Lockdown browser meaning, in one paragraph
A lockdown browser (also called a secure exam browser, secure test browser or exam browser) is a web browser or browser mode that restricts the device during an exam. While the exam is open, the candidate usually can’t open other websites, switch to other applications, copy and paste, take screenshots or use certain keyboard shortcuts. Once the exam is submitted, the restrictions lift and the device works normally again.
How does a lockdown browser work?
What a lockdown browser typically restricts
The exact controls depend on the product and on how the institution configures it. A lockdown browser commonly:
- Opens the exam in full screen and hides the rest of the desktop
- Blocks new tabs, other websites and the address bar
- Prevents switching to other applications
- Disables copy, paste, print and screen capture
- Blocks common keyboard shortcuts and right-click menus
- Stops the exam from opening in an ordinary browser
Some lockdown browsers also look for software running in the background, such as screen-sharing tools, and won’t start until it is closed.
How the exam launches
How a lockdown browser works at launch depends on the type:
- Installed lockdown browser. The candidate installs a dedicated browser application, and the exam (often set inside an LMS such as Moodle) will only open in that application.
- Browser-based locked session. The candidate uses an ordinary supported browser, and the exam platform locks the session from inside the exam page, with no separate browser to install.
- Proctoring extension. A browser extension adds lockdown and monitoring features to the candidate’s existing browser.
Types of secure exam browser
Safe Exam Browser
What is Safe Exam Browser? It is a widely used, open-source lockdown browser for Windows, macOS and iOS. Institutions configure it with a settings file that tells it which exam to open and what to allow, and it is commonly used with LMS quizzes, including Moodle. Like other lockdown browsers, it controls the device, and on its own it isn’t webcam proctoring. Check the project’s current documentation for supported platforms and features.
Commercial lockdown browsers
Several proctoring vendors offer their own lockdown browser, sometimes with an optional webcam or monitoring add-on that is sold or enabled separately. Respondus LockDown Browser is one widely known example. Respondus also offers Respondus Monitor, a separate webcam feature institutions can enable. Features and configurations change, so check the vendor’s current documentation.
Browser-based proctoring
Browser-based proctoring pairs a locked session with monitoring, identity checks and review, all delivered through the candidate’s existing browser. For most exams, candidates don’t need to install a new browser. The trade-off is that a browser sees less of the computer than an installed agent does, so some platforms add an optional desktop app for higher-stakes exams.
Does a lockdown browser record you?
Candidates ask this more than anything else. The honest answer is that a lockdown browser by itself usually doesn’t record you. Recording comes from a monitoring or proctoring layer that the institution switches on alongside it.
What really matters is what your institution has enabled for your exam, and a well-run exam tells you before it starts.
Does lockdown browser record audio?
Not on its own. Audio is captured only if the exam uses webcam or microphone proctoring, and if it does, you should be told before the exam starts. On Proctorly, unusual audio is raised as a signal for a person to review in context, never as a finding. Reading aloud, assistive tools and household noise are not misconduct.
Does lockdown browser record your screen?
A lockdown browser restricts the screen but doesn’t have to record it. Screen recording is a separate monitoring feature, and whether your screen is recorded depends on how the exam is configured. On Proctorly, your face, audio and screen may be recorded under the rules your institution set, and you are told what is captured before you start.
Does lockdown browser track eye movement?
A lockdown browser on its own doesn’t use the camera, so it can’t track eye movement. Webcam proctoring tools differ in what they analyze, so ask your institution or check the vendor’s documentation. Proctorly raises audio and behavior signals for a person to review in context, and it doesn’t infer emotion, personality or intent from a candidate’s face or voice.
What is a lockdown browser environment check?
A lockdown browser environment check is a set of checks run before the exam starts. Depending on the setup, it can include a device check (camera, microphone, connection and any blocked software running), an identity check (face and photo ID) and sometimes a webcam view of the room.
On Proctorly, candidates run the system check from their exam link before the day, identity is checked at the start and through the session, and the Live dedicated level adds a live check-in with a proctor. Candidates can also run the public system check without a login. It runs in the browser and stores nothing.
Is a lockdown browser safe to install?
A lockdown browser from a reputable provider is designed to change how the device behaves only while the exam is open. It does need elevated control over the device, so institutions should answer a few questions before asking candidates to install one:
- Who publishes it, and where should candidates download it from?
- What permissions does it ask for, and what does it do when the exam ends?
- Does it collect any data itself, or only when a monitoring layer is enabled?
- How is it uninstalled?
Publish the answers in your candidate instructions, since candidates trust what they can read in advance.
What a lockdown browser cannot do on its own
A lockdown browser controls one device. It can’t:
- See a second phone or tablet on the desk
- Confirm who is sitting the exam
- Hear someone in the room giving answers
- Tell whether an AI tool is running on another device
It also needs detection behind it for attempts to get around it, such as running the exam inside a virtual machine. Secure online exams therefore layer the browser with identity checks, monitoring for known threats and human review. No setup sees everything, and an honest provider will tell you where its view ends.
How Proctorly handles the locked session
Proctorly runs the exam in a locked browser session on a laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile phone, in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Ulaa. For most exams, candidates don’t install a separate browser.
Around the locked session, Proctorly adds the layers a browser can’t provide:
- Identity. Face verification at the start and continuously through the exam, with replay rejection, plus photo ID capture and active liveness where needed.
- Monitoring for known threats. Detection of AI tools, second devices, remote-access and screen-sharing tools, screen recording, extra monitors, virtual machines, browser extensions, overlay apps and agentic browsers, along with tab and window events.
- An optional Windows desktop agent for exams that need it. It checks running apps, overlays, displays, USB and Bluetooth devices, VPNs and browser windows, and it notes that an app is open without ever reading the candidate’s documents.
- Human review. A trained reviewer looks at every flag and records a decision with a reason, and your institution makes the final call.
- Evidence. A case record, a tamper-evident audit trail and an evidence pack for appeals.
If your exams already run in an LMS, Moodle monitoring with OAuth and LTI 1.3 is live and supports Canvas, Blackboard, and other learning platforms, and a Moodle exam can stay inside Moodle while Proctorly monitors it in any browser. Our online proctoring page shows how the full detection layer works.
Choosing a secure exam browser setup: questions for exam offices
- Do candidates need to install anything, and which devices does it work on?
- What exactly is blocked while the exam is open?
- What is captured (camera, microphone, screen) at each level, and how are candidates told?
- What happens when a candidate tries to work around the browser?
- Who reviews flags, and can any automated flag become a sanction on its own?
- How long is data kept, and who decides?
- What does the provider say it can’t see?
Frequently asked questions
What is a lockdown browser used for?
It lets institutions run online exams on a candidate’s own device while limiting what else the device can do. It typically blocks other websites, other applications, copy and paste and screen capture until the exam is submitted. Institutions use it as the first layer of a secure exam, and for exams that count they usually combine it with identity checks, monitoring and human review.
Is a secure exam browser the same as online proctoring?
No. A secure exam browser controls the device during the exam, while online proctoring adds identity checks, monitoring of the camera, microphone or screen, and review of what happened. Many exams use both. On Proctorly, the locked session, identity checks, monitoring and human review run together on one platform, at the assurance level the institution picks for each exam.
How do I know if my lockdown browser exam is being recorded?
Check your exam instructions and the screens shown before the exam starts. A properly run exam tells you what will be captured, such as your face, audio or screen. If you’re unsure, ask your instructor or exam office before exam day. On Proctorly, candidates are told what is captured, under the rules the institution set, before they start.
Do I need to install a lockdown browser for a Proctorly exam?
For most exams, no. Proctorly exams open in a locked session in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Ulaa on a laptop, desktop, tablet or phone. Some higher-stakes exams also ask you to install the small Proctorly desktop app on a Windows computer, and your exam link will say so.
Can a lockdown browser stop all cheating?
No. It controls one device, so it can’t see a second phone, confirm identity or hear someone in the room, which is why secure exams add identity checks, monitoring for known threats and human review. No proctoring product sees everything. Proctorly detects a published set of known threats and tells you where its view ends.
Next steps
See how Proctorly delivers the exam in a locked session, checks identity through the sitting and keeps the evidence on one record.
Explore online exam software
Related guides: how do online exams work · CBT exam