Keep a copy of a screen recording shared by link
A colleague sent you a demo or a tutorial recorded on screen, playable only online. Here is how to keep an MP4 file of it before the link expires.
Screen recording tools are everywhere: a product demo, an internal tutorial, feedback on a document, everything is shared by link. The problem comes later: the link expires, the author's account is closed, or the video is needed in a presentation. Here is how to keep an MP4 copy, provided you have the right to.
Why the download button is often missing
The author can allow downloads, but the option is rarely turned on. And when it is, it sometimes gives the original file in an awkward format. Under the hood, these tools serve the video as a stream (HLS or DASH), cut into pieces, with signed addresses that expire within hours.
The method
- Open the video's link in Chrome.
- Click the ExtNest Video Downloader icon. The video is listed with its title and its duration, without even pressing Play.
- Pick the quality, usually 720p or 1080p depending on the recorded screen.
- Click Download: the pieces are assembled into an MP4 file, playable everywhere, named after the video's title.
If the author allowed downloads, the extension also offers the ready-made MP4 file: one click, no assembly.
A video embedded in a page
When the video is embedded in a documentation page or an intranet, the same applies: the extension sees the player even inside an embedded frame, and lists the page's video.
Sound only
For a recorded meeting or spoken feedback on a document, Audio only gives a much lighter M4A or MP3 file, perfect to listen to while walking.
Good to know
Only save what you have the right to save: videos shared with you for your own use, your own recordings, or in the cases allowed by the law.