TapeBoothHow to screen record on a Chromebook
A Chromebook can record its screen in two ways. ChromeOS's own Screen capture tool is fine for a quick clip. For a lesson or a walkthrough with your face, your voice, drawings and some editing, use a recorder in Chrome. Here are both.
The quick way: ChromeOS Screen capture
ChromeOS has a built-in Screen capture tool that can record the screen, needs nothing installed, and is fine for a quick clip. Its menus and shortcuts vary by ChromeOS version, so follow Google's Chromebook Help article on screen capture for the steps on your device.
It doesn't add your webcam as a bubble, let you draw on the page, or cut a mistake out of the middle afterwards. For that, use a recorder in Chrome.
With your webcam, voice and an editor: TapeBooth
TapeBooth is a free Chrome extension that runs in Chrome on Chromebooks, as on Windows and Mac (Chrome 126 or newer). It records a tab, a window or the whole screen, with a webcam bubble and your microphone, and the video stays on the Chromebook.
- Add TapeBooth to Chrome. A welcome page opens.
- Choose Allow camera & microphone, and when Chrome asks, Allow on every visit. You can skip this if you only want to record the screen.
- Pin TapeBooth so its button is always in reach: click the puzzle piece in Chrome's toolbar, then the pin next to TapeBooth.
- Go to the tab you want to record and click the TapeBooth button. Choose This tab, Window or screen or Camera only, and switch your camera and microphone on or off.
- Press Start recording. Chrome asks what to share; pick it and choose Share. A 3-second countdown runs, then you're recording.
- Use the controls to pause or hide your camera, and in This tab mode to draw on the page. Press Stop when you're done.
- The editor opens. Trim the ends, cut out a middle part, or blur something private, then choose Export for an MP4 or a GIF. It downloads to your Downloads folder.
Shortcut: Alt+Shift+R starts recording with your last settings and stops it again. Alt+Shift+P pauses.
Getting the sound right
- Your voice: turn on the microphone in TapeBooth. A live meter shows it's working, and the controls warn you if the mic seems silent.
- A video or website's sound: record in This tab mode and keep the tab sound option on in Chrome's sharing dialog.
- Everything the Chromebook plays: choose Window or screen, share the entire screen, and turn on the system sound option. ChromeOS supports this.
When both are on, TapeBooth mixes your microphone with the tab or system sound into one track.
Tips for school Chromebooks
- Storage: a 1080p recording takes about 2.3 GB an hour. For long lessons on a small drive, pick 720p in TapeBooth's quality menu, which uses about half that. The Library shows how much space recordings use.
- Exporting takes time: recordings are saved as WebM, and MP4 export re-encodes the video. On a slower Chromebook that can take a few minutes for a long recording; the dialog tells you how long before it starts.
- Managed devices: if your school manages your Chromebook, an administrator may decide which extensions you can add and whether the camera is allowed. Ask them if the Web Store or the camera is blocked.
- Privacy: nothing is uploaded and there's no account to create, so students' faces and names stay on the device. Use blur before sharing anything.