Using the StreamPlay Record Chrome extension

Screen recording is often the easiest way to demonstrate something — a design, a functionality, or a new tool — and now, Vimeo makes it straightforward. You can use our Vimeo Record tool to easily record your screen and share that recording with others. The process of sharing your ideas has never been more efficient: record your screen, voice, face, or a combination, then instantly upload and share your video message through Vimeo and let your work speak for itself. 

Getting Started

The Vimeo record tool can be installed as an extension in the Google Chrome browser here. 

Click on the Vimeo logo in your browser extensions, connect your Vimeo account, grant access to your camera and mic, and then you can start recording.

If you previously blocked your Chrome browser from accessing your camera or microphone, you can update those settings by following these steps: 

1. In your Chrome browser, click the hamburger menu and select Settings from the drop-down option.
2. Under "Privacy and security," click Site settings.
3. Select Camera or Microphone.  
4. Then review your blocked and allowed sites. To allow a site that you already blocked: Under "Blocked," select the site's name and change the camera or microphone permission to "Allow."

Please note that if you choose to make a recording without connecting to Vimeo first, you will need to register for or log into your existing account in order to share the video. 

Troubleshooting Tips for Mac Users 

If you are using Mac OS Catalina and run into an error after installing the extension that reads ‘There was an error with screen capture. Check on the permissions and try again, or visit the Help Center’, please open your System Preferences, then click on the Security & Privacy icon. 

In the new window, scroll down to Screen Recording and ensure that Google Chrome has permission to access the contents of your screen.

Then scroll down to Microphone and give Chrome permission to access your mic. Finally, scroll down to Camera and give Chrome permission to access your camera. Then, just restart your browser.

After completing those steps, you should be able to successfully run Vimeo Record on your Mac!  

Recording Videos

To start recording, click on the Vimeo logo in your browser extension. You can choose from the following settings for your screen recording:

• Full screen or current tab of your browser, just your camera, or both
• Camera (select external camera or computer default)
• Microphone (select external microphone or computer default)
  • If you selected Current Tab, audio that is playing back from that tab will be included by default; click the corresponding speaker icon to disable it.
• Upload recording to a specific folder on your account or to your team account (click on your profile avatar and on the folder icon to choose your destination) 
• Enterprise team members’ recordings will be uploaded to their private workspace on the team account 

With the camera enabled, the camera preview overlay will default to the bottom left of the screen. However, you can also drag and drop camera preview to the area of the screen you want to record. You can also click the flip icon inside the preview to flip your camera view horizontally (i.e. if you want your camera to act like a mirror rather than a standard camera, you can flip the image).

Click Start recording when you are ready to start recording your video. If you are recording your screen, Chrome will prompt you to choose between your entire desktop screen, a specific application window, or a specific browser tab. Once you choose your screen source, click Share.

You will see a quick 3-2-1 countdown, and then your recording will be active. You can click the Pause button on the record overlay to pause the recording if you need to step away temporarily, and then click the same button resume recording.

When you are finished recording, click the Stop button on the camera preview overlay. 

Some things to note:

• Recordings are currently limited to two hours.
• The recording will be interrupted if the extension loses access to the camera, microphone, or screen.
• If you aren’t logged into your Vimeo account, or lose internet connection during your recording, don’t worry. Your recording will continue and be stored upon completion. Click the extension icon after you’ve logged in or regained connection to retry the upload.

Uploading and Sharing Videos

After you stop the recording, your video will automatically start uploading to your Vimeo account and will be added to a folder titled “Recordings.” These videos will not count towards your account storage limit.

Please note that you cannot change the title of the folder. If you change the title of the “Recordings” folder or delete it, a new “Recordings” folder will be created automatically. Additionally, all recordings will be saved to the “Recordings” folder unless you select to save to a different one.

If you are an Enterprise team member, your recordings will be uploaded to your private folder on the Enterprise team account.

You will be able to modify a few of the video’s settings in the modal that appears including privacy, title, and description. You can also copy the video’s share link to start sharing your message instantly. Closing out of the modal will not affect the upload process but you can delete the recording straight from the modal. 

Currently, the extension defaults to setting your recordings to the private link privacy so you can share your video only with the people you choose. The default title of your recording will either be the name of the tab you recorded when the screen is enabled, or “New Recording” with the date and time if you only recorded your camera. If you record both your screen and camera, the default title will be “New Recording” with the date and time. To edit other settings, click on the gear icon next to the title to go to the video’s settings page on Vimeo. 

Uninstalling the Extension

To remove the Vimeo Record extension from your browser:

1. Go to Chrome extensions by entering chrome://extensions/ into the URL field, then press the Enter key on your keyboard to navigate to it.
2. Find the Vimeo Screen Recorder extension.
3. Click “Remove.”

When you use Record to create and share your videos, you will be taken to the video settings page to edit and customize your video further. 

Your settings tools will be above and to the right of the player on the video settings page. You can edit the video’s title and description right below the player. Your changes will be saved automatically when you press enter on your keyboard or when you click outside of the field.

To return back to the homepage, click on the Vimeo logo in the upper left corner of the screen. If you’ve set a team logo for your account, you’ll see your logo instead of Vimeo’s. 

When your viewers visit your clip page via the shared link, they’ll be able to watch your video, see your team/company logo, and either leave comments in the comment panel (if you are Basic or Plus), which is located to the right of the player, or open the Review page (if you are Pro or higher).