Microsoft Steps Recorder alternative for browser tasks
Microsoft has deprecated Steps Recorder (psr.exe) and says it will be removed from Windows. stepkeep does the same job for anything in a browser tab: every click becomes a numbered step with a screenshot, and the guide stays on your machine. It cannot record desktop apps. Five guides are free; 59 EUR once unlocks the rest.
- On your machine
- 59 EUR once
- PDF, HTML, Markdown
What Steps Recorder does better
Steps Recorder is a Windows tool and stepkeep is a browser extension. That difference decides most of this page, so here it is first.
- It records the whole desktop. Any Windows program, any window, the Control Panel, a line-of-business app. stepkeep sees only the browser tab you are recording.
- It is already there. No install, no store, no permission prompt: press Win+R and type psr. stepkeep is an extension you add, and Chrome asks for each site the first time you record on it.
- It costs nothing. Every recording, every file. stepkeep's free plan keeps five guides at a time and puts a small watermark on the PDF.
- It sees what is inside embedded frames. It photographs the screen, so a sign-in or payment form in an iframe is in the picture. stepkeep does not record clicks inside iframes.
If the task you document happens outside a browser, stepkeep is the wrong tool. Folge records desktop apps for 75 EUR once, and Scribe does it on Pro.
Steps Recorder and stepkeep, row by row
| Property | stepkeep | Steps Recorder (psr.exe) |
|---|---|---|
| What it records | Tabs in Chrome, Edge or Brave | Any Windows program on the screen1 |
| Where the recording is kept | Your browser's own storage, on your machine. No account, no upload | A .zip file you save on your PC1 |
| What each step shows | A screenshot with the clicked control ringed and numbered, and a sentence in the words the button uses | A screenshot and a text description of the click1 |
| Typed text | Each typed field is a step, such as “Type in Customer email”. The value itself is never read | Not captured1 |
| Screenshot limit | No rolling limit. The free plan keeps five guides at a time | 25 by default. Earlier ones are overwritten, and a raised limit resets when you reopen it1 |
| Changing it afterwards | Reorder, merge, rewrite, add steps; blur, box, arrow, text label, crop | Comments added while recording1 |
| The file you get | PDF on every plan. Single-file HTML and Markdown on Personal | An MHT report in a .zip. Chrome and Edge now open it without images2 |
| Price | Free for five guides. 59 EUR once for the rest | Included with Windows |
| Status | Maintained. Every update is free | Deprecated since November 2023, no longer updated, to be removed in a future release3 |
| Operating system | Anywhere Chrome, Edge or Brave runs | Windows only |
| Setup | A browser extension, no installer | Built in: Win+R, psr |
Steps Recorder facts checked against Microsoft's own pages, linked in each row. Microsoft lists it as deprecated, not removed; if that changes, tell us and we will correct this table.
The difference starts when you press stop
- stepkeep
- An editor for the steps, then a PDF that opens anywhere
- Steps Recorder
- A .zip with an MHT report, and no step editor
Steps Recorder and stepkeep agree on the part that matters most: the recording is a file on your machine, and nobody else gets a copy unless you send it. Most of the replacements that rank for this search cannot say that, because they upload every screenshot to their cloud.
Where they part is the file. Steps Recorder hands you a .zip with an MHT report that modern browsers show without its pictures, holds the last 25 screenshots unless you remember to raise the limit, and has no step editor: what you want to add goes in as a comment while you record.
stepkeep opens the steps in an editor. Fix a sentence, merge two clicks, blur a customer's name once and it is blurred on every step, then export a PDF that opens anywhere.
Moving a Steps Recorder habit over in three steps
-
Install stepkeep and pin it
Add it to Chrome, Edge or Brave and pin the icon to the toolbar. That is your new Win+R, psr.
-
Press record where you used to press Start Record
Open the tab, press Record this tab, and do the task. Chrome asks once for that site. Clicks, typed fields and choices become steps; opening a page does not.
-
Stop, tidy, attach
Press Stop recording, fix what needs fixing, and export a PDF. Attach it to the ticket where the .zip used to go.
Old Steps Recorder files still open in Microsoft Edge in Internet Explorer mode, which is Microsoft's own answer. Print them to PDF from there if you want to keep them readable.
Which one to use
Keep Steps Recorder, or choose Folge, if…
- The task runs in desktop software, not a browser tab.
- You cannot add a browser extension, and psr.exe is still on your machine.
- You need it free, with no guide limit, and a zipped MHT file is fine.
Choose stepkeep if…
- The work happens in a browser: a web admin panel, a CRM, a ticket system, a SaaS setting you configure once a year.
- The person reading it should be able to open the file in any browser or PDF reader.
- Screenshots show customer data, and you need to blur it before the guide leaves your desk, without it ever passing through a vendor's server.
- You work on a Mac, where Steps Recorder never existed.
Asked about replacing Steps Recorder
Is Steps Recorder removed in Windows 11?
Not as of 23 September 2026. Microsoft lists Steps Recorder as deprecated since November 2023: it is no longer updated and will be removed in a future release. Since a February 2024 update it opens with a banner saying so. Microsoft has not given a removal date, and it is not on Microsoft's list of removed features.
What does Microsoft recommend instead of Steps Recorder?
The Snipping Tool, Xbox Game Bar or Microsoft Clipchamp. All three record video, which suits some bug reports. None of them produces what Steps Recorder produced: a numbered list of steps with a screenshot of each click. For tasks in a browser, stepkeep produces exactly that list.
Is there a Steps Recorder for Chrome?
Yes. stepkeep is a Chrome extension that works like Steps Recorder inside a browser tab. Press record, do the task, press stop, and every click, typed field and choice is a numbered step with a screenshot. It also runs in Edge and Brave, and the guide stays in your browser.
Does stepkeep record desktop apps like psr.exe did?
No. stepkeep records browser tabs and nothing else: not File Explorer, not the Control Panel, not an installed program. If your task happens in desktop software, Folge records desktop apps for 75 EUR once, and Scribe does it on Pro. If the task happens in a browser, stepkeep replaces Steps Recorder directly.
Can I still open my old Steps Recorder files?
Yes, with one detour. Steps Recorder saves an MHT report inside a .zip, and Chrome and Edge now show that report without its images. Microsoft's own answer is to open it in Microsoft Edge in Internet Explorer mode. From there, print it to PDF to keep a copy that opens anywhere.
Where does stepkeep keep my recordings?
In your own browser, on your own machine, the way Steps Recorder kept its .zip on your PC. There is no account and no upload, and the extension makes no network request on any plan. We never receive a screenshot, so there is no data transfer for your company to assess.
Record the next one in your browser
Five guides are free, which is enough to find out whether it replaces Steps Recorder for you. 59 EUR once removes the limit and the watermark.
14 days to change your mind, no reason needed.