How to Record a Loom Video (and Clean It Up Before You Send It)

Yes, you can learn how to record a loom video in a single sitting. Install the desktop app or browser extension, choose screen, camera, or both, pick your microphone, and press record. The step most first-timers skip comes afterward: cleaning the downloaded file before a client watches it.

Loom makes the recording part easy. That's why people use it. But easy recording usually means one take, no script, and every "um" and pause stays in. The steps below cover the basics in order, and the last few cover the cleanup that makes a quick Loom look like you put real care into it.

Step 1: Install Loom and Sign In

Loom offers a desktop app for Mac and Windows and an extension for Chrome-based browsers. Either one works for a first recording. The desktop app tends to give you more control over which window or screen you capture, so if you plan to record often, start there.

Create an account with your work email so your recordings land in the right workspace. If your company already uses Loom, ask whether there's a shared workspace you should join. Otherwise your videos may end up in a personal library nobody else can see.

Step 2: Choose Your Recording Mode

When you open Loom, it asks what you want to capture. Here's how to choose for common professional uses:

| Mode | Best for | |---|---| | Screen and camera | Walkthroughs, proposals, feedback on a document | | Screen only | Software demos, quick process explainers | | Camera only | Personal check-ins, thank-you notes, introductions |

For client-facing work, screen and camera is usually the right default. A small face bubble in the corner makes the recording feel personal while still showing what you're talking about.

Step 3: Check Your Microphone and Camera

This is where most first recordings go wrong. Loom picks a default microphone, and it isn't always the one you think. Before recording, open the microphone dropdown and confirm it shows the headset or desk mic you meant to use, not the built-in laptop mic or a webcam mic across the room.

Do a ten-second test recording. Play it back with headphones on. Listen for fan hum, echo from a bare room, or a voice that sounds far away. Fixing any of those now saves you from re-recording a ten-minute walkthrough later.

For the camera, put the lens at eye level, face a window or lamp instead of sitting with one behind you, and close any tabs or apps you don't want viewers to see.

Step 4: Plan the First Ten Seconds

You don't need a full script, but you do need an opening line. Most rambling in a Loom happens at the very start, while the speaker figures out what they're about to say. Write one sentence that names the viewer, the topic, and what they should do after watching.

If you want a rough sense of how long your planned talking points will run, the video script timer estimates length from your notes before you hit record.

Step 5: Record, Pause, and Stop

Click Start Recording. Loom gives you a short countdown, then starts capturing. A few habits help:

1. Talk to one specific person, not "everyone." It keeps your tone natural.
2. Use the pause button if you lose your place, rather than stopping and starting over.
3. Move your mouse with purpose. Viewers follow the cursor, so don't wave it around while you think.
4. When you finish, stop the recording right away instead of trailing off with "so, yeah, that's it."

Once you stop, Loom processes the video and opens it in your library with a shareable link.

Step 6: Download the File

Here's where a first-timer's path splits from a professional's. You could copy the link and send it now. But that raw recording still has every hesitation, every "uh," and every long pause while a page loaded.

To clean it, download the video first. Open the recording in your Loom library, find the download option in the video's menu, and save the MP4 to your computer. If you don't see a download option, ask whoever manages your Loom workspace, since admins can restrict downloads.

Curious how much time those pauses and fillers are costing your viewers? The Loom waste estimator gives you a quick read before you decide whether cleanup is worth it.

Step 7: Clean the Download Before You Send It

Upload the MP4 to TrimTake. Our detection engine finds filler words like um, uh, like, and you know, along with dead silences, at word-level precision, then removes them automatically. A short audio crossfade at every cut keeps the edits from clicking.

You then get a transcript preview with every removed word struck through, so you can see exactly what came out before you download. Pick Light, Medium, or Aggressive cleanup depending on how tight you want the result. There's no timeline to learn and nothing to drag around.

The full walkthrough for this workflow lives on our page about how to remove filler words from Loom recordings.

On cost: TrimTake is free to start. The Free plan handles clips up to 90 seconds each, about 10 minutes of footage a month, with no card and no watermark. Most Loom walkthroughs run longer than 90 seconds, so Pay Per Video at $0.99 covers a recording up to 10 minutes with no subscription. If you record Looms every day, the monthly plans on the pricing page start at $9.

Step 8: Share the Clean Version

Once the cleaned file is downloaded, you have two options. You can upload it back into Loom so you keep the familiar share link and viewer notifications, or you can send the MP4 directly by email or through your file-sharing tool.

Either way, watch the first thirty seconds once more before sending. Make sure the opening line is crisp and the screen shows what you expect. Then send it.

Your processed video is deleted from TrimTake automatically after 14 days, so save your copy somewhere permanent.

FAQ

How long should my first Loom video be?

Aim for under five minutes for most client or team updates. Shorter recordings get watched to the end more often, and removing pauses and filler words shortens the final file even further.

Can I remove filler words inside Loom itself?

Loom's built-in editing options vary by plan, so check what your account includes. TrimTake works on the downloaded MP4 no matter which Loom plan you use, and it shows a transcript preview of every cut.

Do I need editing experience to clean a Loom recording?

No. You upload the file, review the struck-through transcript, and download the result. There's no timeline involved.

What file formats does TrimTake accept?

TrimTake accepts MP4, MOV, AVI, and WebM uploads. Loom downloads as MP4, so it works without any conversion.

Does TrimTake work for Looms recorded in other languages?

Yes. Cleanup works in 8 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Hindi, and Arabic.