How Browser Screen Recording Works
Modern browsers expose two Web APIs this tool relies on entirely: Screen Capture API (getDisplayMedia()), which lets a page request a live video stream of your screen, window, or tab with your explicit consent each time - and MediaRecorder, which encodes that stream into a video file in real time as you record.
Because both APIs run natively in the browser, no plugin, extension, or server upload is required - the recorded data stays as an in-memory video blob on your device until you choose to download it.
Permissions Explained
Every time you click Start Recording, your browser shows its own native picker asking exactly what to share - your entire screen, one application window, or one browser tab - and whether to include that source's audio. You can revoke sharing at any time using your browser's own recording indicator, which immediately stops the recording.
If you enable "Also record microphone audio," a second, separate permission prompt asks for microphone access - you can deny this and continue recording with just the screen/tab audio, or no audio at all.
WEBM vs GIF - Which Should You Use?
| Format | Best for | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| WEBM | Full-length recordings, screen sharing, archiving | Smaller file size than GIF, but not universally embeddable everywhere |
| GIF | Short clips for chat apps, READMEs, social posts | Larger file size for the same duration, no audio, capped length for practical file size |
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes - your browser's sharing picker lets you choose "Window" and select any open application window instead of the full screen.
No hard limit on the WEBM recording itself - it's limited only by your device's available memory. GIF conversion samples only the first 10 seconds to keep the output file a reasonable size.
Most mobile browsers don't implement the Screen Capture API for web pages, so this tool is intended for desktop browsers.