Gamebar.exe is an executable application. It is a component of its main program, Xbox.Apps.Gaming Overlay and is developed by Microsoft Corporation. Gamebar.exe is not usually visible on Windows, however, it may run in the system background.
If you have noticed that Gamebar.exe is running in task manager or trying to access the internet, then you might be wondering whether Gamebar.exe is a malware/ virus of safe? In this post, I will provide detail information about GameBar.exe, its uses, file size, location and how to disable it from Windows 10.
Quick Overivew
What is it and its Uses?
Gamebar is a tool released with Windows 10 which assists gamers in taking control of their gaming activities such as capturing videos, taking a screenshot and broadcasting their gameplay online. It can be used with any app and game in Windows 10 to quickly access the Xbox app. It facilitates several actions such as:
- Navigation to the captures made
- Toggle between microphone and camera
- Choosing a dark or light theme or sticking to the original Windows theme
- Editing the title of the Mixer stream
- Checking the time using the new clock
Xbox Game Bar
- Publisher: Microsoft Corporation
- Version: 3.34.15002.0
This tool is pretty efficient overall but it is generally useful for gamers only and everybody does not require it. It can be disabled or some of its features can be removed without fully disabling it if required.
It is quite resource-intensive and could occupy a large chunk of the CPU memory.
File size and location
The location of gamebar.exe is in folder C:\ProgramFiles\WindowsApps\Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay.
On average, the file size of the gamebar.exe is 38.07 MB on Windows 10.
Is it safe or a virus?
Gamebar.exe is a genuine application and is safe to use. However, some malware program writers name their programs as gamebar.exe to fool the system into believing it is a legitimate file.
To identify such malware, there are two ways:
- If the location of gamebar.exe is not in the C:\ProgramFiles\WindowsAppsfolder\Microsoft.XboxGameOverlay folder, then it is a virus.
- It might be malware if the application is not copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation.
Errors:
Some commonly found errors pertaining to gamebar.exe are:
- “Faulting Application Path: GameBar.exe”
- “Error starting program: GameBar.exe”
How to Disable GameBar.exe?
If you are not using Xbox on your Windows 10 PC and wanted to block gamebar.exe on a permanent basis then you may use below steps:
1) Click on Windows logo on left-hand-side
2) Type Services and click on it
3) Now, locate Xbox Live Game Save
4) Right-click and select Properties
5) Choose Disabled under Startup type as shown below:
6) Click on Apply and OK
This will disable Gamebar.exe on your system and it won’t appear anymore in task-manager.
How to uninstall?
Gamebar.exe is not a system essential file so it can be deleted if unwanted. However, it’s not that easy to uninstall Gamebar.exe from the system. If you try to remove it using Control Panel >> Uninstall a Program, then Gamebar.exe won’t be visible. For this, you will have to use CCleaner software or any other similar software to CCleaner. Here is the steps:
1) Open CCleaner
2) Click on Tools on left-hand-side
3) By default, it will open the Uninstall tab, type xbox on the search bar located on the right-hand side.
4) Now, select Xbox Game bar and click on Uninstall
5) Now, wait for a few seconds to remove it from the system.
Restart your system, and you won’t notice GameBar.exe on to your Windows system.
