The Problem Steps Recorder, or PSR, was introduced with Windows 7 to record interactions with a program and provide relevant help information to reduce time spent troubleshooting. The picture below is an example of the Problem Steps Recorder.

How do I use Problem Steps Recorder?

  • In Windows 7, to run the Problem Steps Recorder, click Start and in the run line, type problem steps. Then click the Record steps to reproduce the problem option.In Windows 8 and Windows 10, type Record steps to reproduce the problem in the Windows search text box and press Enter.
  • In the Problem Steps Recorder program window, click the Start Record button and repeat the steps you performed to get the error originally.
  • While running through the steps, you can make a note to describe what you’re doing by clicking the Add Comment button and then selecting the area in question.
  • Upon completion, click Stop Record button and you’ll be prompted to save the file. Save the .zip file in a location you’ll remember, such as your desktop.

How do I view a Problem Steps Recorder file?

  • Extract the .zip file.
  • Open the folder and see a MHTML (.mht) file containing the steps that had been previously recorded.
  • Double-click the file to go through the steps needed to duplicate the problem.

Computer acronyms, Problem Reports and Solutions, Software terms, Troubleshooting

  • Basic computer troubleshooting.