Where offline recordings are stored, and how to keep them EN

The local storage meter, downloading a take, and how Chrome can evict one you never saved.

In Offline mode, Rekorder keeps your recordings in storage that Chrome manages for the extension, on your own device. They aren't in your Downloads folder until you download them. If your device runs low on space, Chrome can remove recordings you haven't saved, and you can't get them back. Download any take you want to keep.

Check how much local storage is left

When you're in Offline mode, a thin bar appears in the Rekorder popup, next to the "Latest videos" heading. It shows how much of the local storage Chrome makes available to Rekorder is in use.

Hover over the bar to see how much space is free, and the used space out of the total, with a percentage.
The bar changes to a warning colour once more than 80% is used.
The numbers come from Chrome's own estimate for your device. If Chrome doesn't report one, the bar isn't shown.

Download a recording

Downloading saves a copy to your computer as a regular video file.

Make sure you're in Offline mode. See Cloud mode and Offline mode: which one you are in if you're not sure.
Open the Rekorder popup and click see all videos to open Recording history. You can also open it from the Advanced tab in the popup's settings, under Recording history.
Find the recording. A dot next to the name marks recordings from the last 24 hours that you haven't downloaded.
Click Download recording on its row.

Chrome saves the file the way it saves any download. The file is named Rekorder_, then the recording's name, then the date and time it ended. It's an MP4 or WebM file, depending on how the recording was made.

A check mark appears on the row after you download. It only means you've used the download button in Rekorder. Rekorder doesn't check the file on your disk, so if the download was blocked or you moved the file, the check mark stays.

Free up space

Downloading doesn't remove the local copy. To free up space, download the recording first, then delete it from Rekorder.

Open Recording history as described above.
Click Delete recording on the row.
Confirm with Delete when asked "Permanently delete this recording?"

Deleting is permanent. Check that the downloaded file opens before you delete the local copy.

How Chrome can evict a recording you never saved

Chrome sets the amount of local storage available to each extension and can reclaim it when the device is short of space. If that happens, Chrome may evict recordings from Rekorder that you haven't saved, and you could lose them. Rekorder can't prevent this or restore a recording after it happens.

To lower the risk:

Download recordings you want to keep soon after you record them.
Watch the storage bar, and free up space on your device before it fills.
Delete recordings from Rekorder once you've downloaded them.
Don't treat the local copy as your only copy of something important.

See the raw files

Rekorder also has an OPFS Explorer. It lists every file Rekorder stores locally, and you can download or delete them there. Open it from OPFS Explorer in the Advanced tab of the popup's settings. For when to use it, see The OPFS Explorer, and when to reach for it.

The explorer can also empty everything Rekorder stores locally. That deletes every recording that isn't saved elsewhere.