Use the Built-in Screen Recorder
The “Screen capture” toolbar will now appear at the bottom middle of your screen. Alternatively, you can get to the same screen by clicking on Ctrl + Shift + . Note that if you want or need to record with the microphone, tap on the Settings icon toward the right side of this toolbar to reveal a “Record microphone” toggle switch. As soon as the recording ends, a notification appears indicating that the recording is available in your “Downloads” folder or wherever you have preset screenshots to automatically save. From here you can view, delete or move the video.
The Downside of Using the Native Screen Recorder
For the most part, the Chromebook recording process is pretty basic and does exactly what you need. The biggest downside is the format with which the recordings are encoded: WebM. This free video format is a Google-sponsored format, but while free and compatible with most desktop and web video players, it’s not nearly as friendly to use as .mp4 files. Fortunately, sites like CloudConvert exist (it’s a personal favorite) and can make quick work of WebM files.
Use a Third-Party App
If the default recording option is too minimal, you can look to third-party alternatives for a better overall recording experience. That’s where Awesome Screenshot can help. Universally regarded as one of the better screen-recording Chrome extensions, Awesome Screenshot adds some useful features the native method doesn’t currently offer.
1. Will these options differ depending on which Chromebook I own?
No, ChromeOS is pretty device-agnostic, and both the native and Chrome extension option (Awesome Screenshot) should be the same, no matter which Chromebook model you own. As long as your Chromebook is on ChromeOS 89 and later, you should be able to follow the above instructions with ease.
2. How long can you screen record on your Chromebook?
This is hinted at above, but essentially, you can screen record until you run out of space. That’s true for both the local and cloud storage options. Of course, you can switch to Google Drive if you are low on local space, but again, your screen record limit is how much free space you have available.
3. Is there anything I can’t screen record with a Chromebook?
No, the only limits are those that you set. If you want to record an entire lecture or class from school, you can. Of course, screen recording a newly-released movie and distributing it around the Internet comes with a different set of concerns, but you can screen record all the same.
