeps running in the tray until you choose Quit.
The Replay tab, shown on Flashback 0.7.41. In 0.8.0 the folder clips save to is shown inside the status card.
The sidebar on the left has six tabs:
| Tab | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Replay | Buffer status and where clips are saving, Save replay, Screenshot, Pause buffer, your current quality and your newest clips. See Instant Replay |
| Library | Every clip and screenshot, with search, tags, filters and actions. See Library |
| Cloud | Optional Flashback Cloud: whether it's open, then your feed, Cloud clips, friends and account. See Flashback Cloud |
| Editor | Trim a clip, make a Discord-sized copy, or build a montage, opening clips straight from your library. See Editor and Montage |
| Overlays | Design the optional keyboard and mouse overlay. See Overlays |
| Settings | Everything else. See Settings Reference |
Below the tabs, the sidebar shows your Flashback version and update status, and a small card with the buffer state.
- Open a game, or just use your desktop.
- Do something worth keeping.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+F10.
A Clip saved notification appears. Click it and File Explorer opens with the new file selected. The clip also shows up in Flashback's Library.
Clips are MP4 files saved under Videos\Flashback, in a folder named after the game that was in the foreground on the recorded display. Anything else goes into a Desktop folder. Flashback recognizes the game from its file path only; it never reads game memory.
If you press the shortcut again while a clip is still saving, the second save waits its turn rather than being dropped. If the buffer is paused or still starting, you hear an error sound and see a notice instead of silence.
Press Ctrl+Shift+F11. Screenshots are PNG files and go into the same game folders, with the same naming rules, as your clips.
Everything below works out of the box. Change any of it in Settings when you're ready.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Replay buffer | On |
| Replay length | 30 seconds (15 seconds up to 24 hours with Custom) |
| Save replay | Ctrl+Shift+F10 |
| Screenshot | Ctrl+Shift+F11 |
| Quality preset | Balanced: 1080p, 60 FPS, 15 Mbps |
| Video codec | Auto (hardware H.264) |
| Display | Automatic: follows the active game |
| Game and desktop audio | On, from the Windows default output |
| Microphone | Off |
| Editable audio tracks | On (Flashback mix, plus Game and desktop, plus Microphone when it's on) |
| Clip names and folders | Game, date, time (for example Elden Ring 2026-10-03 21-14-07.mp4), one folder per game |
| Clip folder | %USERPROFILE%\Videos\Flashback |
| Storage limit | 20 GB of saved captures |
| Launch after I sign in to Windows | Off |
| Keep Flashback running when I close the window | On |
| Discord status | On |
| Anonymous active status | On (Settings > Privacy & integrations) |
In Settings > Storage & shortcuts, click the shortcut field and press the key or combination you want; the field shows each key as a keycap. An F-key or numpad key works on its own, and other keys work with Ctrl, Alt or Win. Flashback checks with Windows before saving it, so a shortcut that is reserved or already used by another app can't replace the one that works. Press Esc to cancel, or the reset button to go back to the default. Keys that would get in the way of typing on their own, like Enter or a single letter, are refused.
| Preset | Output | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive | 1080p, 60 FPS, 10 Mbps | You want the lowest overhead and smallest files |
| Balanced | 1080p, 60 FPS, 15 Mbps | You want a sensible default |
| Quality | 1440p, 60 FPS, 21 Mbps | You want sharper footage |
| High motion | 1080p, 120 FPS, 24 Mbps | You play fast games and want smoother motion |
Settings shows an estimated file size as you change these. You can also give any game or app its own preset, replay length, audio and pointer settings; see Per-Game Profiles.
Turn on Launch after I sign in to Windows in Settings > Startup & background so the replay is ready before you launch a game. Flashback starts quietly in the tray without opening its window, and it needs no password or administrator access.
Microphone recording is off by default. Turn on Include my microphone in Settings > Audio and pick your device. Clips then carry your voice in the Flashback mix that every player plays, and on its own Microphone track for editing. To record a particular headset rather than the Windows default output, pick it under Record audio from. See Audio.
Ghost Mode (in Settings > Startup & background, or the tray menu) keeps the replay buffer running with no window at launch, no app sounds, no notifications and no Flashback Discord status. The tray icon stays so you can reopen Flashback, turn Ghost Mode off or quit. See Ghost Mode.
- Trim a clip or make a Discord-sized copy: Editor and Montage
- Every setting in one place: Settings Reference
- Share clips with a link, or with friends: Flashback Cloud
- How updates work, and where your files live: Installing and Updating
- Something not working: Troubleshooting
System Requirements · Installing and Updating · Instant Replay · FAQ