diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.browser.test.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.browser.test.tsx
index 115aec44c5ab..f3c86edcddd1 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.browser.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.browser.test.tsx
@@ -34,12 +34,14 @@ const mocks = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   idleDesktopTab: false,
   idleDesktopOverlay: false,
   loading: false,
+  loadFailed: false,
   nativeServerTab: false,
   streamedServerTab: false,
   serverEpoch: null as string | null,
   servers: [] as PreviewableServer[],
   recordingTabIds: new Set<string>(),
   recordingRuntimeTabId: null as string | null,
+  stopBrowserRecording: vi.fn(async (_runtimeTabId: string) => null),
   recordVisitForThread: vi.fn(),
 }));
 
@@ -51,6 +53,13 @@ const STUB_BROWSER_DEFAULTS = {
   profiles: BUILT_IN_BROWSER_PROFILES,
   profileId: DEFAULT_BROWSER_PROFILE_ID,
 };
+const LOAD_FAILED = {
+  _tag: "LoadFailed",
+  url: "http://example.com/",
+  title: "",
+  code: -102,
+  description: "ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED",
+} as const;
 
 // The desktop bridge only exists inside Electron; the view reads it once at import.
 vi.mock(import("./previewBridge"), async (original) => ({
@@ -105,9 +114,11 @@ vi.mock(import("~/previewStateStore"), async (original) => ({
     desktopByTabId: {
       "tab-1": {
         hasWebContents: true,
-        navStatus: mocks.idleDesktopOverlay
-          ? { _tag: "Idle" }
-          : { _tag: "Success", url: "http://example.com/", title: "Example" },
+        navStatus: mocks.loadFailed
+          ? LOAD_FAILED
+          : mocks.idleDesktopOverlay
+            ? { _tag: "Idle" }
+            : { _tag: "Success", url: "http://example.com/", title: "Example" },
         canGoBack: false,
         canGoForward: false,
         loading: mocks.loading,
@@ -139,7 +150,9 @@ vi.mock(import("~/previewStateStore"), async (original) => ({
               threadId: "thread-1",
               tabId: "tab-1",
               runtime: mocks.nativeServerTab || mocks.streamedServerTab ? "server" : "desktop",
-              navStatus: { _tag: "Success", url: "http://example.com/", title: "Example" },
+              navStatus: mocks.loadFailed
+                ? LOAD_FAILED
+                : { _tag: "Success", url: "http://example.com/", title: "Example" },
               canGoBack: false,
               canGoForward: false,
               updatedAt: "2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z",
@@ -157,6 +170,7 @@ vi.mock(import("~/browser/browserRecording"), async (original) => ({
   ...(await original()),
   findActiveBrowserRecordingRuntimeTabId: () => mocks.recordingRuntimeTabId,
   useActiveBrowserRecordingTabIds: () => mocks.recordingTabIds,
+  stopBrowserRecording: mocks.stopBrowserRecording,
 }));
 vi.mock(import("./useDiscoveredLocalServers"), async (original) => ({
   ...(await original()),
@@ -236,6 +250,7 @@ function setup() {
   mocks.idleDesktopTab = false;
   mocks.idleDesktopOverlay = false;
   mocks.loading = false;
+  mocks.loadFailed = false;
   mocks.nativeServerTab = false;
   mocks.streamedServerTab = false;
   mocks.serverEpoch = null;
@@ -451,6 +466,19 @@ describe("PreviewView", () => {
     expect(listeners.size).toBe(0);
   });
 
+  it("stops an active recording after the page fails to load", async () => {
+    setup();
+    mocks.loadFailed = true;
+    mocks.recordingTabIds = new Set([TEST_RUNTIME_TAB_ID]);
+    await using _screen = await render(view());
+
+    const stop = page.getByRole("button", { name: "Stop recording" });
+    await expect.element(stop).toBeEnabled();
+    await userEvent.click(stop);
+
+    expect(mocks.stopBrowserRecording).toHaveBeenCalledWith(TEST_RUNTIME_TAB_ID);
+  });
+
   it("focuses the address bar each time the focus-url shortcut fires", async () => {
     setup();
     await using _screen = await render(view());
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.tsx
index 02d856d78ca6..03332df6d8fa 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/preview/PreviewView.tsx
@@ -997,7 +997,7 @@ export function PreviewView({
         onSubmit={(next) => void handleSubmitUrl(next)}
         onOpenInBrowser={tabId ? handleOpenInBrowser : undefined}
         onCapture={previewBridge && tabId && !isServerTab ? handleCapture : undefined}
-        captureDisabled={!desktopOverlay || isUnreachable}
+        captureDisabled={recordingRuntimeTabId === null && (!desktopOverlay || isUnreachable)}
         recording={recordingRuntimeTabId !== null}
         onPictureInPicture={
           tabId && (isServerTab || previewBridge) ? handlePictureInPicture : undefined