Softonic

Screen Recorder

Step 1 / 3 Choose audio

The browser decides which capture-audio choices are available. Microphone access is requested separately only when you enable it.

This browser-based recorder asks you to choose a tab, window or screen from the sources your browser offers. You can request microphone access when you enable it, and the browser may offer capture audio for the selected source. Audio availability depends on the source, operating system and browser. The recording stays in browser memory until you download the WebM clip, with no account or upload.

How to record your screen

  1. 1

    Pick a source

    Browser tab (for web demos), application window (for a single app) or entire screen (for cross-app flows).

  2. 2

    Choose audio options

    Optionally enable Include microphone and grant the separate microphone permission. The share picker may offer capture audio for the selected source; availability varies by source, operating system and browser.

  3. 3

    Start recording

    Click Start recording, then choose a source in the browser prompt. The browser shows a sharing indicator while capture is live.

  4. 4

    Stop and download

    Click Stop, or end sharing in the browser. The tool prepares a local WebM download and stops at its 20-minute or 500 MB safety limit.

Recording tips for clean screencasts

The recording API does the heavy lifting. The quality you get back depends almost entirely on the setup before you hit start.

Source comparison

Source Best for Check before recording
Browser tab Web app demos Browser chrome and capture-audio choices vary by browser.
Application window A walkthrough of one app System dialogs and notifications can still appear, depending on the operating system.
Entire screen Cross-app flows, terminal and browser Notifications, menu bars and other displays can be visible.

Output file notes

  • File type: .webm. The tool uses a WebM recording format that the browser reports as supported.
  • Video and audio: Codec, audio tracks, resolution and frame rate depend on the selected source, browser and operating system. The 30 fps setting is only a request.
  • Safety limit: Recording stops at 20 minutes or 500 MB, whichever comes first. Chunks remain in browser memory until the recording stops.
  • Conversion: If you need MP4, convert the downloaded file locally with ffmpeg -i input.webm output.mp4.

Tips for a clean recording

  • Clean the desktop. Hide notifications, close chat windows, quit Dock bouncers.
  • Match window size to output. If the viewer watches in 1080p, record at 1080p to avoid soft scaling.
  • Use a headset mic. Laptop mics pick up keyboard clacks and room echo.
  • Do one take. Short clips (under 2 min) are easier to re-record than to edit.
  • Zoom into UI details with browser zoom (cmd/ctrl +) rather than editing later, sharper text, smaller file.
  • Sanitise sensitive info, tokens in the URL bar, private Slack channels, customer data. Blur in post or redo the take.

Browser support

Screen capture requires HTTPS, a user click, and a browser with getDisplayMedia and MediaRecorder support. This tool is intended for current desktop Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Source and audio choices vary by browser and operating system; use a native recorder on unsupported mobile browsers.

Frequently Asked Questions

It may be available. The tool requests capture audio, but the browser returns an audio track only when the selected source, operating system, browser and share-picker choice permit it. Include microphone separately requests microphone permission.

Use ffmpeg -i recording.webm -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4 locally. An online converter can also work, but uploading a file there sends a copy to that provider.

This tool stops at 20 minutes or 500 MB, whichever comes first. Recording chunks stay in browser memory, so use short segments or a desktop recorder for longer sessions.

No. The screen stream and recording chunks remain in browser memory, and this tool makes no recording-upload request. Clicking Download saves the resulting file locally.

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