How to Record Your Screen With Audio (System Sound + Mic)
A silent screen recording only tells half the story. Here's how to capture your microphone, your system audio, or both — cleanly, in the browser.
On this page
A screen recording without sound asks the viewer to guess what you meant. Add your voice, and a two-minute walkthrough carries tone, emphasis, and the little "click here, not there" asides that a silent capture can't. Getting audio right is mostly about knowing which of the two kinds you actually need.
Two kinds of audio, and when you need each
- Microphone — for narration: walkthroughs, feedback, onboarding, anything you talk over
- System audio — the sound coming from your computer: demoing a video, an app's alerts, or a call
- Both together — narrating over something that also makes sound, like reviewing a video with commentary
The browser asks permission for each source separately — the same screen-and-audio capture API that powers in-browser recording — so you're always in control of what's being picked up.
Recording your microphone
Enable your mic before you start, pick the right input if you have more than one, and do a quick two-second test. Most "bad audio" is just a forgotten built-in mic when a headset was plugged in, or a room with too much echo.
Capturing system audio
When you share a browser tab, you can include that tab's audio — ideal for demoing a video or a web app's sounds. Full-screen and window captures are more limited depending on your browser and OS, so if system sound matters, sharing the tab is the reliable path.
Silent recordings make people rewind. A recording with your voice makes them nod along.
Getting clean audio
- Record in the quietest room you can, away from fans and traffic
- Keep your hands off the keyboard while narrating — key clatter is the most common ruined take
- Wear headphones so system audio doesn't bleed back into your mic as an echo
- Say the first sentence, stop, and play it back before recording the whole thing
Audio pairs naturally with a face — if you want viewers to see you too, here's how to record your screen and webcam together. And if you're weighing whether to record at all, this is when a recording beats typing it out. Record your first narrated clip free.
Stop typing. Start recording.
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