How to record your Chromebook screen
Screen recording is built into the same toolbar as screenshots, one icon to the right. No extension needed.
The short answer
- Ctrl + Shift + Show windowsOpen the toolbar
- Click the camcorder iconSwitch from photo to video
- Red dot in the shelfClick to stop recording
Recording#
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Show windows.
- Click the camcorder icon to switch out of photo mode.
- Pick full screen, window or region.
- Click Record. A three-second countdown runs.
- To stop, click the red circle at the right end of the shelf.
The file goes to Downloads as a WebM, alongside anything you captured with the region and window tools.
Audio#
The toolbar's settings gear has a microphone toggle, off by default. Turn it on before you start — there's no way to add narration afterwards, and there's no warning that it's off.
ChromeOS records the system's own audio automatically when you record, so a video playing in a tab will be captured with its sound. That's the opposite of macOS, which needs extra software for system audio.
WebM, and what to do about it#
WebM is efficient and plays fine in Chrome, Google Drive and most modern players. Where it causes trouble:
- Some social platforms reject it on upload.
- PowerPoint and Keynote won't embed it directly.
- Older Windows machines need VLC to open it.
To convert without installing anything, upload to Google Drive and use a conversion web app, or open the file in a Chrome-based video converter. If you need MP4 regularly, a recording extension that outputs MP4 directly saves the step.
Screencast, for longer recordings#
ChromeOS also has a separate app called Screencast, aimed at teaching rather than quick clips. It records your screen and webcam together, adds a drawing layer you can annotate live, and produces an automatic transcript that viewers can search and click to jump to a moment.
Recordings save to Drive rather than Downloads. Overkill for a ten-second bug demo, genuinely good for a lesson or a walkthrough someone will watch more than once.
Keeping file sizes sane#
Screen recording is far heavier than screenshots, and Chromebook local storage is often 32 or 64 GB:
- Record a region rather than the full screen where you can.
- Keep clips under two minutes and record several rather than one long take.
- Move finished recordings to Drive and delete the local copy.
- Check Settings › Device › Storage management if the device starts warning you.
Stills work through the same toolbar, described on the Chromebook page.
Questions people actually ask
Is there a time limit on Chromebook screen recording?
No fixed limit — it runs until you stop it or the device runs out of storage. The practical limit is free space, and ChromeOS will stop the recording rather than fill the disk completely.
Can I record just one tab?
The built-in tool works on windows and regions, not individual tabs. Record the window with only that tab open, or use a Chrome recording extension that offers tab capture.
Does it record my webcam too?
Not with the built-in toolbar. Use Screencast for that, which combines screen and camera in one recording.