Short answers.
No fine print.
Everything worth knowing about capture, performance, privacy, files, and the current Windows release.
What exactly is Flashback?
Flashback is a local replay recorder for Windows 11. It continually keeps a short rolling buffer, then saves the previous seconds as an MP4 when you press your chosen global shortcut or click Save replay.
Does a game need to be open?
No. The replay buffer can run all the time and capture the desktop. When a recognized fullscreen game is active, Flashback uses its name and folder; otherwise, the clip is labeled Desktop.
Does Flashback upload my clips?
No. The app has no account system, telemetry, upload queue, analytics service, or background network service. Clips and temporary replay segments stay on your PC.
Where are clips saved?
By default, clips go to your Videos\Flashback folder. If game organization is enabled, recognized games get their own subfolders and everything else goes to Desktop. Both the location and folder names are editable.
Will it show a green capture border?
The recommended Borderless capture mode uses Desktop Duplication and does not add a capture border. Other Windows capture methods can behave differently, so Borderless is the default.
Does it inject into games or interfere with anti-cheat?
Flashback captures a selected display and does not inject code into a game. That keeps the capture path simple and away from anti-cheat-sensitive game hooks.
How much performance does it use?
Usage depends on resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and your hardware. Flashback uses a hardware H.264 encoder and includes Competitive, Balanced, Quality, and High motion presets so you can choose the right tradeoff.
What video and audio formats does it use?
Saved clips are MP4 files with H.264 video and AAC audio. The app supports 720p, 1080p, 1440p, or source resolution at 30, 60, 120, or 240 FPS when your hardware supports the selected combination.
Can it record my microphone?
Yes. System audio and an optional microphone can be captured and mixed into the saved clip. Separate audio tracks and per-process audio are not available yet.
Can Flashback start with Windows and stay in the tray?
Yes. Startup, quiet notification-area launch, and close-to-tray behavior are separate settings, so you can choose exactly how visible the app should be.
Can I control clip and folder names?
Yes. You can change the desktop label and folder, add custom game-name rules, and build filenames with game, process, date, time, timestamp, and duration tokens.
Why might Windows SmartScreen warn me?
The current build is not code-signed yet. That can trigger a reputation warning even when a file is clean. The release package was scanned with Windows Defender, and its SHA-256 checksum is published below for verification.
Is Flashback available for macOS or Linux?
Not currently. Flashback uses Windows capture, audio, tray, startup, and hardware-encoding APIs and presently targets 64-bit Windows 11.
Can I choose the save shortcut?
Yes. Click the shortcut control in Settings and press a single key or any Ctrl, Alt, Shift, or Win combination. Flashback checks with Windows before saving it, so a reserved or already-used shortcut cannot replace your working one.
How do Flashback updates work?
Open Settings and choose Check for updates. Flashback checks the official website only when you ask, verifies the downloaded package, stops the replay buffer cleanly, installs the update transactionally, and reopens. Clips and settings stay in place.
Is it free?
Flashback 0.4.9 is free to download. Optional paid features may be explored later, but this release does not include ads, subscriptions, accounts, or cloud services.