Capturing Bugs
Screen Recording
Recording Modes
Crosscheck supports two recording modes, each suited to different testing scenarios:
| Feature | Tab Recording | Desktop Recording |
|---|---|---|
| What is captured | Only the contents of the active browser tab | Your entire screen or a selected application window |
| Audio | Tab audio only (system audio from the page) | System audio and optional microphone input |
| Developer context | Full devtools data (console, network, user actions) | Full devtools data (console, network, user actions) |
| Use case | Testing web applications where you want a focused recording of a single page | Capturing interactions that span multiple windows, native apps, or desktop-level workflows |
| Privacy | Only the tab content is recorded; nothing else on your screen is visible | Everything visible on your screen or selected window is recorded |
How recording works
Crosscheck uses your browser's built-in screen capture capabilities. Tab recording captures only the active tab's content, while desktop recording captures your entire screen or a selected window. This is handled automatically; no setup is required on your part.
How to Record
1
Open the extension
Click the Crosscheck extension icon in your browser toolbar or use the floating action bar on the page. Select the recording option.
2
Choose your recording mode
Select either "Tab" to record only the current browser tab, or "Desktop" to record your entire screen. For desktop mode, Chrome will prompt you to choose which screen or window to share.
3
Record your session
Click the start button. A countdown timer gives you a moment to prepare before recording begins. While recording, you can pause and resume at any time using the floating recording controls. The extension continues to collect console logs, network requests, and user actions throughout the session.
4
Stop and trim
Click the stop button to end the recording. A trimming interface appears, letting you cut the beginning and end of the video to remove unnecessary lead-in or trailing footage. Trimming is fast because it is fast and preserves the original video quality.
5
Review and save
Preview the trimmed recording, add a title or description if needed, and save. The video and developer context data are saved to your workspace and a new capture is created in your active project.
Screen recording controls
Video Processing
When you trim a recording, Crosscheck handles the rest automatically:
- Trimming — Trimming is fast because it works without re-encoding the video. This makes trimming nearly instant regardless of video length.
- Thumbnail generation — A thumbnail image is automatically extracted from the first frame of the trimmed video for use as a preview in the dashboard.
- Devtools timestamp remapping — Console logs, network requests, and user action timestamps are adjusted to match the trimmed video timeline. If you had pause/resume periods during recording, those are accounted for so that devtools events stay in sync with video playback.
Trim interface for recordings
Pause and resume
When you pause a recording and then resume, the paused segment is excluded from the final video. Developer context timestamps are remapped to account for the gap, so events stay synchronized with playback. This is especially useful when you need to set up a specific state before continuing to record.
Output Format
Recordings are saved as video files along with their developer context data (console logs, network requests, user actions). A thumbnail is automatically generated for preview in the dashboard.
Last updated: March 2026