Screen Capture API

{{DefaultAPISidebar("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 {{domxref("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 {{domxref("MediaStream")}} .

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

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

The {{jsxref("Promise")}}  returned by getDisplayMedia() resolves to a {{domxref("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

• {{domxref("BrowserCaptureMediaStreamTrack")}} 
  • : Represents a single video track; extends the {{domxref("MediaStreamTrack")}}  class with methods to limit the part of a self-capture stream (for example, a user’s screen or window) that is captured.
• {{domxref("CaptureController")}} 
  • : Provides methods that can be used to further manipulate a capture session separate from its initiation via {{domxref("MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia()")}} . A CaptureController object is associated with a capture session by passing it into a {{domxref("MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia", "getDisplayMedia()")}}  call as the value of the options object’s controller property.
• {{domxref("CropTarget")}} 
  • : Provides a static method, {{domxref("CropTarget.fromElement_static", "fromElement()")}} , which returns a {{domxref("CropTarget")}}  instance that can be used to crop a captured video track to the area in which a specified element is rendered.
• {{domxref("RestrictionTarget")}} 
  • : Provides a static method, {{domxref("RestrictionTarget.fromElement_static", "fromElement()")}} , which returns a {{domxref("RestrictionTarget")}}  instance that can be used to restrict a captured video track to a specified DOM element.

Additions to the MediaDevices interface

• {{domxref("MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia()")}} 
  • : The getDisplayMedia() method is added to the MediaDevices interface. Similar to {{domxref("MediaDevices.getUserMedia", "getUserMedia()")}} , this method creates a promise that resolves with a {{domxref("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

• {{domxref("MediaTrackConstraints.displaySurface")}} 
  • : A ConstrainDOMString indicating what type of display surface is to be captured. The value is one of browser, monitor, or window.
• {{domxref("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.
• {{domxref("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

• {{domxref("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.
• {{domxref("MediaTrackSettings.displaySurface")}} 
  • : A string indicating what type of display surface is currently being captured. The value is one of browser, monitor, or window.
• {{domxref("MediaTrackSettings.logicalSurface")}} 
  • : A boolean value, which is true if the video being captured doesn’t directly correspond to a single onscreen display area.
• {{domxref("MediaTrackSettings.suppressLocalAudioPlayback")}} 
  • : A boolean value, which is true if the audio being captured is not played out of the user’s local speakers.

MediaTrackSupportedConstraints

• {{domxref("MediaTrackSupportedConstraints.displaySurface")}} 
  • : A boolean, which is true if the current environment supports the {{domxref("MediaTrackConstraints.displaySurface")}}  constraint.
• {{domxref("MediaTrackSupportedConstraints.logicalSurface")}} 
  • : A boolean, which is true if the current environment supports the constraint {{domxref("MediaTrackConstraints.logicalSurface")}} .
• {{domxref("MediaTrackSupportedConstraints.suppressLocalAudioPlayback")}} 
  • : A boolean, which is true if the current environment supports the constraint {{domxref("MediaTrackConstraints.suppressLocalAudioPlayback")}} .

Permissions Policy validation

{{Glossary("User agent", "User agents")}}  that support Permissions Policy (either using the HTTP {{HTTPHeader("Permissions-Policy")}}  header or the {{HTMLElement("iframe")}}  attribute allow) can specify a desire to use the Screen Capture API using the directive display-capture:

<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

{{Specifications}} 

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}} 

See also

• Using the Screen Capture API
• Using the Element Capture and Region Capture APIs
• {{domxref("MediaDevices.getDisplayMedia()")}}