How to record Excalidraw to video: export your canvas as MP4
Excalidraw itself does not record video. Excalicast adds recording to Excalidraw: it captures the canvas operation stream and your microphone, then exports an MP4, so a single drawing session becomes a narrated video you can publish to YouTube or Shorts.
Short answer
To record Excalidraw as video, use Excalicast: draw on the Excalidraw canvas while it captures your strokes and voice, then export an MP4 in 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:5. Excalidraw alone has no built-in video recorder.
Workflow
- 1
Open the Excalicast canvas
Launch the app in your browser. The canvas is an Excalidraw board with recording added on top.
- 2
Draw and narrate
Record while you sketch the diagram. Strokes are captured as events, so they stay crisp at any export resolution.
- 3
Choose the export ratio
Pick 16:9 for a long video or 9:16 for Shorts/TikTok — the same session can render to both.
- 4
Export MP4
Render the video locally in the browser and download it. Watermarked export is free; a one-time unlock removes it.
FAQ
Can Excalidraw export video on its own?
No. Excalidraw exports images and its native format, not narrated video. Excalicast adds recording so the same canvas becomes an MP4.
Will other windows appear in the recording?
No. Because Excalicast captures the canvas operation stream rather than screen pixels, overlapping windows and notifications never appear in the final video.