Problem Steps Recorder (PSR): Revealing Hidden Secret Tool in Windows 7 and Later

Did you know Windows 7 and later contain a hidden secret troubleshooting tool which is called “Problem Steps Recorder” (PSR)? This tool is not available from any general location like Start menu, Control Panel or Explorer.

It’ll launch the program which looks like following:

This tool is basically a simple screen capturing tool which can be used to record screenshots of various steps performed by a user. Just click on “Start Record” button and it’ll start saving all the steps which you perform onwards. To stop recording, click on “Stop Record” button.

It prompts you to tell the location where you want to save the file. It creates a ZIP file containing an MHTML file which stores screenshots of all steps performed by you along with a brief description of each.

You can also add your own comments using “Add Comment” button during recording.

You can also set a default location to save the file so that you don’t need to tell the location each time you record something. To do this, click on the little arrow near Help button and select “Settings“.

You can also disable recording of screenshots by settings “Enable screen capture” option to No. In this case, it’ll only record a description of your steps not images.

If you want to send the recorded file to someone, you can do this by using “Send to E-mail recipient” option.

You can also increase number of screenshots to be saved in the file using Settings.

Its a great tool available for Windows 7 and later users and IMO each OS should contain something like this.