Screen recording has gained popularity with major digital transformations. As the name implies, screencasting or screen recording is a digital recording of the computer screen with audio narration. There are several reasons why people might need to record their screens using the Linux screen recorder. If you are training a group of people, recording your desktop and providing them video tutorials will help them to understand your lessons easily.
Best Screen Recording Software for Linux
1. Kazam
First on our list is a very lightweight screencasting tool for Linux, i.e., Kazam. It is a simple and effective GUI-based tool used for recording screens. Though it comes with little configuration settings, it is the most suitable tool for beginners as it is easy to use without getting involved in too many different options. Apart from recording the screen, this tool can also be used for taking screenshots with its in-built feature.
Key Features
- It supports recording for a selected area or a single window
- A simple but interesting user interface
- This supports video output in various formats like VP8, WebM, etc.
- It supports audio recording from a microphone or speaker
- Allows users to add text such as title or description
- This can export videos directly to YouTube
- It has a delay timer feature
- It is easy to use as it comes with minimal configuration settings
2. Vokoscreen
Another user-friendly Linux video screen capture software up on our list is Vokoscreen. This simple screen recorder Linux allows you to select a magnification level (200*200, 400*200, or 600*200). Also, this tool highlights a specific section of the screen. Also, this supports output videos in multiple formats and suitable audio input and one application window recording.
Furthermore, it’s equipped with a configurable on-screen camera with options like flip vertical or horizontal, remove the frame of the window or even frame size, invert, white, black, and gray.
Key Features
- Its GUI supports up to 40 languages.
- This can record the entire desktop area and a specified region
- Permits access of the webcam during recording
- Enables recording video after some seconds, i.e., with an initial delay
- Support Hotkeys
- Provides start, stop, pause, and play options
- Shows statistics like recording time, file size, and fps while recording
- Allows hiding the mouse cursor
you need to use it under the X11 session and not the default Wayland session that ships with Fedora Workstation. You can install it using the following command: $ sudo dnf install vokoscreenNG;
3. Gtk-recordmydesktop
The next entry is Gtk-recordmydesktop that is based on a command-line interface (CLI). It is preferred by users who choose not to work with a graphic user interface (GUI). Also, it is a simple tool, as unlike other applications, it is limited to a specific video output format. Moreover, it supports video output only in .ogv format.
Also, it cannot live-stream your recordings. But this does not make it less appealing. It is equally equipped with appealing features that make it stand out in the market.
Key Features
- Linux screen recorder command line is quite simple to use
- You need not minimize the recording window while recording the full screen. Its recording window automatically gets out of your way.
- Follow Mouse feature ensures that the captured area follows the movement of your mouse cursor
- It comes with a feature to pause the video
- This supports an initial delay feature
recordMyDesktop is available for installation from the official Ubuntu repository (doesn’t work on Ubuntu 20.04 at the time of updating this article). Just run the following command: $ sudo apt install gtk-recordmydesktop
4. Byzanz
It is a command-line interface (CLI) based tool used for recording video and audio. This screen recorder is equipped with exceptional features, like allowing users to record desktop sessions to animated gifs. It also allows users to record multiple displays. Additionally, it allows you to record to its internal debugging format.
Moreover, this is done by users for benchmarking purposes or later when they want to convert the recorded file to any other supported format. But, Byzanz does not allow you to stream recordings online on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc.
Key Features
- Easy to install and can be used right away
- This supports a single application window recording
- It enables recording of the entire desktop
- This records video and audios in OGV, OGG, WebM and FLV formats
- It allows you to set the recording limit by setting a specific duration time
- This enables customization of height and width of the recording
5. ScreenStudio
Next on our list is easy yet powerful screen-casting software for Linux, which is simply named as ScreenStudio. It is a Java-based cross-platform screen recording tool. Also, it allows desktop recording as HD video format, which, later on, can be directly streamed through any video host service.
It supports webcam recording, audio recording from a suitable source, and direct streaming from services like Hitbox, Twitch.tv, etc. Moreover, this allows you to select the screen you want to record in case of multiple screens
Key Features
- This records audio from appropriate input sources like microphone and speakers
- It supports the overlay layer (image and text layers) while recording.
- Since it is cross-platform, it can be used everywhere.
- It allows you to customize frames per second (fps)
- This offers video output in multiple formats like FLV, MOV, mp4, and GIF
- Built around ffmpeg
- It is equipped with various advanced configuration features
ScreenStudio is relying heavily on FFmpeg provided with Ubuntu 16.04. Any other distros or custom builds of FFMPEG may not be supported. If ScreenStudio does not work on your distro (or custom build), download the source code of ScreenStudio to adjust the proper command to use with FFmpeg. To install dependencies on Ubuntu:
$ sudo apt-get install ffmpeg openjdk-8-jre
6. SimpleScreenRecorder
Justifying its name, it is quite a simple screen recorder for Linux. Also, it comes with appropriate and rational default settings. You need not alter any option. Simple screen recorder Linux is equipped with small yet excellent and useful features, which involves getting notified of the sound or following the mouse. Also, you can even choose if you want, or you don’t have to record the movement of the mouse’s cursor.
It is a Qt-based screencasting tool with an easy to use interface. Furthermore, it consists of pausing and resuming options when it comes to recordings. It should be known that resuming after a pause leads to the creation of two files. Well, one with the recording prior to pausing and the second that contains the remaining recording.
Key Features
- Simple screen recorder for Linux supports recording selected screen area
- This records directly from OpenGL apps
- It approves output in multiple formats that includes MKV, mp4, WebM, OGG, H.264, M4V, and AVI
- It provides the option of live preview during the recording process
- This shows statistics while recording
- This helps to reduce video frame rates for devices working slowly
Simply type the command and install ‘simplescreenrecorder’: $ sudo pacman -S simplescreenrecorder
Add this if you want to record 32-bit OpenGL applications on a 64-bit system: $ sudo pacman -S lib32-simplescreenrecorder
7. OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a one-stop solution for everything you need. OBS screen recorder Linux is one of the most advanced Linux screen recorders available in the market. This free and open-source application works well on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Though anyone can use OBS Studio after learning all the plugin and configuration settings, it is best Linux screen recorder suited for users who are into tech videos or live game streaming.
Moreover, it’s highly expandable through plug-ins. Furthermore, this allows developers to use APIs to code their own plug-ins.
Key Features
- It comes with an audio mixer with filters and offers filters for video sources too.
- This supports video output in mp4 and FLV formats
- It assists in encoding using H264 and AAC
- This supports Intel QSV and NVENC
- OBS screen recorder Linux can hold an unlimited number of scenes and input sources
- It allows direct streaming through YouTube, Dailymotion, Twitch, etc.
- This enables access to webcam and capture cards while recording sessions
The first time you start OBS Studio, its Auto-Configuration Wizard will be shown, allowing you to choose if you plan on using OBS Studio primarily for broadcasting or recording, and then perform a series of tests to automatically configure everything for your computer hardware. You also have the option of installing OBS Studio on any Linux distribution that supports Flatpak by using the Flathub package. It comes with the OBS-XDG-PORTAL plugin. A built-in plugin that gets screen recording to work under Wayland.
8. Gifine
If the fundamental altering highlights of Peek don’t satisfy your GIF recording needs, at that point, Gifine is a decent other option. Characterize is a direct piece of the toolkit that may not extend to the sleekest interface yet positively completes the employment opportunity. It offers worked in help for altering and managing your gifs which can save a ton of opportunity with regards to making something unique.
Its establishment is additionally not the least complex and can feel somewhat lumbering as well. The issue is that it is anything but a joke introduce order however a combination of various orders that contain certain conditions too. It needs around 6 orders to be run effectively to be utilized. Even though it is problematic in the establishment interaction, the advantages it brings exceed the underlying blockades.
Key Features
- This enables users to select a region of their desktop to record
- It supports output in both gif and mp4 format
- It allows adjusting frame-rate, edits or trim the output video
- This allows loading a directory of frames as well.
Installing Gifine is a bit of a lengthy process. Open a terminal window and carefully enter the following commands for installing Gifine on Ubuntu:
git clone –depth 1 https://github.com/lolilolicon/xrectsel.git
cd xrectsel
./bootstrap && ./configure
$ sudo make install
$ sudo apt install gifsicle luarocks libgirepository1.0-dev
$ sudo luarocks install –server=http://luarocks.org/dev Gifine
9. Shutter
The Shutter is a component-rich screen capture program for Linux-based working frameworks like Ubuntu. You can take a screen capture of a particular territory, window, your entire screen, or even of a site – apply various impacts to it, attract on it to feature focuses, and afterward transfer to a picture facilitating site, all inside one window. if you are taking screen captures for composing instructional exercises or manuals, you need to alter the picture, for example featuring some piece of it. With Shutter, you don’t have to open an outside illustrations proofreader like GIMP, since Shutter boats with its underlying supervisor.
Key Features
- It allows capturing a portion of the whole screen
- This can screenshot a window and capture a menu or tooltip
- It can capture even when you are browsing
- Many plugins are available
Write the commands below to start installing this toolkit in your Linux:
$ sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:shutter/ppa
$ sudo apt-get update
$ Sudo apt-get install shutter
10. Green recorder
Green recorder is a free, open-source, straightforward work area recorder for Linux frameworks and composed utilizing Python, GTK+3, and FFmpeg. It upholds sound and video recording on the majority of the Linux work area conditions like Unity, Gnome, Cinnamon, Mate, XFCE, and so forth Right now it upholds MKV, AVI, MP4, WMV, GIF and NUT, and also WebM for Wayland’s GNOME meeting. You would simply be able to begin and stop the chronicle by tapping the suitable catch in the fundamental menu. A play button has been included in the principal menu which permits a client to playback of a recorded video. The green recorder package is not available in the distribution official repository so we need to install it from another repository.
ubuntu screen recorder
SimpleScreenRecorder
As the name suggests, SimpleScreenRecorder is very simple and one of the most reliable screen recorders for Ubuntu. It is lightweight QT based screen recorder which is very easy to use and requires less space for installation but records high quality videos.
When it comes to features there are not many screen recorders that can match SimpleScreenRecorders offerings. It offers features such as live preview option while recording, record particular area of the screen, option to record the video in multiple video file format, optimize audio recording, manage frame rate, live statistics, tweak options to get required video output.
Don’t worry if you have slow machine because it is flexible enough that it reduces video frame rate rather than eating too much RAM. User interface is old school but who cares when you have one of the best screen recording tools at your disposal.
Open Broadcaster Software Studio
Open Broadcaster Software Studio is free and open-source cross-platform screen recording and video streaming application. It is one of the most feature-rich screen-casting applications you will find for Linux and its distributions.
It has interactive user interface which you will find very easy to use. Talking about features it has everything you will ask for in a professional screen-casting application. Video source filters, highly configurable options, live streaming, audio mixing tool with added filters, and custom transitions are the main features of this screen recorder.
Isn’t this a great tool for Facebook and YouTube video bloggers who love to go live while playing favorite video games or doing their professional tutorials?
At the first start, Open Broadcaster Software Studio starts auto configuration wizards which auto detects the screen and gives you best configuration of screen resolution, frame rate (FPS) and output resolution which will be suitable for you.
Once you are comfortable with this screen recorder you will find some hidden tweaks and features which will take your screen recording and screen casting experience to next level.
Kazam
Kazam is simple and lightweight simple screen recording application for Linux and its distro’s like Ubuntu. It is minimal tool which records the screen and saves the video file that can be played with any media player or can be uploaded on online platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, etc.
As you can see in above screenshot, Kazam sports very simple user interface with not so many options. But it gives you option to record full screen or particular area of the screen.
Even though it is a simple screen recorder it sports some handy features such as support for multiple video output file format, delay time support, audio recording from microphone or speaker. One thing that goes against this application is that you don’t get many tweaking options hence you have to stick with what you have.
recordMyDesktop
recordMyDesktop is free and open-source screen recording application especially developed for Linux and its distributions. Written in C, it is basically a command line tool for screen recording and casting. You can directly use it from command line by running recordmydesktop command in the terminal.
When it comes to features, it gives you option to tweak audio and video output quality and there are some advance options to tweak overall performance and video output.
It is simple but reliable screen recording tool as compared to other. We have tested it on latest Ubuntu 19.04 and it worked as expected. If you have older version of Ubuntu, it will also work fine there too.
Minimal user interface, lack of webcam recording support and video output limitations are some cons might lure you to look for an alternative.
Peek
As the name suggests pick your spot on the screen and start recording screen with simple animated screen recorder Peek. You can resize the Peek recorder window to the size you want to record the screen.
It is simple and lightweight screen recorder which lets you record your screen in GIF, APNG, WebM and MP4 output video formats. Peek lets you configure frame rate and delay time and sports sleek graphical user interface which is very easy to use.
There are many other screen recorders are available for Ubuntu but in-terms of reliability and overall performance we have come to conclusion that these 5 screen recorders make the cut.
Simplescreenrecorder
SimpleScreenRecorder is a Qt-based screencast software made for Unix operating systems, which was created as a simpler alternative to programs such as FFmpeg/avconv and VLC.
Is Simple Screen Recorder Free?
ActivePresenter has virtually all the features and effects one may need to record screen and edit videos. The free version of ActivePresenter is free of charge with no watermark when using free features. You can test all features of ActivePresenter without any functionality or time restrictions.
How do I use the simple screen recorder on Windows 10?
Click the camera icon to take a simple screenshot or hit the Start Recording button to capture your screen activity. Instead of going through the Game Bar pane, you can also just press Win+Alt+R to start your recording.
What is Linux SimpleScreenRecorder?
SimpleScreenRecorder is a Qt-based screencast software made for Linux operating systems, which was created as a simpler alternative to programs such as ffmpeg/avconv and VLC.
How does a simple screen recorder work?
Simple Screen Recording is only available as a graphical utility. You can launch the application by searching it through the system Dash or by accessing it from the Applications listing. This is the first screen you will see every time you launch SSR. Please click the Continue button in order to open the application.
How do I install screen recorder?
For installing the Screen Recorder you need to follow the steps mention below.
- Step 1 – download the screen recorder via play store.
- step 2 – download the screen recorder app via app store.
What’s the best free screen recorder?
Top 10 Screen Recorder Tools for 2021
- OBS Studio. OBS or Open Broadcaster Software is a free screen video recorder that offers both recording and streaming in high definition, with no limits on the length of your videos. …
- Apowersoft Unlimited. …
- Screencast-O-Matic. …
- AceThinker. …
- ScreenFlow. …
- Screencastify. …
- Bandicam. …
- Filmora Scrn.
What is the best free screen recorder?
- OBS Studio. The best screen recorder for any software, including games. …
- FlashBack Express. Ideal for recording games and capturing footage from a webcam. …
- Apowersoft Free Online Screen Recorder. An in-browser recorder more powerful than most desktop apps. …
- Debut Video Capture. …
- ShareX. …
- Screencast-O-Matic.
How do I record my screen with audio?
Option 1: ShareX – open source screen recorder that gets the job done
- Step 1: Download and Install ShareX.
- Step 2: Start the app.
- Step 3: Record your computer audio and microphone. …
- Step 4: Select video capture area. …
- Step 5: Share your screen captures. …
- Step 6: Manage your screen captures.
Does Microsoft have a screen recorder?
Supported browsers and limitations. Screen Recorder works on the following browsers: Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 Microsoft Edge, version 79 and above on Windows 10 and macOS. … Microsoft Stream Mobile on iOS and Android is not supported in mobile browsers.
How do I record my desktop?
Alternatively, press the Windows + Shift + F keys simultaneously to record the entire screen. Step 3: Click the Record button or press the Windows + Shift + R keys simultaneously. Step 4: You can click the Pause button — it replaces the Record button — to halt the recording as needed.
How do I record on Windows?
You’ll notice a “record” button — the circle icon — or you can press the Windows key + Alt + R at the same time to start recording. In fact, there’s no need to launch the Game bar at all; you can just use the keyboard shortcut to start recording screen activity.
Conclusion
screen recording software can be a great way to record screens in Linux. By using the different types of screen recording software, you can create recordings that are easy to share and view. Additionally, it is important to be aware of tips for recording Linuxwith screen recording software