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A screen recorder for Chrome that needs no extension

recorder.video is a web page, not an extension: open it in Chrome, pick a tab, window or your whole screen, and record with tab audio, your mic and a webcam bubble. Nothing to install, nothing uploaded.

Online Screen Recorder

Free, no sign-up, no watermark. Pick what to record to begin.

What do you want to record?

Pick one to start.

Your browser will ask for permission. Recordings stay on this device, nothing is uploaded.

Pick what to record

Then tap the red button

Record in Chrome without an extension

Chrome can share your screen with any web page you allow, and that’s all a screen recorder needs. recorder.video uses it to capture a tab, a window or the whole display, adds your microphone and webcam, and encodes the video on your computer. It works the same in Microsoft Edge and other Chromium browsers, and on a Chromebook.

Most people searching for a Chrome screen recorder expect to install an extension. You don’t have to. A web page gets access only to what you choose in Chrome’s share picker, only while the tab is open, and it can’t read the other sites you visit. Close the tab and the access is gone.

How to screen record in Chrome

  1. Choose what to record

    Under What do you want to record?, choose Screen + camera for your face in a bubble, or Screen for the screen alone. Allow the camera and mic when Chrome asks.

  2. Pick a tab, window or screen

    Chrome’s picker opens. Choose a tab (with Also share tab audio on), a window, or Entire screen (on Windows and ChromeOS, tick Share system audio for the computer’s sound), then click Share.

  3. Record, stop and download

    Press Start recording or R, pause with P, and click Stop. Drag the yellow trim handles if you need to, then click Download MP4. The arrow beside it offers Video only, Audio only, Audio as WAV and a GIF.

Tab, window or entire screen

What each Chrome share option records
Option Records Computer sound
A Chrome tab One web page, without toolbars or notificationsYes, with Also share tab audio
Window One app window, wherever you move itNo
Entire screen Everything on one displayWindows and ChromeOS, with Share system audio; not on a Mac

Pick a tab for web apps, demos and calls in the browser: it’s the tidiest picture and the only way to get sound on a Mac. Pick a window for a desktop app. Pick the entire screen when you’ll move between several apps. recorder.video leaves its own tab out of the list so you can’t record the recorder.

Record tab audio and your microphone together

With a tab shared and tab audio on, whatever the page plays is recorded, and your voice comes in through the Mic. The meter on the Mic button shows your level before you start. Balance the two under Volume in Adjust sound and framing, and press M to mute yourself before a take if you only want the tab’s sound.

If the share starts without sound, recorder.video tells you, so you don’t find out after a long take. The guide to screen recording with audio covers every combination, and recording a single browser tab goes deeper on tabs.

Extension or web page: what’s the difference?

Screen recording extensions usually ask for permission to “read and change” data on the sites you visit, and they keep that access for as long as they’re installed, updating themselves in the background. Many also upload recordings to the developer’s servers so they can give you a link.

A web recorder works the other way round. It sees only the tab, window or screen you pick each time, and only while it’s recording. recorder.video keeps takes in your browser’s own storage and never uploads them; when you’re done, you download the file. There’s nothing to update, nothing to remove, and it works in any desktop Chromium browser, including on a work computer where you can’t install extensions.

What an extension can do that a page can’t: start from the toolbar on any site without opening a tab. If that matters, keep recorder.video pinned as a tab, or install it as an app from Chrome’s address bar where Chrome offers it.

Keep the controls in view while you record

When you share a tab and go to it, recorder.video moves to the background. Chrome and Edge can float your camera in a picture-in-picture window with pause and stop buttons, so you don’t have to come back. Keyboard shortcuts such as R and P work while the recorder is the tab in front, and Chrome’s sharing bar has its own stop button.

Screen record on a Chromebook

Chrome on a Chromebook works the same way, and ChromeOS has its own Screen capture tool as well. The Chromebook screen recording guide compares the two, including how to record your Chromebook’s sound.

Recording questions

Does Chrome have a built-in screen recorder?

Chrome itself doesn’t, but it lets web pages capture a tab, window or screen when you allow it. recorder.video uses that, so you can record in Chrome without installing anything. ChromeOS also has a Screen capture tool.

Is a screen recorder extension safe?

Some are, but they often need broad access to the sites you visit and keep it while installed. A web recorder only sees what you share, and only while recording, which is a smaller risk.

Can I record a Chrome tab with sound?

Yes. Pick the tab in Chrome’s picker and leave Also share tab audio on. Your microphone can be recorded at the same time.

Is there a watermark or time limit?

No watermark, and no time limit beyond the storage your browser gives the site. You can set the recorder to stop by itself after a chosen time in More > Settings.

Does it work in Microsoft Edge?

Yes. Edge is built on the same engine as Chrome and offers the same tab, window and screen choices, tab audio included.

What format does it save?

MP4 where Chrome can encode it, which recent versions do, otherwise WebM. The download menu also offers video only, audio only, a WAV, a short GIF and separate tracks.

Other ways to record