The Windows app is currently in Beta.
Install and sign in
- Download Tella for Windows:
- Most PCs (Intel/AMD): TellaSetup.exe
- Surface Pro X or Snapdragon (ARM): TellaSetup-arm64.exe
- Run the installer and follow the prompts.
- Launch Tella and sign in with the same account you use on the web.
The Windows app requires Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, including Windows 11.
Start a recording
- Open Tella from the Start menu or your desktop.
- Choose what you want to record: your screen, camera, or both.
- If recording your screen, choose which display you want to record.
- Click the red record button. Tella counts down from 3, then starts recording.
Single-window capture is not available yet in the Windows app. Screen recording captures the whole display. To record a single window or browser tab, use the Chrome extension or web app, which use the browser’s screen-share picker.
If your camera is on, you must also have a microphone selected. Camera-only and camera + screen without a mic aren’t valid recording modes. If you press record without a mic, Tella shows an error instead of starting. Pick a mic in the recording controls, or turn the camera off for a screen-only recording. Screen-only recordings don’t need a mic.
Record system audio
The Windows app captures system audio natively, with no extra software required, but it is off by default. Before you record, open the app settings and turn on System audio to capture desktop sound (app audio, browser audio, the other side of a call) alongside your microphone. The toggle lives in the settings, not in the control bar next to the display, camera, and microphone pickers.System audio is recorded together with your screen, so a camera-only recording won’t include it. Tella captures whatever plays through your default Windows playback device, headphones included. Set the right output device before you start recording.
Choose how your cursor appears
Open the app settings and, under Screen recording, set Cursor before you record:- Animated: captures your pointer movement separately and adds a smooth, editable cursor to the video automatically. This is the default.
- System: records the Windows pointer directly into the screen video. Use this when you want the original cursor to appear exactly as recorded.
- Hidden: keeps the pointer out of the screen video while still capturing its movement. You can add an animated cursor later in the editor.
A cursor recorded with System becomes part of the original screen video, so it cannot be removed or restyled afterward. Tella hides the editor’s Cursor settings for that recording. Choose Animated or Hidden when you want editable cursor effects.
Pause and resume a recording
Use Pause when you need a break without ending the recording. Resume when you’re ready to continue. Pausing keeps everything in the same clip; stop and start a new recording when you want a separate clip.Use speaker notes
Open Speaker Notes to keep a movable teleprompter window above your other apps while you record. You can change its transparency, and it does not appear in the final video. See use speaker notes while recording.Customize recording shortcuts
Open the Windows app settings and choose Keyboard shortcuts to set shortcuts for:- Starting and stopping a recording.
- Pausing and resuming.
- Canceling or restarting.
- Opening Speaker Notes.
No shortcuts are set by default. Each one is empty until you assign it. Every combo must use at least two modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, or Win) so Tella’s shortcuts don’t clash with other apps, and each combo can only be used by one action.
Finish, share, and edit
When you’re done recording:- Stop the recording to open the video’s quick-share page.
- Copy the share link, or click Edit to open the web editor.
- In the editor, you can cut sections, add layouts, apply zooms, and more.
Add zooms and cursor effects to Windows recordings
The Windows app captures mouse movement separately from the screen video. In the editor, you can use that data to:- Generate Auto Zooms around clicks and cursor movement.
- Add an animated cursor and choose a macOS, Windows, or touch style.
- Change cursor size, smooth its movement, tilt it as it moves, add click spring and ripple effects, or hide it while inactive.
- Add motion blur to fast zooms, pans, and animated cursor movement.
- Shrink the camera bubble while the screen is zoomed in.
What can’t the Windows app do yet?
The Windows app is in Beta, and our goal is full feature parity with the Mac app. These differences still apply today:- Whole displays only. You can choose which display to record, but not a single window or a cropped area of the screen. The Mac app can do both.
- No camera background effects. Blur, solid color, and image backgrounds aren’t available in the Windows app. See change your camera background.
- System audio is off by default and needs a screen recording. Turn it on in the app settings first. Desktop sound is recorded alongside your screen, so a camera-only recording won’t include it, and Tella captures only what plays through your default Windows playback device.
- A microphone is required when your camera is on. Camera-only and camera + screen without a mic aren’t valid recording modes. Tella shows an error when you press record.
- No quick mode switch. Every recording opens its quick-share page in your browser when you stop; the Mac app can also chain several clips into one video before leaving the app.
- No recording controls in the system tray. The tray icon shows recording status, but start, stop, pause, and cancel live in the app window and in the keyboard shortcuts you assign.
- No keyboard shortcuts out of the box. Every shortcut is unset until you assign it in the app settings, and each combo needs at least two modifier keys.
- Windows 10 shows a yellow capture border around the display being recorded. Windows 11 hides it automatically.