Record just your camera, with no screen EN

Camera only is a capture mode that records your camera and nothing from your screen. It's a separate mode, not the camera bubble on top of a screen recording. Use it for talking-head videos, intros and short messages where the viewer only needs to see you.

Record with your camera only

1. Click the Rekorder icon in your toolbar.
2. In the row of capture icons, choose the one named Camera only. Hover over an icon to see its name.
3. Turn the microphone on if you want your voice in the video. Camera only records sound from your microphone alone, so without it the video is silent.
4. Click Start.
5. If Chrome asks for access to your camera or microphone, click Allow.
6. Record. The recorder tab shows a live preview and the message "Only your camera is being recorded".
7. Stop the recording from the recorder tab when you're done.

Because nothing on your screen is captured, Chrome doesn't show its share dialog, as it does for a window or the entire screen.

What's different in this mode

• The Overlay camera option is switched off and can't be changed while Camera only is selected. The camera is already the whole recording.
• The camera bubble and its shortcuts for showing, hiding or moving it don't apply, because there's no screen for the camera to sit on.
• Source sound doesn't apply, because there's no tab or computer sound to capture.
• Recording tools that need a page to work on, such as highlighting your pointer and clicks, have nothing to show.
• Your background effect and the Mirror flip setting still apply. See Camera background effects and Record a talking-head intro.

When you switch back to a tab, window or screen, you can turn the camera overlay on again.

If the camera isn't available

If Rekorder can't use your camera or microphone, it shows a "Camera or microphone unavailable" message with two choices:

• Cancel stops the recording before it starts.
• Continue records anyway. In Camera only mode, the video then shows a dark frame that says "Camera unavailable" instead of your picture.

Usually another app is using the camera, or Chrome is blocking access. See Camera or microphone permission is blocked and "Camera or microphone unavailable".

Related articles

• What you can record: tab, window, screen or camera
• Record a talking-head intro
• Allow camera and microphone access
• Record your voice and pick a microphone
• Camera background effects
• Start, stop, pause and resume a recording
• Add your camera to a screen recording