How to Record Your Screen in Chrome or Edge Without an Extension (2026)

You can record your screen in Chrome without an extension by opening a browser-based recorder, choosing a tab, window or your whole screen in Chrome’s share picker, and clicking Share. Chrome asks for permission and captures the screen itself, so nothing gets installed. The same steps work in Microsoft Edge.

Below we cover that browser-only method step by step (we use Showplain, the recorder we make), plus the free tools already built into Windows and macOS, and the small settings that make a recording clear the first time.

Can you record your screen in Chrome without an extension?

Yes. Desktop Chrome has no record button of its own, but it has a built-in screen capture permission that any website can request. When a recorder asks, Chrome shows a picker with three choices: a Chrome tab, a window, or your entire screen. You pick one, Chrome starts sharing it with that page, and the page turns it into a video.

That is why a browser screen recorder needs no download and no extension: Chrome does the capture. Microsoft Edge is built on the same engine, so it works the same way.

How to record your screen in Chrome without an extension (step by step)

Here is the full flow with Showplain. Other browser recorders follow similar steps, but the details after you stop will differ.

1. Open Showplain in Chrome or Edge on your computer. Go to showplain.com and create a free account. New accounts get 14 days of Pro free, and no card is needed.
2. Start a new recording and choose what to capture. Pick screen only, camera only, or screen and camera together.
3. Allow your camera and microphone. The browser asks once. Check that the right microphone is selected (more on that below), then click Allow.
4. Pick a tab, window or entire screen. Chrome opens its share picker. Choose the option that fits (see the next section) and click Share.
5. Talk through what you are showing. If you turned the camera on, your face sits in a small camera bubble over your screen. You can pause at any time if you need to open something or collect your thoughts, then carry on.
6. Stop the recording. Showplain uploads while you record, so the share link is copied to your clipboard as soon as you stop. Paste it into Slack, email, a ticket or a chat.
7. Let the AI take the notes. When someone opens the link, they see the video with a transcript, a short summary and key points next to it. Pro adds clickable chapters and action items. Viewers do not need an account.

On the Free plan you can record up to 15 minutes per video and share links work for 90 days. Pro raises that to 60 minutes per recording, kept forever. The pricing page has the full comparison.

Tab, window or entire screen: which should you pick?

If you have two monitors, “Entire screen” asks which one. Pick the one where you will actually work.

Record your screen and webcam in the browser

A camera bubble makes a recording feel like a conversation instead of a slideshow. To record your screen and webcam in the browser at the same time, choose screen and camera when you start in Showplain. Your face appears in a round bubble on top of your screen and is recorded as part of the video.

Sit facing a window or a lamp (not with a bright window behind you), and raise the camera to eye level. A stack of books under a laptop works.

How to screen record in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge uses the same share picker as Chrome, so the steps above work as written: open the recorder in Edge, allow camera and microphone, choose a tab, window or entire screen, and click Share.

One thing that confuses people: Edge has its own Screenshot tool (Ctrl + Shift + S, or Screenshot in the menu). It captures still images of a page, not video. For a video in Edge, use a browser recorder or the Windows tools below.

Built-in options: record without any new tool

If you only need a video file, Windows and macOS already include a free recorder. To share the result, you upload the file somewhere and send that link.

Windows 11: Snipping Tool

1. Press Windows + Shift + R (or open Snipping Tool and switch from Snip to Record).
2. Drag to select the area of the screen you want to record.
3. Turn on the microphone toggle if you want to talk over it.
4. Select Start, and Stop when you are done.
5. The video saves automatically to Videos > Screen Recordings.

Steps from Microsoft’s Snipping Tool guide.

Windows: Xbox Game Bar

Press Windows + G to open the Game Bar over an app, then click the record button (or press Windows + Alt + R to start and stop). Clips save as MP4 files in Videos > Captures. It was made for games: it records one app at a time and does not work on the desktop or in File Explorer, according to Dell’s support guide. Snipping Tool is usually the better choice for work.

macOS: Screenshot toolbar (Shift + Command + 5)

1. Press Shift + Command + 5.
2. Choose Record Entire Screen, Record Selected Portion, or (on macOS Tahoe 26 or later) Record Selected Window.
3. Click Options to pick a microphone, a save location and a timer. Recording system audio needs macOS 27 or later.
4. Click Record.
5. To stop, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command + Control + Esc.
6. The recording saves as a .mov file on your desktop by default.

Steps from Apple’s support article. QuickTime Player (File > New Screen Recording) does the same job.

Which method should you use?

Tips for a clean recording

Check your microphone first. Laptops often list two or three microphones (built-in, headset, webcam). When the browser asks for permission, check which one it picked, then record ten seconds and play it back.

Share a tab’s audio when you need it. If you want the sound from a video or app playing in a browser tab, choose the Chrome tab option and leave the tab audio switch on in the picker before you click Share. Chrome offers audio for tabs on every desktop system, but it only offers system audio for the entire screen on Windows and ChromeOS (Addpipe’s breakdown). Do a short test, because not every recorder keeps that sound.

Turn off notifications. A chat message popping up mid-demo is distracting and can leak private details. Turn on Do not disturb in Windows notification settings or Do Not Disturb in the macOS Control Center before you start. Sharing a single tab avoids most of this too.

Clean up what is on screen. Close tabs you do not want people to see, hide your bookmarks bar if it is busy, and zoom the page to 110% or 125% so text is readable on a small window.

Keep it short. Say what you will show in the first sentence. Most updates and walkthroughs fit in two to five minutes.

Is a browser-only recorder right for you?

A browser recorder is a good fit when you want to send a video quickly, or you are on a work laptop where you cannot install software. Be aware of the limits. Showplain works in Chrome and Microsoft Edge on a computer only. It does not record on phones, and Safari and Firefox are not supported. It also has no editor, so if you need to trim, add music or build a polished marketing video, a desktop app or a full editor is a better tool. Our guide to Loom alternatives compares those options.

Where it shines is what happens after you stop. Your viewers get a written summary and transcript next to the video, so they can read it in 30 seconds instead of watching all of it. Read more about how that works in our guide to screen recordings with a transcript and summary, or see how to use it for bug report videos and async video updates.