How to Record Your Screen Online — Free Guide
Recording your screen online takes less than a minute — no software to install, no account, no payment. This guide walks through every step, from picking what to share to downloading your video, and it states the honest limits up front: it works on a desktop computer in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, and phone browsers cannot record the screen from a website.
How to record your screen in 5 steps
- Open the recorder on a desktop computer. Go to the free online screen recorder in desktop Chrome, Edge or Firefox. No install and no sign-up are needed.
- Press Start recording. If you want your voice in the video too, tick Include microphone first. If the microphone is refused, the screen recording still goes ahead and the page says so plainly.
- Pick what to share. Your browser shows a share box with three choices: Entire Screen (everything on your monitor), Window (one app window) or a browser Tab (one tab only). Tick the audio option — Chrome calls it "Share system audio" — to record the sound from a tab or an app as well.
- Record, pause and resume. A live timer counts up and you see a live preview of what is being captured. Press Pause to take a break and Resume to carry on — the timer keeps the true recorded time.
- Stop and download. Press Stop, or Stop sharing in your browser. You get a playback preview, the length and file size, and a real .webm video file to download. There is no watermark and no time limit.
Entire screen, window or tab — which should I pick?
| Choice | What is recorded | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Entire Screen | Everything on your monitor, including the taskbar and notifications | Showing a full workflow across several apps |
| Window | One app window only, even if you switch to another app | Recording one program without showing the rest of your desktop |
| Tab | One browser tab only, with its sound if you tick the audio option | Recording a video, a meeting or a web demo cleanly |
Tip: pick Tab when you only need one web page — it keeps notifications and other windows out of the video, and it is the choice that most reliably offers system audio.
How to record with audio
There are two kinds of audio. System audio is the sound coming from a tab or an app — a video playing, a meeting, a game. Tick the audio option in the browser's share box to include it (Chrome calls it "Share system audio" and shows it at the bottom of the box when you pick a tab or a window). Microphone audio is your own voice: tick Include microphone on this page before you press Start. You can use both at once. If the microphone is refused, the screen recording still goes ahead and the page says so — you never lose the recording because of a microphone problem.
How to record a phone screen
No website can do this — phone browsers simply do not offer screen capture to web pages. Use the recorder built into your phone instead. iPhone: go to Settings, then Control Centre, and add Screen Recording; then open Control Centre and tap the record button (hold it to turn the microphone on or off). Android: swipe down twice to open Quick Settings and tap Screen Record (on some phones it is under the edit/pencil button first). The video is saved to your Photos or Gallery app. This site tells you so plainly on a phone instead of showing a fake Start button.
Tips for a good recording
- Close what you do not need. Close private tabs, messages and notifications before you start, so nothing personal appears in the video.
- Record in parts. There is no time limit, but very long recordings make large files — stop and download in parts for a long session.
- Test the sound first. Do a short 10-second test recording and play it back before a long one, so you know the audio is working.
- Try the demo first. The demo recording on the home page records an animated test pattern, not your screen — it shows you exactly how recording, playback and download work on any device.
Frequently asked questions
Can I record my screen on a phone?
No — not from a website. Phone browsers (iPhone and Android) do not expose screen capture to web pages, so no online screen recorder can record a phone's screen. Use your phone's built-in recorder instead: on iPhone, add Screen Recording in Settings, then start it from Control Centre; on Android, start Screen Record from Quick Settings. This site tells you so plainly on a phone instead of showing a fake Start button.
How do I record only one window or one tab?
When you press Start recording, your browser shows a share box with three choices: Entire Screen, Window, or a browser Tab (Chrome calls the tab choice "Chrome Tab"). Pick Window to record one app window, or Tab to record one browser tab — the recording then shows only that window or tab, even if you switch to something else.
How do I record the sound as well?
In the browser's share box, tick the audio option — Chrome calls it "Share system audio" and shows it at the bottom of the box (it appears when you pick a tab or a window). To add your own voice, also switch on "Include microphone" on this page before you start. If the microphone is refused, the screen recording still goes ahead and the page says so.
How long can I record for?
There is no time limit on this site. You can record for as long as you like — the only real limit is your computer's memory, because the video is held in your browser until you download it. Very long recordings make large files, so for a long session, stop and download in parts.
What if I cancel the share box by mistake?
Nothing is recorded, and the page says so honestly: "Screen capture was cancelled — nothing was recorded." Just press Start recording again and pick what to share. Cancelling never creates a fake or empty video.
Where does my recording go?
Nowhere — it stays on your own computer. The video is made in your browser and is never uploaded to any server. When you press Stop, you can watch the playback preview and download the real .webm file to your computer.
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