Webcam recorder

Often you don't need a video-call app or an editor – just a quick recording. That's exactly what the webcam recorder does: it runs in your browser, there's nothing to install, no account, and you can download the result straight away.

• Video messages: a birthday greeting, a thank-you, a quick status update for colleagues.
• Job applications: many companies ask for a short intro video – here you can retake it until you're happy.
• Teaching: quick explainer videos for teachers and coaches, recorded oral assignments for students.
• Practice: rehearse a talk, a presentation or an interview and review your own body language.
• Camera check: see how your picture looks and your voice sounds before an important call.

Resolution. 720p (1280×720) gives smaller files and nearly every laptop camera supports it. 1080p (1920×1080) is sharper, but many built-in cameras can't do it – in that case the tool shows the size your camera actually delivers and records at that.

Format. Where the browser can, we record MP4 directly (recent Chrome, Edge and Safari can). Elsewhere it records WebM, which you can turn into MP4 with one click afterwards – that happens in the browser too, using its built-in video encoder.

Mirroring. The preview is mirrored by default because that feels natural: move right and your image moves right. The recording, though, is saved the way others see you, so text on your T-shirt or in the background stays readable. If you do want a mirrored recording, switch on “Mirror the recording too”.

• Light from the front: face a window or a lamp. With light behind you, your face goes dark and the camera produces a noisier picture.
• Camera at eye level: stack a few books under the laptop so you aren't filmed from below.
• Look at the camera, not the screen: viewers will feel you're talking to them.
• A quiet room: the built-in microphone hears everything. The browser's noise suppression reduces echo and hum, but silence works best.
• A headset microphone often sounds clearer than the laptop's – if you have more than one mic, pick it from the list.
• Do a quick test: record five seconds, watch it back, then record the real thing.

The first time, your browser asks whether the page may use your camera and microphone. If you clicked Block by accident, re-allow it with the lock or camera icon next to the address bar.

• “Another app is using the camera”: close the video call (Teams, Zoom, Meet) or the camera app – on Windows only one program can use the camera at a time.
• No camera found: check it's connected and not covered or switched off (some laptops disable it with a key or a physical switch).
• On a phone the front camera is the default; switch to the rear one in the camera list if your browser lists it.

To record your screen use the screen recorder; for audio only, the voice recorder.

You can watch the finished video right away in the player. If you don't like it, click “New recording” and start again – the old take only survives if you download it.

If a few seconds need to come off the start or end, use the video trimmer. If you want to email it and it's too big, compress video for email shrinks it below the mail providers' limits. If you only need the sound, video to MP3 extracts it.

Your camera picture and microphone audio never leave your device: the browser records them in memory and you download the result from there. We don't see it, store it or upload it anywhere. If you close the tab without downloading, the recording is gone. The camera stops instantly with “Turn off camera” or when you close the tab.