Plenty of everyday tasks need a short video of yourself: a self-introduction for a job application, a video answer for a class, a message for a relative's birthday, or a quick test of how your camera and lighting look before an important call. Opening a video editor or a social app for that is more ceremony than the job deserves.
This page records from any camera your browser can use, including a laptop's built-in webcam, a USB camera or a phone's front or back camera. You can preview the picture before recording, choose a resolution, include your microphone and download the result as WebM or MP4. The video is recorded inside the browser and never leaves your device.
What happens when a website records your camera
A web page cannot switch on a camera by itself. The first time you press Turn on camera or Start recording, the browser asks whether this site may use your camera and microphone, and it shows an indicator for as long as they are on. If you refuse, nothing is captured and the tool explains how to allow access in the site settings. Turning the camera off, starting a new recording or leaving the page releases the devices again.
Once access is granted, the browser's MediaRecorder encodes the live picture and sound into a file while you record. WebM is the default; Safari, including on iPhone and iPad, and recent Chrome can also record MP4 directly. If you pick MP4 in a browser that can only record WebM, the tool makes an MP4 copy after you stop, using the site's video converter.
Good uses for a quick webcam recording
Video introductions and applications
Schools, recruiters and volunteer programmes increasingly ask for a one or two minute video. Recording it here lets you retake it as often as you like before sending the version you are happy with.
Messages and greetings
A recorded message for someone you cannot call live, or a contribution to a group birthday video, can be filmed in a minute and sent as an ordinary MP4.
Checking camera, framing and light
Before a job interview or a livestream, a short test recording shows exactly how you will appear to others, which a mirrored live preview does not.
Settings and what they do
Resolution offers 480p, 720p and 1080p, with 720p selected at first. The browser asks the camera for that size and uses the nearest mode it supports, so an older webcam may deliver 720p even when 1080p is chosen. When more than one camera is available, a Camera menu lets you switch between them, which is how you pick the rear camera on a phone. Microphone is on by default and uses echo cancellation and noise suppression; turn it off for a silent clip. Changing a setting while the camera is on reopens it with the new choice.
Mirror the preview flips only what you see on screen, the way a mirror would, which most people find natural. The recording itself is not flipped, so text on a shirt or a sign behind you reads correctly to viewers. During recording the panel shows the time, the file size so far and an input level for the microphone, and you can pause and resume. When you choose MP4 and the browser cannot record it directly, the converter, about 31 MB, downloads the first time and the WebM stays available as a second download.
Cómo usar esta herramienta
- Choose a Resolution and a Format (WebM or MP4), and decide whether Microphone should be on.
- Press Turn on camera and allow access when the browser asks. Check your framing in the preview and pick another camera from the Camera menu if needed.
- Press Start recording. Pause and Resume if you need a moment, then press Stop.
- Watch the recording and download it, or press New recording to try again.
Limitations
- The actual resolution and frame rate depend on your camera; the tool cannot get more detail than the camera delivers.
- Mobile browsers usually record only while the page stays open in the foreground. Locking the phone or switching apps can stop the camera.
- There are no filters, background blur or overlays; the recording shows the camera's picture as it is.
- Recordings are kept in memory until you download them, so long high-resolution sessions need plenty of free memory.