Screen recorder
Published
Record your screen, a window or a browser tab straight from the page, with optional voice and tab sound. The video is built inside your browser and handed to you as a download. It is never uploaded, and the tool says which file format your browser actually produced.
What you can do instead
Use a current desktop version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari over HTTPS. Phones usually have their own screen recorder in the operating system, which you can start from the system controls. In an in-app browser, open this page in your regular browser first.
Recording options
Live preview
The recording is made inside this page and kept in memory. It is not uploaded, not saved on a server and not stored in the browser. Close or reload the tab and it is gone, so download what you want to keep.
How to record
- Decide on sound first. Tick Include my microphone to add your voice. Tick Try to include tab or system sound to ask the browser for the sound of what you share. Both can be on at the same time; the tool mixes them into one track.
- Press Start recording. The browser opens its own picker. Choose an entire screen, a window or a browser tab. Sharing a tab is the most private choice because nothing else on your desktop can appear.
- A three-second countdown starts after you choose, so you can switch to the right window. Recording begins when it reaches zero.
- Use Pause and Resume as often as you like. The timer and the approximate file size above the preview keep counting only while recording.
- Press Stop and save, or use the stop-sharing button the browser shows. Either way the recording is finished and appears in the list with a download link and a preview.
What the options mean
Microphone
Your voice comes from the microphone your browser considers the default. If you need another one, set it as the default in the system sound settings first. The browser asks for permission the first time. If you refuse, the recording still works without your voice and the tool tells you so.
Tab or system sound
Whether the browser can include the sound of what you share depends on the browser, the operating system and the kind of source you pick. In many Chromium-based browsers a shared tab can include its sound, and some systems can also share the whole computer's sound; Firefox and Safari generally do not offer it. The picker usually shows a share-audio checkbox. The tool reports whether any sound was actually delivered, instead of promising it.
The format shown under the buttons
The tool asks the browser which formats it can record and picks the first supported one from a fixed order: WebM with VP9 and Opus, WebM with VP8 and Opus, plain WebM, then MP4. The line under the options says which one will be used, and the saved file shows its container, codecs and file extension. Nothing is converted afterwards, so the file is exactly what the browser produced. If you need another format, convert it later with a program you trust.
Long recordings, size and stopping
The browser hands over the recording in one-second pieces and the page collects them in memory. That avoids waiting for one huge block at the end, but memory is still finite. Screen video at full resolution can grow by several megabytes per minute, so for a long session record in parts, or lower the resolution of the screen or window you share. The size shown while you record is approximate and grows as pieces arrive.
If you press the browser's own stop-sharing button, the tool treats it exactly like Stop and save and finishes the file. If you try to close or reload the tab while recording, the browser shows a warning, because the unsaved recording would be lost.
Problems and fixes
Nothing happens or the picker does not open
Screen capture must start from a click on the button, in a normal browser tab, over HTTPS. An embedded view or an extension that intercepts capture can swallow the picker. Open the page in a regular tab and try again.
The picker says it is blocked, or the picture is black
On macOS and some Linux setups the operating system must allow the browser to record the screen in its privacy settings. A black window can also come from protected content, such as some video players or banking windows, which the system deliberately hides from capture.
The video has no sound
Check that the microphone box was ticked, that the share-audio option was selected in the picker, and that the source can supply sound. The status line under the buttons tells you what the browser delivered.
The player shows no length or cannot jump around
Files written while recording often lack a duration entry, so some players cannot show the length or seek until the file is repaired or converted. The picture and sound are intact.
Browser support
Screen capture and media recording are both available in current desktop versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, according to the compatibility data kept by MDN. Which containers and codecs are offered differs: Chrome and Firefox have long produced WebM, Safari produces MP4, and newer browsers may offer more, which is why the tool tests the browser instead of assuming. Most phone and tablet browsers cannot capture the screen from a web page at all, and in-app browsers inside messenger apps often block capture and downloads. In those cases the tool hides the recorder and tells you why. This statement is based on documentation, not on tests on every device.
Privacy: what happens to the recording
The picture and sound go from the browser's capture engine to the browser's recorder and into memory in this page. The page contains no code that uploads them, no analytics event for this tool and no storage. The recording exists only until you close or reload the tab. The download link points to a temporary address that exists only in your browser. Take care what you record: a shared screen can show notifications, passwords or private messages, and a recording keeps them.
Frequently asked questions
Is my screen recording uploaded?
No. It is built in your browser's memory and offered to you as a download. The page has no code that sends it anywhere.
Why does the saved file say WebM and not MP4?
The tool uses the first format your browser can record, and many browsers record WebM. The format line shows exactly what was used. No conversion is done.
Can I record a call or a video I am watching?
You can record what is on your own screen. Whether you may keep or share a recording of other people's voices or protected video depends on the rules and laws that apply to you, so ask for permission when others can be heard or seen.
Why is there no recorder on my phone?
Phone browsers generally do not let web pages capture the screen. Use the screen recorder that comes with the phone's operating system.
How long can I record?
There is no fixed limit in the page, but the recording is held in memory, so very long sessions can run out of it. Record in parts if the file gets large.
References
Official documentation used to check this article. Pages are maintained by their owners and may change.
Reviewed against ChatLite's current behavior on .