A hidden tab keeps its frame rate
With the recorder tab really hidden, Chrome ran the page’s timer 4 times in 3 seconds instead of 60. The worker doesn’t slow down, so the video still came out at 30 frames a second.
Keeptake
Chrome extensionIn testing
Record it. Keep it.
Keeptake is a free screen recorder for Chrome. It records your screen, webcam and audio with no signup, watermark or time limit, and saves as you go, so a crash won't lose your video. It is coming to the Chrome Web Store.
- Platform
- Desktop Chrome
- Version
- 0.4.0
- Status
- In review for the Chrome Web Store
- Price
- Free
- Role
- Sole developer
- Timeline
- Nov 2026
- Stack
- JavaScriptManifest V3MediaRecorderWebCodecsMediabunnyIndexedDBPlaywright
The problem
Why Keeptake exists
You record ten minutes, Chrome crashes, and the video is gone. Or you finish a perfect take and find out afterwards that it has no sound. Many free recorders also ask you to sign up, stamp a watermark on your video or stop you at a time limit. I built Keeptake so recording is simple and the video is still there at the end.
Before
- A crash that takes your recording with it
- A perfect take with no sound
- Signups, watermarks and time limits
With Keeptake
- A video saved every second
- A sound check before you record
- A normal MP4 with no strings attached
Keeping a recording whole when the tab making it is hidden, closed or crashes.
How it works
How you use it, step by step.
From installing it to the result you are after.
Under the hood
How it is built.
A Manifest V3 extension with no remote code and no host permissions. Chrome only lets the page that opened the source picker use the capture, so recording happens in its own pinned tab. MediaRecorder hands over a piece every second, and each piece goes straight into IndexedDB. When you stop, Mediabunny turns the pieces into an MP4, copying the H.264 video rather than encoding it again. The camera is drawn over the screen in a worker, on an OffscreenCanvas.
- 01
Chrome’s picker
A screen, window or tab
The picker is opened by a pinned tab, because only the page that opens it can use the capture.
- 02
Camera worker
Screen and camera, drawn together
A dedicated worker draws both at 30 frames a second, because a hidden tab’s timers slow to about one a second.
- 03
MediaRecorder
A piece every second
Each piece is saved to IndexedDB as it arrives, so a crash only costs the last moment.
- 04
MP4
Checked, then kept
The pieces become an MP4 on your computer, and are deleted only after the new file passes its check.
Tested on Mac and Windows
207 end-to-end checks run in real Chrome and read the finished MP4 back with ffmpeg. They kill the browser mid-recording to prove recovery. They use Chrome’s simulated camera and mic, and a real camera and real sound were checked by hand on a Mac.
async function keepNewest(readable, keep) {
const reader = readable.getReader();
for (;;) {
const { value, done } = await reader.read();
if (done) return;
keep(value);
}
}Decisions
The calls I made, and what they cost.
Each decision lists the reason for it and what it gave up.
- 01
The camera is part of the video, not a bubble on your screen
Why
A bubble floating over other sites needs access to every one of them. Drawing it into the video needs none.
Trade-off
You see your camera in the recorder tab and the popup, not on the screen you’re recording.
- 02
Copy the H.264 video instead of encoding it again
Why
Making the MP4 stays quick and loses no quality, and cuts are made without encoding again too.
Trade-off
A cut can only start on a keyframe, so the page shows where each one will really land.
A bug worth telling
The recording that never started
- What happened
- On a real computer, with a camera that never answered, the recorder sat on “starting” forever and nothing was recorded.
- Why
- Asking for the camera can wait forever, and the recording was waiting for that answer. Chrome’s simulated camera always answers, so the tests couldn’t see it.
- The fix
- It now checks the permission first and gives the camera 8 seconds. If there’s no answer, it records the screen and tells you why the camera is missing.
Screens
What it looks like.
01 / 05
Features
What you get.
01
Saves as you record
Your video is written to your computer every second. If Chrome crashes or you close the wrong tab, it is still there.
02
Catches a silent video
A microphone test, a check on Chrome's sound switch, and a warning if your mic goes quiet.
03
Your camera in the corner
Pick the corner and the size. It works for a screen, a window or a tab, and needs no access to the sites you record.
04
Cut out mistakes
Remove the parts you do not want. The new copy keeps full quality and your original stays untouched.
05
No signup, no watermark
No limit on how many videos you make or how long they run. Your disk space is the only limit.
06
Your recordings, together
Search and sort them, select several, download them as one zip, or save any moment as a picture.
Your data
Free, with no account, ads, tracking or analytics. Your videos stay on your computer, and nothing is uploaded. Your microphone and camera are used only if you turn them on. Not affiliated with Google.
When can I download it?
Keeptake is coming to the Chrome Web Store. Its page here will link to the listing once it is live.
Is there a watermark or a time limit?
No. There is no watermark and no limit on how many videos you make or how long they run. Your disk space is the only limit.
What happens if Chrome crashes while I record?
Keeptake saves to your computer every second. The next time you open Chrome, your video is in My recordings, labelled as recovered, with everything saved up to that moment.
Why is there no computer sound in my recording?
For a whole screen, turn on "Also share system audio" in Chrome's window, and Keeptake reminds you to. A Chrome tab shares its sound already. A single window can't share sound.
Can I move my camera while I record?
Not during a recording. Your camera is added to the video itself, in the corner and size you choose before you start, so it does not float on your screen.
Are my videos uploaded?
No. They stay in Chrome's private storage on your computer until you download or delete them. Uninstalling Keeptake removes them, so download anything you want to keep first.
Milestones
From the first line to today.
- 2 Nov 2026
0.4.0, submitted to the Chrome Web Store
Screen, window or tab recording with mic, computer sound and camera, crash recovery, cuts and zip downloads.
-
Keeptake: a free screen recorder is coming to the Chrome Web Store
A new screen recorder for Chrome that saves as you go, so a crash won't lose your video.
- Record a screen, a window or a tab, with your microphone, computer sound and camera.
- No signup, no watermark and no limit on how many videos you make or how long they run.
- Keeptake checks your sound before you record, so you don't end up with a silent video.
- Cut out mistakes, and save several videos as one zip. Your videos stay on your computer.
For businesses
Like how Keeptake turned out? I can build yours.
Websites, Shopify stores, Chrome extensions and Android apps, designed and engineered with the same care as my own products.
Booking new projects
Tell me what you’re building.
I read every message myself and reply within a day or two with honest next steps.
Prefer email?yvodiboina@gmail.com
Thanks, friend.
Your message is on its way. I’ll reply to within a day or two.