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To capture a tab, window, or monitor in a normal Chrome web app, call navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia() from a user-initiated event on an HTTPS page. Chrome shows its own source picker; after the user chooses a surface, the promise returns a MediaStream that you can preview, record with MediaRecorder, or send through WebRTC. A page cannot silently choose a source or reuse a permanent grant, so design your UI around an explicit Start sharing action and a reliable Stop control.
What the Screen Capture API does
The Screen Capture API exposes the getDisplayMedia() method on navigator.mediaDevices. Chrome lets the user select a browser tab, application window, or entire screen, then supplies the selected video (and, when available and requested, audio) as a live MediaStream.
This is different from taking a static screenshot. The stream can be previewed, recorded, or published to a peer connection. The browser controls the picker and permission prompt; JavaScript receives only the surface the user selected.
Requirements and permission rules
- Secure context: serve the page over HTTPS (localhost is treated as secure for development).
- Transient user activation: call the method directly from a click, pointer, or comparable user gesture. Calling it during page load, a timer, or an unrelated asynchronous task can fail.
- Fresh prompt: Chrome prompts for every capture request. A site cannot store a silent, reusable screen-sharing permission.
- User-selected source: constraints express preferences for the picker and resulting track; they cannot preselect a particular tab, window, or monitor.
- Policy controls: managed Chrome installations can disable website screen capture through enterprise policy. Check with the administrator before treating a blocked request as an application defect.
Minimal working implementation
Place a video element and a button in your page:
<button id="startShare" type="button">Start sharing</button>
<button id="stopShare" type="button" disabled>Stop sharing</button>
<video id="preview" autoplay playsinline muted></video>
<p id="status" role="status">Not sharing</p>Then request the stream from the button handler:
const startButton = document.querySelector('#startShare');
const stopButton = document.querySelector('#stopShare');
const preview = document.querySelector('#preview');
const status = document.querySelector('#status');
let stream = null;
startButton.addEventListener('click', async () => {
try {
stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia({
video: true,
audio: false
});
preview.srcObject = stream;
await preview.play();
startButton.disabled = true;
stopButton.disabled = false;
status.textContent = 'Sharing is active';
const [track] = stream.getVideoTracks();
track.addEventListener('ended', stopSharing, { once: true });
} catch (error) {
status.textContent = `${error.name}: ${error.message}`;
stream = null;
}
});
stopButton.addEventListener('click', stopSharing);
function stopSharing() {
if (stream) {
for (const track of stream.getTracks()) track.stop();
stream = null;
}
preview.srcObject = null;
startButton.disabled = false;
stopButton.disabled = true;
status.textContent = 'Not sharing';
}The ended listener matters because the user can stop sharing with Chrome’s toolbar control or prompt UI. Without it, your application may still display a “sharing” state after the track has ended.
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Requesting audio and applying privacy preferences
Set audio: true only when your use case needs sound. Whether audio is offered depends on the selected surface and Chrome/platform support. For example:
const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia({
video: { displaySurface: 'window' },
audio: true,
monitorTypeSurfaces: 'exclude',
selfBrowserSurface: 'exclude',
surfaceSwitching: 'include',
systemAudio: 'exclude'
});These options influence what Chrome offers and how the resulting capture behaves; they do not bypass the picker.
displaySurface
"browser", "window", and "monitor" indicate a preferred tab, window, or screen category. Chrome can open the corresponding picker pane, but the user still chooses the actual source.
monitorTypeSurfaces
Use "exclude" to remove entire-monitor choices when showing a whole screen would expose unrelated information. "include" permits them and is currently documented as the default. Do not combine "exclude" with displaySurface: "monitor".
selfBrowserSurface
"exclude" hides the current tab from the chooser, useful for meeting or conferencing pages where sharing the meeting tab could create a hall-of-mirrors effect. It conflicts with preferCurrentTab: true.
surfaceSwitching
With "include", Chrome may show a control that lets the user switch the shared tab while capture continues. Use "exclude" when switching would be confusing or unsafe.
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systemAudio
"exclude" avoids offering system audio where possible. This can prevent remote-call audio from being sent back into the same call. Audio availability remains surface- and platform-dependent.
Inspecting the selected surface
After permission, inspect the video track’s settings:
const [videoTrack] = stream.getVideoTracks();
console.log(videoTrack.getSettings().displaySurface);
// Usually: "browser", "window", or "monitor"Use this value to update instructions—for example, warn that a monitor was selected when your workflow expects a single application window. Treat it as information about the user’s choice, not a replacement for your own authorization model.
Record the stream
MediaRecorder can turn the live stream into a downloadable file. MIME support varies, so choose a type the browser reports:
const chunks = [];
const mimeType = MediaRecorder.isTypeSupported('video/webm;codecs=vp9,opus')
? 'video/webm;codecs=vp9,opus'
: 'video/webm';
const recorder = new MediaRecorder(stream, { mimeType });
recorder.addEventListener('dataavailable', event => {
if (event.data.size) chunks.push(event.data);
});
recorder.addEventListener('stop', () => {
const blob = new Blob(chunks, { type: recorder.mimeType });
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
const link = document.createElement('a');
link.href = url;
link.download = 'screen-recording.webm';
link.click();
URL.revokeObjectURL(url);
});
recorder.start();
// Later: recorder.stop();Stop recording before stopping tracks if you need the final dataavailable event. For long recordings, stream chunks to your server instead of retaining the entire file in memory.
Send the capture with WebRTC
Add the tracks to an RTCPeerConnection and complete your normal signaling exchange:
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const peer = new RTCPeerConnection();
for (const track of stream.getTracks()) {
peer.addTrack(track, stream);
}
// Create an offer, send it through your signaling channel,
// then apply the remote answer according to your WebRTC protocol.
const offer = await peer.createOffer();
await peer.setLocalDescription(offer);When the capture track ends, stop or renegotiate the peer connection and update remote participants. Screen capture does not provide signaling, authentication, recording storage, or server-side fan-out.
Stopping safely and handling errors
User cancellation
If the user closes the picker, the promise rejects (commonly with NotAllowedError). Leave the page usable and explain that sharing was canceled; do not repeatedly reopen the picker.
Missing or insecure context
navigator.mediaDevices may be unavailable outside a secure context. Deploy over HTTPS and test on a supported Chrome version.
No transient activation
Move the call into the synchronous path of a user event. Avoid wrapping the initial request in a delayed timer or invoking it after an unrelated permission flow.
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Incompatible combinations can produce TypeError or OverconstrainedError. Start with { video: true }, then add one preference at a time. In particular, check the documented conflicts involving monitorTypeSurfaces, displaySurface, selfBrowserSurface, and preferCurrentTab.
Track ends unexpectedly
The user may press Chrome’s stop button, close the shared window, navigate away, or encounter an administrative restriction. Always listen for ended, stop local tracks, clear srcObject, and reset controls.
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Audio is absent
Audio is not guaranteed for every source. Verify that audio: true was requested, inspect stream.getAudioTracks().length, and explain to users which tab, window, or operating-system audio Chrome can offer in their environment.
Enterprise-managed devices
Chrome’s screen-video-capture policy can restrict tab, window, or monitor prompts on ChromeOS and Chrome on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Ask the administrator to verify policy settings before changing application code.
Ordinary pages versus Chrome extensions
Use getDisplayMedia() for a regular website. Extension APIs such as chrome.tabCapture and chrome.desktopCapture belong to extension architectures and should not be copied into a normal page.
Extension lifecycle rules differ. Chrome’s extension documentation describes capture started in a content script ending on navigation, and recommends an offscreen document with the DISPLAY_MEDIA reason for background recording across navigation. Starting with Chrome 116, an extension can call tabCapture in a service worker after a user gesture and pass a stream ID to an offscreen document. These details do not change the web-page flow described above.
Focus behavior and supported versions
Chrome’s Conditional Focus feature lets a web app influence whether the captured tab or window receives focus when sharing starts; Chrome documentation identifies availability from Chrome 109. Verify the exact behavior in the Chrome versions and operating systems your product supports. Picker options, audio behavior, and managed-policy enforcement can vary by version and platform.
Performance, privacy, and reliability checklist
- Request only the surface and audio your workflow needs.
- Exclude monitor sources when an entire screen is unnecessary.
- Keep a visible Stop sharing control and mirror Chrome’s ended state.
- Do not assume a fixed resolution, frame rate, audio track, or MIME type; inspect settings and feature-test codecs.
- Throttle expensive canvas processing and avoid retaining unbounded recording chunks.
- Explain exactly what participants will see before opening the picker.
- Test cancellation, navigation, closing the source window, browser stop controls, revoked policy access, and network loss during WebRTC signaling.
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import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
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FAQ
Can JavaScript capture a tab without asking the user?
No. Chrome requires a user gesture, displays its own picker, and prompts for each request.
Does getDisplayMedia() take a PNG screenshot?
No. It returns a live MediaStream. Use a video frame and canvas for individual images, or use MediaRecorder for video.
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Can I force users to share only one particular window?
No. You can prefer a surface category or exclude monitors, but the user chooses the actual source in Chrome’s picker.
Should a normal website use chrome.tabCapture?
No. That API is for Chrome extensions. A regular website should use navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia().
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