# How to record your screen without installing anything

> Why browser-based recording needs no installation, and what you give up compared with a desktop app.

Source: https://www.screen-recording-software.com/guides/record-without-installing-software
Category: Tasks

Screen capture is part of the web platform itself, not something bolted on. Any page can ask your browser for a display, which is why nothing needs downloading.

## How it works

The browser exposes an API called getDisplayMedia. A page asks for a screen, the browser shows its own picker, and if you agree the page receives a video stream. MediaRecorder turns that stream into a file, in memory.

## What you gain

Nothing to install, nothing to update, no account, and the recording never leaves your machine unless you send it somewhere yourself.

## What you give up

Desktop apps can record a selected region, keep recording across a reboot, write directly to disk instead of memory, and capture system audio on any platform. Long recordings are where that gap bites. A web page can do none of those.