Screen to GIF Recorder (Online)
Screen to GIF in your browser: record a window, a tab or the whole screen and get a looping GIF for docs, bug reports, pull requests and chats. Choose the frame rate and width up front, trim the clip after recording, and save GIF, animated WebP or MP4. It works on Windows, Mac and Linux with nothing to install, and the recording never leaves your device.
- Runs on your device
- Browser APIs
- WebCodecs · GPU
- Works offline
Updated
How to record your screen as a GIF
Step 1: Choose Save as (GIF, Animated WebP or MP4), the Frame rate and the Width. 15 fps at 800 px is a good start.
Step 2: Click Start recording and pick the window, tab or screen to share in your browser’s dialog.
Step 3: Do the thing you want to show, then click Stop and save.
Step 4: Trim the start and end with the handles and save. The GIF loops forever.
Good to know
Formats
Nothing to upload — recordings are created right here and saved to your device.
How it runs
- Built-in browser features
- Uses standard browser features only — nothing extra to download.
- Hardware video engine
- Video is decoded and encoded by your device’s media hardware through WebCodecs — usually several times faster than real time.
- GPU canvas
- Pixels are drawn and composited with the GPU-accelerated canvas.
GIF, animated WebP or MP4 for a screen capture?
A GIF plays everywhere and loops by itself, which is why READMEs, docs and chat threads use it. Animated WebP looks better at a smaller size where it is supported. MP4 is by far the smallest, but it is a video that needs a player.
| GIF | Animated WebP | MP4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colours | 256, one palette for the whole clip | Full colour | Full colour |
| Relative file size | Largest | Much smaller than GIF | Smallest |
| Repeats automatically | Yes, forever | Yes, forever | No; the viewer’s player decides |
| Works in | Every browser, chat app, doc tool and README | Browsers and most modern apps | Video players, most chat apps |
| Best for | Bug reports, docs, quick demos | Web pages and docs you control | Longer demos with lots of motion |
How long a screen GIF can be
A GIF is built from full frames held in memory, so length, width and frame rate trade off. These are the longest clips (from a 16:9 window) that keep the width and frame rate you chose:
| Width | 10 fps | 15 fps (default) | 20 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 480 px wide | 2 min 09 s | 1 min 26 s | 1 min 04 s |
| 640 px wide | 1 min 12 s | 48 s | 36 s |
| 800 px wide | 46 s | 31 s | 23 s |
How to keep a screen GIF small
- Share one window or tab, not the whole screen. Fewer pixels change, and the GIF stays sharper at a narrow width.
- Keep it under about 15 seconds. Show one action per GIF; record a video for anything longer.
- Use 10–15 fps. Clicks and typing look smooth at 10 fps; scrolling needs 15–20.
- Pick 640 or 800 px wide, the width most docs and chat apps display anyway.
- Compress afterwards with the GIF compressor to hit a size limit, or crop away the edges with crop GIF.
Record a screen GIF on Windows 11, Mac or Linux
The steps are the same in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on every desktop system. ScreenToGif, the popular open-source recorder, is a Windows app; download it only from its official site or the Microsoft Store if you prefer an install. On a Mac or Linux machine, this page is a simple ScreenToGif alternative that needs no download. Phone browsers cannot record the screen: use the phone’s own recorder, then video to GIF.
Tips & troubleshooting
Already have a screen recording as a video? Turn it into a GIF with video to GIF instead of recording again.
Narration or sound needed? A GIF has none; use the screen recorder and save an MP4.
Text looks soft? Use Original width or 800 px and record a smaller window rather than scaling a big screen down.
Screen to GIF Recorder FAQ
How do I make a GIF from a screen recording?
Record it here with Save as set to GIF, trim it and save, and the GIF is made in one step. If you recorded with another app, drop that video into video to GIF instead.
How do I record a screen GIF on a Mac?
Open this page in Safari, Chrome or Firefox, choose GIF, click Start recording and allow screen recording for the browser if macOS asks. Pick the window to share, stop when done, trim and save.
How do I keep a screen GIF small?
Record a single window, keep it short, use 10–15 fps and 640–800 px width. If it is still too big for where you are posting it, run it through the GIF compressor, which can target an exact size.
Is my screen recording uploaded anywhere?
No. The browser captures the screen and builds the GIF on your device; nothing is streamed or stored online. Download the result, because starting a new recording or reopening a recorder deletes the temporary file.