Feature
Capture a browser tab’s audio for live captions
See how TanLens captures tab audio in Chrome and Edge, why the browser asks for a click each time, and which sites may block capture.
TanLens captures tab audio through its Manifest V3 extension for Chrome and Edge. Open the page that is playing the meeting or video, keep that tab active, and press Start in the extension popup. The browser requires that click as a user gesture, so capture cannot begin silently in the background.
01How a tab session starts
Install the extension package in Chrome or Edge, sign in so it can use your minutes, then open the page you want to caption. Keep that tab active and press Start in the extension popup; the extension captures the tab that is active at that moment, so start it before switching windows. Only that tab is captured; other tabs, notifications and system sounds are left out. You can keep using the page normally, and TanLens does not join a meeting or appear in a participant list, because there is no bot involved.
02When capture does not work
DRM-protected players can block tab audio, and some sites route sound through a protected path that the extension cannot read. Native apps are not tabs at all, so desktop Zoom, Teams or a media player need microphone mode; a virtual loopback device can feed their output into the microphone input if needed. Safari and Firefox do not run this extension, so tab sessions there are not available; the web app still handles microphone sessions, file uploads and broadcast viewing. Test the exact site before an important call, because capture behavior varies by player.
Frequently asked questions
Related pages
Put words on the screen tonight
Twenty free minutes a month, no card, no meeting bot. Start with your microphone, then add the extension for tab audio.