Desktop Screen Recorders for Linux

Most Linux desktops can record the screen with free tools that run on your own computer. Which recorder works best depends mainly on your display server (Wayland or X11) and on what you need: a quick clip, a narrated tutorial, or a recording with several sources.

Before you start

Check which session you are running. Open a terminal and run: echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE. The result is usually wayland or x11. On Wayland, applications cannot read the screen directly. They have to request it through PipeWire and xdg-desktop-portal, which shows a dialog where you pick a screen or window. On X11, recorders can capture the display directly.

• A recorder that suits your session: OBS Studio works on both X11 and Wayland (through PipeWire), SimpleScreenRecorder is built for X11, and GNOME and recent KDE Plasma releases include their own recording tools.
• On Wayland: PipeWire running, xdg-desktop-portal installed, and the portal backend for your desktop (for example the GNOME or KDE backend).
• Enough free disk space in the folder where recordings are saved. Screen video grows quickly at high resolutions and frame rates.
• If you need sound, a microphone or system audio output that shows up and is not muted in your desktop's sound settings.

These recorders capture and encode locally, and none of them needs an online service to record. Packaging still matters. Flatpak and Snap builds run with sandbox permissions that can limit which folders they can write to, so confirm where your files actually end up. Everything visible on screen goes into the file, so close private chats, password managers and notifications before you start.

Step-by-step instructions

Option A: the desktop's built-in recorder

On GNOME 42 and later, recording is part of the screenshot tool, which opens with the Print Screen key. Switch the tool from screenshot to screencast mode, select an area, a window or the full screen, and start recording. A recording indicator appears in the top bar, and you use it to stop. Older GNOME releases started and stopped recording with the Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R shortcut instead. On KDE Plasma, recent versions of Spectacle can also record video. Built-in tools are the fastest option but offer few settings, and audio support depends on the version. Make a short test before you rely on one for a narrated recording.

Option B: OBS Studio

• 1. Install OBS Studio from your distribution's repositories or as a Flatpak. Different sources can ship different versions, and newer features may only be in the more recent package.
• 2. Optional: before you experiment, create a separate profile so you can switch back to your original settings.
• 3. On first launch, the auto-configuration wizard can suggest settings for recording. You can change them later.
• 4. In the Sources panel, add a capture source. On Wayland, choose Screen Capture (PipeWire) and pick a monitor or window in the portal dialog. On X11, choose Screen Capture (XSHM) for a whole monitor or Window Capture (Xcomposite) for a single window.
• 5. Watch the Audio Mixer. The desktop audio and microphone meters should move when sound plays or you speak. Mute any source you do not want in the file.
• 6. In Settings, open Output and set the recording path, format and encoder. Hardware encoders are listed only if your GPU and drivers support them. Software x264 works everywhere but uses more CPU.
• 7. In Settings, open Video and set the output resolution and frame rate. 30 fps is usually enough for tutorials. Higher rates help with fast motion.
• 8. Click Start Recording, perform the task, then click Stop Recording.

Option C: SimpleScreenRecorder on X11

SimpleScreenRecorder uses a step-by-step layout. First choose what to capture (the whole screen, a fixed rectangle or an area that follows the cursor) and the audio backend. Next choose the container, the video codec and the audio codec. On the last page you start, pause and save the recording. It was designed for X11. In a Wayland session it generally cannot capture native Wayland windows, so use OBS Studio or your desktop's tool there.

Check the output

Open the file in a video player and look at the beginning, the middle and the end. Check that:
• the correct screen or window was captured
• small text is readable
• the cursor is visible if you need it
• every audio source you expected is present and stays in sync with the picture

To confirm the technical properties, run ffprobe followed by the file name (ffprobe comes with FFmpeg), or open your player's media information view. It lists resolution, frame rate, codecs and duration. Compare these with the settings you chose.

Formats behave differently when something goes wrong. If recording is interrupted, an MKV file usually stays playable, while an unfinished MP4 file often does not. Some editors and upload sites prefer MP4. OBS Studio can remux MKV to MP4 without re-encoding. The GNOME built-in recorder saves WebM files, which some editors handle poorly, so convert them with a tool such as FFmpeg if needed.

Common problems and next steps

Black or empty video on Wayland: use a PipeWire-based capture source, and make sure the portal backend for your desktop is installed. Log out and back in after installing portal packages. Tools built only for X11 may record black frames or only capture applications running through XWayland.

No screen-selection dialog appears: xdg-desktop-portal or the matching backend for your desktop is probably missing or not running. Flatpak recorders depend on the portal to capture anything at all.

No sound in the recording: check the recorder's audio sources, then confirm the device in your desktop's sound settings and make sure it is not muted. On PipeWire systems, applications that expect PulseAudio record through PipeWire's PulseAudio compatibility layer, so that layer must be installed.

Choppy video or dropped frames: lower the resolution or frame rate, switch to a hardware encoder if one is listed, and save to a local drive rather than a network folder. OBS Studio's Stats dock shows whether frames are being skipped during rendering or encoding. If files are too large, lower the bitrate or quality setting, or re-encode the finished recording.

Once a short test passes these checks, keep those settings for real recordings. In OBS Studio, save them as a dedicated profile. Edit or trim the finished file in a video editor rather than re-recording.