ExcaliRec gives you a whiteboard canvas and a recorder in the same browser tab. Draw, auto-zoom to key strokes, add a webcam bubble, and download the result locally.
Guide
An Excalidraw recorder is a tool for turning a hand-drawn whiteboard explanation into a shareable video. Instead of showing a slide deck or a finished diagram, you record the thinking as it appears on the canvas: boxes, arrows, rough notes, corrections, and the small visual decisions that make an idea easier to follow.
You can record Excalidraw with a normal screen recorder, but that setup often creates extra work. You have to open the board, position the window, crop the browser chrome, check the microphone, decide whether your camera should appear, and hope the important part of the canvas is large enough for viewers on mobile. If you zoom manually while drawing, the video can feel jumpy. If you do not zoom, the drawing can feel distant.
ExcaliRec is built for this specific job. It combines an Excalidraw-style whiteboard and a recorder in the same browser tab, then adds FocuSee-style automatic zoom for drawing videos. The result is closer to a lightweight recording studio for whiteboard explainers than a generic screen capture tool. You still get the loose, human feel of sketching on a canvas, but the recorded video is framed for teaching, product walkthroughs, investor notes, internal docs, and short-form educational clips.
The most important difference is focus. A normal screen recorder captures whatever is on your monitor. An excalidraw screen recorder should help the viewer follow the idea. When you draw a small part of the diagram, the recording can move closer. When you return to the full structure, it can pull back. That is why a purpose-built excalidraw recorder is useful for people who care less about recording the whole desktop and more about making the explanation easy to watch.
Workflow
If you want to record Excalidraw to video without installing a separate capture app, use this simple workflow. It works best in a desktop browser, especially when you are recording a lesson, product concept, system diagram, or social video that needs a clean whiteboard frame.
Go to /app/ and start from the built-in Excalidraw-style canvas, so the whiteboard and recorder are already in the same place.
Pick the canvas shape that matches the destination: 16:9 for YouTube and courses, 9:16 for short-form video, or 1:1 for square social posts.
Sketch while you speak, and let the auto-zoom follow the active drawing area so viewers can see the part you are explaining.
Turn on the webcam bubble for a more personal lesson, use the microphone for narration, or keep the recording silent for a clean process clip.
Use the laser pointer, clean background, slides, or teleprompter when the video needs more structure than a casual sketch.
Stop the recording when you are done, then download the WebM file to your device and convert to MP4 only if your editor or platform requires it.
This flow keeps the recording process close to the way people actually explain ideas. You do not need to perfect the board before recording. In many cases, the drawing is more useful when the viewer sees it being built one step at a time.
Comparison
OBS, Loom, and FocuSee are all useful tools. The right choice depends on whether you are recording a full desktop, a quick async update, a polished app demo, or a whiteboard explanation. ExcaliRec is designed for one narrow job: screen record Excalidraw drawing with less setup.
| Tool | Built-in whiteboard | Auto-zoom | Install | Price | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExcaliRec | Yes, Excalidraw-style canvas | Yes, focused on whiteboard drawing | No install; browser-based | Free to start | Whiteboard explainers, teaching clips, founder notes, and diagrams that need a clean recording flow |
| OBS | No; use another app or browser tab | Manual scenes, filters, or plugins | Desktop app required | Free | Flexible desktop recording, live streaming, multi-source production, and advanced setups |
| Loom | No; records your screen or camera | Not centered on whiteboard drawing | Browser or desktop workflow | Free and paid plans | Quick async updates, team messages, support replies, and screen walkthroughs |
| FocuSee | No dedicated Excalidraw-style whiteboard | Yes, strong for screen demos | Desktop app required | Paid product | Polished app demos, cursor-focused walkthroughs, and product videos |
Features
A good excalidraw whiteboard recorder should remove friction without making the drawing feel overproduced. These are the features that matter most when the goal is a clear explanation rather than a perfect studio recording.
The recorder can follow the area you are working on, making small labels, arrows, and diagrams easier to watch on smaller screens.
Add your face when trust and personality matter, or turn it off when the drawing should stay the center of attention.
Record a whiteboard video without desktop clutter, random browser tabs, notifications, or window borders around the canvas.
Point to a specific part of the diagram while you talk, which is useful when the board becomes dense.
Keep a loose structure nearby so the recording sounds prepared without forcing you into a rigid slide deck.
Recording happens in the browser and downloads to your device, which is useful for internal diagrams, draft lessons, and private notes.
These features also make ExcaliRec practical for creators who publish often. You can record a rough concept, check the result, and make another version without rebuilding an entire recording setup. For many whiteboard videos, speed matters because the first clear explanation is usually better than a heavily edited one that never gets published.
Use cases
Use an Excalidraw recorder when the explanation is easier to understand as a drawing than as a static document. That includes strategy maps, product architecture, lesson notes, process diagrams, mental models, course modules, and short clips where the viewer needs to see how one part connects to another.
It is especially helpful when you are teaching a concept with several moving parts. A static image can show the final structure, but a recording can show order: what comes first, what depends on what, and why a certain branch matters. That order is often the difference between a viewer saying "nice diagram" and actually understanding the idea.
If you only need to capture your full desktop, OBS may be the better choice. If you only need a quick team update, Loom may be faster. If you are producing a polished software demo, FocuSee may be closer to that workflow. But if your search is how to record Excalidraw, or how to screen record Excalidraw drawing without extra setup, ExcaliRec is built around that exact recording moment.
FAQ
Yes. ExcaliRec lets you record an Excalidraw-style whiteboard in the browser, including your drawing, optional webcam bubble, microphone audio, laser pointer, and automatic zoom movements.
No. ExcaliRec runs in a desktop browser, so you do not need to install a desktop recorder, browser extension, or separate whiteboard app. Open /app/, choose your setup, and start recording.
Yes. Recording happens in your browser and the finished file downloads to your device. ExcaliRec is designed for private, local recording, especially when your board contains draft ideas or internal diagrams.
ExcaliRec exports WebM. If your publishing workflow requires MP4, convert the WebM to MP4 after recording. It should not be treated as a direct MP4 exporter.
OBS and Loom are general screen recording tools. ExcaliRec combines the whiteboard and recorder in one browser tab, with Excalidraw-style drawing and built-in auto-zoom for whiteboard explainers.
ExcaliRec supports common publishing ratios including landscape 16:9, vertical 9:16, square 1:1, and portrait-friendly layouts for short-form video.
Yes. The webcam bubble is optional. You can record only the whiteboard and microphone, or create a silent drawing video if you plan to add narration or music later.
Free · No sign-up · Records locally · Export WebM (convert to MP4 if needed)
Open ExcaliRec