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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe right Linux screen recorder depends first on your desktop session. On GNOME, the built-in shortcut is the fastest way to record a short desktop clip and produces a WebM file. For a selected window, audio mixing, scenes or streaming, use OBS Studio: its PipeWire source is the documented route on Wayland, while XSHM and Window Capture cover X11 workflows. For repeatable command-line recordings on X11, FFmpeg’s x11grab device lets you set the frame rate, dimensions and capture offset explicitly.
Choose a method by session and goal
Check whether your session is X11 or Wayland before configuring anything. In GNOME, open Settings → About and look for Windowing System, or run echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE in a terminal. The command normally prints x11 or wayland.
| Need | X11 | Wayland |
|---|---|---|
| Short whole-desktop clip | GNOME shortcut, OBS display source, or FFmpeg | GNOME shortcut or OBS PipeWire source |
| One application window | OBS Window Capture or a selected region | OBS Window Capture through the desktop portal |
| Repeatable script | FFmpeg x11grab |
Use a recorder that supports PipeWire/portals; the documented FFmpeg route below is X11-specific |
| Scenes, microphone mixing or streaming | OBS Studio | |
There is no authoritative benchmark showing one Linux recorder is universally fastest. Test the chosen output, audio sources and application behavior on your own desktop before recording an important demonstration.
Use GNOME’s built-in screen recorder
GNOME design documentation describes screen recording as “part of the system, invoked by a shortcut.” Red Hat likewise documents GNOME Screen Recording as a built-in feature for recording the desktop or application activity; recordings are saved as WebM files.
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Start and stop a recording
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + R. A recording indicator appears in the top bar.
- Perform the actions you want to demonstrate. The built-in recorder is intended for quick captures rather than a production timeline.
- Press the same shortcut again to stop.
- Open your Videos folder and look for the new WebM file. Play it before sharing.
If the shortcut does nothing, open Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts, search for “screen recording,” and confirm the assigned shortcut. A desktop environment other than GNOME may not provide this exact feature or key binding.
What GNOME’s recorder does—and does not—solve
- It is the quickest option for a short bug report or tutorial snippet.
- It avoids installing another application.
- It does not provide OBS-style scenes, audio mixing controls, streaming outputs or a documented per-window selection workflow.
- WebM playback or editing may require an application that supports the format; transcode it with FFmpeg if your editor needs another format.
Record with OBS Studio
OBS is the practical GUI choice when you need to select a window, combine sources, mix a microphone with desktop audio, switch scenes or stream. OBS documents Linux Screen Capture (XSHM) for X11 and Linux Screen Capture (PipeWire) for Wayland. Its Window Capture source records a specific window and its contents.
Install and create a basic scene
- Install OBS Studio using your distribution’s trusted package source, then launch it.
- In the Scenes panel, select + and name the scene, such as Desktop demo.
- In Sources, select +. Choose Linux Screen Capture (PipeWire) during a Wayland session, or Linux Screen Capture (XSHM) on X11.
- For a single application, choose Window Capture instead. Select the target window in the source properties; this keeps other windows out of the recording.
- Add audio sources from Sources → +, then watch the audio meters. Speak briefly and verify that the microphone reaches the expected level without clipping.
- Open Settings → Output → Recording. Choose a recording path, container and quality appropriate for your editor and storage. Keep the default until you have confirmed a short test plays correctly.
- Open Settings → Video and set the base canvas, output resolution and frame rate. Matching the display or window dimensions avoids unnecessary scaling.
- Click Start Recording, perform the demonstration, then click Stop Recording. Use File → Show Recordings to locate the result.
Window capture versus display capture
Use Window Capture when the application itself is the subject. It reduces accidental exposure of notifications and unrelated windows, but applications that use unusual rendering paths can appear black or incomplete. Use a display source when you need multiple applications, pointer movement across the desktop or a full-screen workflow.
Wayland-specific checks
PipeWire capture depends on the Wayland desktop’s permission portal. When OBS asks which monitor or window to share, select the intended source and approve it. If the chooser does not appear, restart OBS after confirming that your desktop portal and PipeWire services are running. Do not substitute the X11-oriented XSHM source in a Wayland session and expect equivalent behavior.
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Audio and privacy checklist
- Mute notification sounds or enable a do-not-disturb mode.
- Confirm whether “desktop audio” includes every application’s sound on your distribution; route sensitive applications separately when necessary.
- Use headphones to prevent microphone echo.
- Hide passwords, tokens and private browser tabs before starting.
- Record a 10-second sample and inspect both picture and sound before a long session.
Capture the X11 desktop from the command line with FFmpeg
FFmpeg’s official device documentation identifies x11grab as the X11 video input device. The core form is:
ffmpeg -f x11grab -framerate 30 -video_size 1920x1080 -i :0.0 output.mkvReplace the size and display with values that match your X11 desktop. The process runs until you press q in the terminal or interrupt it.
Record a region
Add an +x,y offset to the display input to select a region beginning at that screen coordinate:
ffmpeg -f x11grab -framerate 30 -video_size 1280x720 -i :0.0+100,80 region.mkvHere, 1280x720 is the captured rectangle and 100,80 is its top-left offset. Ensure the rectangle fits inside the active X screen.
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Include microphone audio
Video capture and audio device names vary by Linux audio stack, so discover the input first rather than copying an unverified name. FFmpeg can combine a video input with an audio input once the correct PulseAudio or ALSA device is known. A representative PulseAudio form is:
ffmpeg -f x11grab -framerate 30 -video_size 1920x1080 -i :0.0 -f pulse -i DEFAULT output.mkvIf DEFAULT is not a valid source on your system, list PulseAudio sources with your distribution’s audio tools and substitute the exact monitor or microphone name. Test with a short clip; a wrong audio device causes an immediate input error or a silent track.
Choose an output format
FFmpeg can filter live capture and transcode to many formats. Matroska (.mkv) is tolerant of interrupted recordings; convert it after a successful capture if your editor requires MP4:
ffmpeg -i recording.mkv -c:v libx264 -c:a aac recording.mp4Encoding settings affect CPU use, file size and quality. Set the frame rate and capture dimensions explicitly, and avoid recording a 4K desktop when a 1080p deliverable is all you need.
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Wayland, X11 and common failure modes
Black or missing content
- Wayland with FFmpeg x11grab: this device targets X11, not Wayland. Use GNOME’s recorder or OBS PipeWire.
- OBS Window Capture is black: switch temporarily to a display capture source, update OBS and the graphics stack, and test whether the application uses a rendering mode the window source cannot capture.
- Portal permission denied: stop the source, recreate it and approve the share dialog. Restarting OBS can clear a stale portal request.
No audio or distorted audio
- Check the source meter while speaking or playing a test sound.
- Ensure the correct microphone or monitor source is selected, and that system mute is off.
- Reduce gain if the meter clips; use headphones to eliminate feedback.
- For FFmpeg, verify the input name independently and record a short sample before adding complex filters.
Choppy video, dropped frames or huge files
- Lower frame rate, output resolution or encoder quality.
- Close GPU- and CPU-heavy applications and save to a local disk with sufficient free space.
- In OBS, inspect the statistics window for rendering or encoding lag; change one setting at a time.
- For FFmpeg, keep
-framerateand-video_sizerealistic for the machine and target deliverable.
The recording cannot be played
Check that the file size is non-zero and try a current media player. An interrupted container may be unrecoverable; for future command-line sessions, Matroska is a safer intermediate than stopping an MP4 process abruptly. Transcode a valid file with FFmpeg after capture.
Make recordings repeatable and reliable
- Write down the session type, display dimensions, target frame rate and audio sources.
- Use a fixed test scene or FFmpeg command and record 10 seconds before each important session.
- Keep at least several times the expected output size free on the destination disk.
- Disable sleep, screen locking and disruptive notifications for the recording window.
- Verify the final file on the same player or editor your audience will use.
Capture size, frame rate, codec and audio channels determine storage and processing cost; there is no single Linux-wide value that guarantees smooth recording. A smaller, explicitly chosen target is usually more reliable than recording every available pixel.
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API, not a Linux desktop video recorder. It is useful when what you actually need is a clean, repeatable image or PDF of a web page rather than motion from your desktop. One GET request returns PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF. Before capture it accepts cookie or consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients.
See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for all options, including full-page lazy-image loading, CSS-selector element capture, device presets, retina scale, PDF margins and page ranges, custom CSS and JavaScript, clicks, waits, blocking rules, headers, cookies, user agents, authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, chosen cache TTLs, signed links, asynchronous webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, usage data and the OpenAPI specification.
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FAQ
Does GNOME save recordings as MP4?
The documented built-in GNOME recorder saves WebM. Convert a valid file with FFmpeg when another format is required.
Can FFmpeg x11grab record Wayland?
The documented x11grab input is for X11. On Wayland, use a PipeWire- and portal-aware recorder such as OBS or the desktop’s built-in recorder.
How do I record only one window?
In OBS, add the Window Capture source and select the application. This is separate from full-display capture and is available for the documented Linux workflows.
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Is ScreenshotNeo a replacement for desktop video recording?
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Quick Recap
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