Screen recorder · Linux

Screen Recorder for Linux

Record your screen on any distro without fighting OBS configuration or a 30 second cap.

Free, no time limit
Nothing to install
Editor built in

How it works

How to record your screen on Linux

Open the recorder
Open REQO in Chrome or Edge on your Linux machine and hit record. There is no installer, no extension and no account needed to start.
Pick what to capture
Choose a screen, a single window or a browser tab, and add your webcam and microphone if you want them.
Stop, edit, share
The moment you stop, the recording opens in the editor. Trim it, cut filler words out of the transcript, add captions, then download it or send a link.

The two Linux options, and why both annoy people

GNOME has a recorder built in: Ctrl + Shift + Alt + R starts it, a red dot appears in the status bar, and a WebM lands in Videos. It is invisible and instant, which is lovely. It also historically capped recordings at 30 seconds unless you changed a gsettings key, and it captures no audio at all, which sends most people looking elsewhere within a minute.

Elsewhere is usually OBS Studio, which is superb and completely disproportionate for recording a two minute walkthrough. Scenes, sources, encoder settings and a bitrate decision, before you have pressed record once.

A browser recorder sits in the gap: nothing to install on a machine you may not have root on, no encoder settings to reason about, your microphone plus a browser tab’s sound, and an editor attached so the recording is trimmed and shareable a minute after you stop.

Setup

GNOME recorderNone

OBS StudioScenes and encoder config

REQONone

Audio

GNOME recorderNone

OBS StudioFull control

REQOMic, plus tab audio

Length limit

GNOME recorderCapped by default on older versions

OBS StudioNone

REQONone

Editing

GNOME recorderNone

OBS StudioNone

REQOFull editor

Output

GNOME recorderWebM

OBS StudioMKV or MP4

REQOMP4, plus a share link

Needs root to install

GNOME recorderBuilt in

OBS StudioUsually yes

REQONo

Feature	GNOME recorder	OBS Studio	REQO
Setup	None	Scenes and encoder config	None
Audio	None	Full control	Mic, plus tab audio
Length limit	Capped by default on older versions	None	None
Editing	None	None	Full editor
Output	WebM	MKV or MP4	MP4, plus a share link
Needs root to install	Built in	Usually yes	No

Wayland, X11 and the share dialog

Screen capture on Wayland goes through the desktop portal rather than straight to the display server, which is why some older recording tools show a black rectangle on a Wayland session and work fine on X11. Browser capture uses the same portal the desktop expects, so the picker you get is the system one and it behaves.

If a capture does come out black, the usual fix is to pick a specific window or a browser tab rather than the whole screen, since portal permissions are granted per surface.

FAQ

Recording on Linux: questions

How do I record my screen on Ubuntu?

GNOME’s built-in recorder starts with Ctrl + Shift + Alt + R and saves a WebM to Videos, but it records no audio and older versions stop after 30 seconds. Recording in the browser avoids both limits and gives you an editor afterwards.

Is there a good OBS alternative for a quick recording?

For a full production setup, no, OBS is the right tool. For recording a walkthrough and sending it to someone, a browser recorder with an editor attached gets there far faster and needs no configuration.

Does it work on Wayland?

Yes. Capture goes through the standard desktop portal, so you get the system share dialog. If a full-screen capture comes out black, share a single window or a browser tab instead.

Which browsers work?

Chrome and Chromium, and Edge where you have it. Screen capture support in other browsers on Linux is less consistent.

Do I need to install anything to record my screen on Linux?

No. The recorder runs in Chrome or Edge, so there is nothing to download, no extension to approve and no admin rights to ask IT for.

Is it really free?

Yes. Recording, editing and sharing are free with an account, and there is no time limit on a recording. Free exports carry a small REQO badge; Pro removes it.

Why not just use the GNOME built-in recorder?

the GNOME built-in recorder is fine for capturing raw footage. The gap is everything after: you still have to trim the dead air at the start, cut the bit where you lost your train of thought, and get the file to someone. That is the part REQO does in the same tab.