---
title: "How to record your Chromebook screen"
url: "https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/screen-recording/"
platform: "ChromeOS"
section: "Chromebook"
updated: "2026-09-15"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
attribution: "screenshot-laptop.com"
shortcuts:
  - "Ctrl + Shift + Show windows"
---

# How to record your Chromebook screen

*Screen recording is built into the same toolbar as screenshots, one icon to the right. No extension needed.*

URL: https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/screen-recording/

## The short answer

- `Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Show windows` — Open the toolbar
- Click the camcorder icon — Switch from photo to video
- Red dot in the shelf — Click to stop recording

## Recording

1. Press `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Show windows`.
2. Click the **camcorder** icon to switch out of photo mode.
3. Pick full screen, window or region.
4. Click **Record**. A three-second countdown runs.
5. 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](https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/partial-screenshot/).

## 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.

> A Powerwash erases Downloads. Anything in Downloads only is one factory reset away from gone.

Stills work through the same toolbar, described on [the Chromebook page](https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/).

## Questions

**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.