How to Screen Record With Audio

Click Screen, share a browser tab (or your entire screen on Windows and ChromeOS) and tick the audio box in the picker. Your microphone records alongside, so you can talk over whatever is playing.

Jump to the step-by-step guide

Online Screen Recorder

ReadyTurn on your camera, mic or screen below

Choose a recording source

Start a new scene from one source or combine screen and camera.

New scene

Turn on your camera or mic above

What “audio” means in a screen recording

Sound in a screen recording comes from up to three places. Tab audio is whatever one browser tab plays, such as a video, a web app or a call in the browser. System audio is everything your computer plays, from any app. Microphone audio is your own voice. The browser decides which of the first two it will hand over, based on what you share and which operating system you’re on.

This guide shows how to capture each one with the recorder above, which combinations work where, and what to check when a recording plays back silent. For the tools that come with your computer, see the guides for Mac, Windows and Chromebook.

How to record your screen with sound

Check Share screen audio

Open the Screen menu and make sure Share screen audio is on. It starts on; when it’s off, the browser’s picker won’t offer any sound.
Allow and test your microphone

Accept the microphone prompt and select the right input in the mic menu. Say a few words and watch the level meter on the mic button respond.
Share something that has sound

Click Screen. Pick a tab and leave its audio option ticked, or on Windows and ChromeOS pick Entire screen and tick the system audio option.
Record a short test take

Press R, let a few seconds of sound play while you speak, then press R again to stop. Play the scene back and listen for both your voice and the screen sound.
Record the real take and download

Once the test sounds right, record for real. Cut the silent ends with the trim handles, then save the scene as MP4 or WebM, or as Audio only if the sound is all you need.

Which sound you can record, by browser and system

Chromium browsers, such as Chrome and Edge, offer the most audio options. What you pick in the share picker matters as much as the browser:

Screen audio support by browser and operating system
Browser and system	Tab audio	Entire screen with system audio	Single window	Microphone
Chrome or Edge on Windows	Yes	Yes	No sound	Yes
Chrome on ChromeOS	Yes	Yes	No sound	Yes
Chrome or Edge on macOS	Yes	No	No sound	Yes
Chrome or Edge on Linux	Yes	Not dependable	No sound	Yes
Firefox or Safari	Not offered	Not offered	No sound	Yes

Sharing a single window never includes sound, whichever browser you use. If the picker shows no audio checkbox at all, either Share screen audio is off in the Screen menu or your browser can’t capture screen sound. Switching to Chrome or Edge solves the second case.

Capture the sound from one tab

Tab audio is the most reliable option, because it behaves the same on every desktop system that runs Chrome or Edge. It’s the right choice for a video, a slideshow with music, a browser game or a meeting you joined in the browser.

Open the content in its own tab and start it playing, so you know it has sound.
Back in recorder.video, click Screen, go to the tab section of the picker and select that tab.
Leave Also share tab audio ticked, then click Share.

The tab keeps playing through your speakers or headphones while it’s shared, so you can hear what you’re capturing. In Chrome you can also move the share to another tab mid-recording: open that tab and click Share this tab instead in the bar at the top.

Record system audio from your whole screen

System audio picks up every sound your computer makes, including desktop apps, notification chimes and calls outside the browser. In Chrome or Edge on Windows, or Chrome on ChromeOS, choose Entire screen in the picker and tick the option to share system audio before you click Share.

Because it takes in everything, silence notifications and close apps that might beep before you start. If the sound you need lives in one tab, sharing just that tab keeps stray noises out.

On a Mac

macOS doesn’t let browsers capture system audio along with the whole screen. Share a tab with its audio instead, which covers anything playing in the browser. Sound from a desktop app needs a separate tool, such as a virtual audio device; the Mac guide explains the built-in limits.

On Linux

Whole-screen sound depends on your browser build and audio setup, so the option may not appear. Sharing a tab with its audio works in Chrome and Edge. For desktop apps, a recorder that reads from your sound server directly, such as OBS Studio, is the usual route; see how to screen record on Linux.

Add your voice with the microphone

Whatever you share, the mic is captured in the same take. Choose a mic in the mic menu, watch its meter to confirm it hears you, and press M to turn it off or on between takes.

Wear headphones when you record screen sound and your voice together. Through speakers, the mic hears the screen audio a second time, a fraction of a second late, which comes across as an echo. Echo cancellation in the mic menu reduces this, but headphones avoid it.

Bluetooth headsets have a catch. On many computers, using the headset’s own microphone switches it to a lower-quality mode, so both your voice and the playback can sound thin. A wired or USB mic, or your computer’s built-in mic with the Bluetooth headphones used only for listening, usually sounds better.

Balance your voice against the screen sound

Select a recorded scene to see its Audio mix, with separate Microphone and Screen audio sliders from 0 to 150%. Play your test take while you move them to hear the difference. They set the balance for your next recording; the test scene’s own download keeps the mix it was recorded with.

Every scene also stores the screen sound and your microphone as separate tracks. Choose Source tracks ZIP from the scene’s menu if you’d rather mix them yourself in a video editor.

Why is my screen recording silent?

The audio box wasn’t ticked

The checkbox in the share picker is easy to miss. If recorder.video shows a “No screen audio” notice after you share, stop sharing, click Screen again and tick the box this time.

You shared a window

Window sharing carries the picture only. Share the tab that’s playing instead, or the entire screen on Windows and ChromeOS.

The screen sound is there but my voice isn’t

Make sure the mic button isn’t muted and that its meter moves when you talk; if it stays flat, pick a different microphone. Your browser may have blocked the mic, which you can undo from the site settings beside the address bar. The browser itself also needs microphone access in your system’s privacy settings: System Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone on a Mac, or Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone on Windows.

The screen sound is very quiet

Turn up the volume inside the video player or app you’re recording, then raise Screen audio in the Audio mix before your next take.

Recording questions

Can I screen record with audio for free?

Yes. recorder.video records your screen, its sound and your microphone in the browser at no cost and with no watermark. Chrome or Edge gives you the most audio options.

How do I record internal audio on my computer?

Internal audio is another name for system audio. On Windows or a Chromebook, share the entire screen and tick system audio in the picker. Browsers on a Mac, and on most Linux setups, don’t offer this, so the closest option there is a tab shared with its sound.

Why is there no sound when I share a window?

Browsers don’t capture sound from individual windows, only from tabs and, on some systems, the entire screen. Share the tab or the whole screen instead.

Can I record a video call with both sides of the conversation?

If the call runs in a browser tab, share that tab with its audio and keep your mic on: the other people come through the tab and you come through the mic. A desktop calling app needs system audio, which works on Windows and ChromeOS. Tell everyone on the call before you start recording.

Can I record only the screen sound, without my voice?

Yes. Mute the mic with M or turn it off before recording, and only the shared sound is kept. Download the scene as Audio only if you just want a sound file.

Which browser is best for recording screen audio?

Chrome or Edge. They share tab audio on every desktop system and system audio on Windows and ChromeOS. Firefox and Safari record the screen and your microphone, but their share pickers don’t offer screen sound.

Is the audio sent anywhere?

No. Screen sound and microphone audio are mixed and saved inside your browser, and none of it goes to a server.

Can I turn the speech in my recording into captions?

Yes. recorder.video can transcribe a scene with an AI model that runs on your computer, so the audio stays on your device. The first transcript takes longer, because the speech model (roughly 75 MB) has to download once. Correct the text, then save an .srt or .vtt file or burn the captions into the video. Read it through first, since automatic captions get words wrong, especially over music.