Screen Capture API

The Screen Capture API introduces additions to the existing Media Capture and Streams API to let the user select a screen or portion of a screen (such as a window) to capture as a media stream. This stream can then be recorded or shared with others over the network.

Screen Capture API concepts and usage

The Screen Capture API is relatively simple to use. Its sole method is MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia(), whose job is to ask the user to select a screen or portion of a screen to capture in the form of a MediaStream.

To start capturing video from the screen, you call getDisplayMedia() on navigator.mediaDevices:

js
captureStream =
  await navigator.mediaDevices.getDisplayMedia(displayMediaOptions);

The Promise returned by getDisplayMedia() resolves to a MediaStream which streams the captured media.

See the article Using the Screen Capture API for a more in-depth look at how to use the API to capture screen contents as a stream.

The Screen Capture API also has features that limit the part of the screen captured in the stream:

  • The Element Capture API restricts the captured region to a specified rendered DOM element and its descendants.
  • The Region Capture API crops the captured region to the area of the screen in which a specified DOM element is rendered.

See Using the Element Capture and Region Capture APIs to learn more.

Interfaces

BrowserCaptureMediaStreamTrack

Represents a single video track; extends the MediaStreamTrack class with methods to limit the part of a self-capture stream (for example, a user's screen or window) that is captured.

CaptureController

Provides methods that can be used to further manipulate a capture session separate from its initiation via MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia(). A CaptureController object is associated with a capture session by passing it into a getDisplayMedia() call as the value of the options object's controller property.

CropTarget

Provides a static method, fromElement(), which returns a CropTarget instance that can be used to crop a captured video track to the area in which a specified element is rendered.

RestrictionTarget

Provides a static method, fromElement(), which returns a RestrictionTarget instance that can be used to restrict a captured video track to a specified DOM element.

Additions to the MediaDevices interface

MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia()

The getDisplayMedia() method is added to the MediaDevices interface. Similar to getUserMedia(), this method creates a promise that resolves with a MediaStream containing the display area selected by the user, in a format that matches the specified options.

Additions to existing dictionaries

The Screen Capture API adds properties to the following dictionaries defined by other specifications.

MediaTrackConstraints

MediaTrackConstraints.displaySurface

A ConstrainDOMString indicating what type of display surface is to be captured. The value is one of browser, monitor, or window.

MediaTrackConstraints.logicalSurface

Indicates whether or not the video in the stream represents a logical display surface (that is, one which may not be entirely visible onscreen, or may be completely offscreen). A value of true indicates a logical display surface is to be captured.

MediaTrackConstraints.suppressLocalAudioPlayback

Controls whether the audio playing in a tab will continue to be played out of a user's local speakers when the tab is captured, or whether it will be suppressed. A value of true indicates that it will be suppressed.

MediaTrackSettings

MediaTrackSettings.cursor

A string which indicates whether or not the display surface currently being captured includes the mouse cursor, and if so, whether it's only visible while the mouse is in motion or if it's always visible. The value is one of always, motion, or never.

MediaTrackSettings.displaySurface

A string indicating what type of display surface is currently being captured. The value is one of browser, monitor, or window.

MediaTrackSettings.logicalSurface

A boolean value, which is true if the video being captured doesn't directly correspond to a single onscreen display area.

MediaTrackSettings.suppressLocalAudioPlayback

A boolean value, which is true if the audio being captured is not played out of the user's local speakers.

MediaTrackSupportedConstraints

MediaTrackSupportedConstraints.displaySurface

A boolean, which is true if the current environment supports the MediaTrackConstraints.displaySurface constraint.

MediaTrackSupportedConstraints.logicalSurface

A boolean, which is true if the current environment supports the constraint MediaTrackConstraints.logicalSurface.

MediaTrackSupportedConstraints.suppressLocalAudioPlayback

A boolean, which is true if the current environment supports the constraint MediaTrackConstraints.suppressLocalAudioPlayback.

Permissions Policy validation

User agents that support Permissions Policy (either using the HTTP Permissions-Policy header or the <iframe> attribute allow) can specify a desire to use the Screen Capture API using the directive display-capture:

html
<iframe allow="display-capture" src="/some-other-document.html"></iframe>

The default allowlist is self, which lets any content within the same origin use Screen Capture.

Specifications

Specification
Screen Capture
Element Capture
Region Capture

Browser compatibility

api.MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia

Report problems with this compatibility data on GitHub
desktopmobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
getDisplayMedia()
Audio capture support
controller option
Experimental
monitorTypeSurfaces option
Experimental
preferCurrentTab option
ExperimentalNon-standard
selfBrowserSurface option
Experimental
surfaceSwitching option
Experimental
systemAudio option
Experimental

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support
Partial support
Partial support
No support
No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
Non-standard. Check cross-browser support before using.
See implementation notes.
Has more compatibility info.

api.CropTarget

Report problems with this compatibility data on GitHub
desktopmobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
CropTarget
Experimental
fromElement() static method
Experimental

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support
No support
No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.

api.RestrictionTarget

Report problems with this compatibility data on GitHub
desktopmobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
RestrictionTarget
Experimental
fromElement() static method
Experimental

Legend

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support
Full support
In development. Supported in a pre-release version.
In development. Supported in a pre-release version.
No support
No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.

See also