SCREEN RECORDER GUIDE
A good recording starts with a simple setup.
Use a desktop browser, close anything you do not want to show, and make a short test before recording a full demonstration.
1. Choose your recording options
- Microphone: turn this on to narrate. Check the level meter once recording begins.
- Tab / computer audio: turn this on if your demonstration includes sound. The browser must also offer and allow audio sharing for your selected source.
- Webcam overlay: add your camera in one of four corners. Keep the recorder page visible for the smoothest overlay; background tabs can slow canvas-based composition.
- Quality: 1080p is a good target for readable software demonstrations. 720p reduces file size. The selected screen and browser determine the actual resolution.
- Format: Auto selects MP4 when supported, otherwise WebM. A format that your browser cannot record will prevent starting until you change it.
Device choice: expand Choose microphone / camera to list and choose enabled devices. Refresh briefly accesses them with permission, then stops them. You can also give the recording a recognizable name before starting.
Microphone check: use Test microphone to record up to ten seconds and listen before a full session. The test is temporary and checks microphone narration only.
2. Decide where to save
Browser-save mode keeps completed recording chunks in local browser storage. After stopping, preview and download the recording. Saved recordings appear on the home page until you remove them or clear this site’s browser data. Private-browsing sessions may clear data when closed.
Save directly to a file is shown when supported. Choose the destination before starting. The browser writes recording data to the selected file during the session and finalizes it when you stop. Keep the page open until it confirms that saving is complete. An interrupted direct-file session may not be finalized or recoverable.
3. Start and choose what to share
Click Start recording. Use your browser’s sharing dialog to choose a tab, application window or screen. You must approve sharing each time. If you enabled microphone or webcam, allow the relevant device prompts too.
| Choose | Best for |
|---|---|
| Browser tab | A website or presentation; tab audio may be offered. |
| Application window | One program without showing your whole desktop. |
| Entire screen | A demonstration that moves between programs. |
4. Record, pause and stop
After the countdown, the timer starts. Pause leaves your screen and devices connected but excludes the paused period from the recording. Resume when ready. Mute microphone silences narration without pausing the screen or shared audio. Click Stop & save, or use your browser’s Stop sharing control to finish.
The recorder tab must stay open. Computer sleep, device disconnection and browser crashes can interrupt recording. Start with a 10-second test to verify picture, sound and format.
Expand Keyboard controls to enable optional page shortcuts for pause/resume, microphone mute and stop/save. They only work while this page has focus and ignore editable fields and menus. With a webcam enabled, use the live controls to hide/show it or move it to another corner during recording.
5. Preview and download
Play the recording and confirm that narration and any shared audio are present. Use Download recording to keep a copy on your computer. A browser-saved copy remains available on this device until you remove it. Direct-file mode already saves to your selected destination; downloading again creates another copy.
Preview playback speed changes playback only; your download keeps its original speed. Close preview pauses the player and releases its page-held video URL while keeping saved copies. The recording controls guide explains the controls and shortcuts.
Manage saved recordings
Search the local list by file name and sort by newest, name or largest. Rename changes the saved download name. In supported browsers, Save to file exports one stored chunk at a time without loading a whole-video preview. For recordings larger than 256 MB, automatic preview is skipped and loading a preview requires confirmation.
Request storage protection asks your browser to reduce automatic eviction. Keep display awake requests screen wake lock while supported and visible; it cannot override every sleep or locking setting. See the long-recording guide for details.
Refresh list updates the local library. Supported current-version tabs coordinate actions so a recording or export in another tab cannot be renamed or removed here until it finishes. Older tabs or unsupported browsers may not participate. Saving status shows the most recent written chunk and pending data.
Recovering an interrupted recording
Reopen this site in the same browser profile. Under Saved on this device, choose Preview / recover. The tool can recover chunks that finished saving before interruption, but cannot restore data that never reached storage. Missing chunks or a byte mismatch produce a partial-recovery warning. If no media chunks remain, the tool reports that no saved media is available. Recovery does not reconstruct missing footage, and an interrupted file is not guaranteed to play.
Troubleshooting
- No microphone sound: check microphone permission, the selected system input and the level meter. Headphones reduce echo.
- No computer sound: try sharing a browser tab and selecting its audio-sharing checkbox. System audio varies by computer and browser.
- Storage full: download and remove saved recordings, or choose direct-file mode in a supported browser. Available browser capacity is an estimate.
- Jerky webcam overlay: keep the recording page visible, reduce quality or frame rate, or record without the overlay.
- Cannot preview a download: check whether it is MP4 or WebM and use a compatible player. Renaming the extension does not convert the file.
- Screen capture unavailable: use a supported desktop browser over HTTPS. Mobile devices should use their built-in screen recorder.
For a typical walkthrough, start with 1080p, 30 fps, microphone on, Auto format and a three-second countdown. Use direct-file saving for long sessions when available.