How to Download a Loom Video as MP4

Every video you download from Loom comes out as an .MP4 file. There is no format picker and no export dialog to configure — Loom's help center states the MP4 rule on three separate pages. So the real questions are whether your account is allowed to download at all, and what the MP4 will be missing when it lands on your disk.

This guide covers the official route, the permission rules, and the sentence in Loom's encoding documentation that describes how the downloaded file relates to what was recorded.

Before you start

Three things decide whether a Download option exists for you.

Your plan. Loom's download page is blunt: "The download feature is only available on Business, Business + AI, or Enterprise plans. Users on the Starter Free plan can't download videos."

Your role. The same page lists download permissions per plan:

Business/Business+ AI: Admins and creators
Education: Admins only
Enterprise: Admins and members

It adds: "Note that Creator Lite and Viewer roles don't have download permissions on any plan."

A workspace-level switch. Admins can turn downloading off entirely. Loom describes the effect as: "Once disabled, users in your workspace will no longer have the ability to download videos and transcripts." That capability is documented as "available on Enterprise and Premium (Business+AI) plans" and "for Atlassian-managed workspaces only."

Three file-level rules also apply, all from the same FAQ: "downloading videos with Variables is not possible", "for Loom meeting recordings only the Meeting organizer has the ability to download the video", and "you won't be able to download Loom videos over 20GB. (How big is 20GB? Approx. 3 hours recorded in 4K)". For anything larger, Loom asks you to contact its support team.

Step 1: Confirm which account the recorder is signed into

Check the desktop app's login separately from the browser. Loom's page on the 5-minute recording limit notes that "The desktop app can be signed into a different account and has separate session management from the web or the Chrome extension." The same page says your default workspace "controls where your videos are automatically stored and the features you have access to on your recordings." Being signed into a paid workspace in one place is not evidence that you are signed into it everywhere.

Step 2: Download the video

Loom's wording is "When you download a Loom, it is downloaded in the .MP4 format." There is no container, codec, or resolution to choose — the encoding page repeats it: "All videos downloaded from Loom will be in a .MP4 format."

Step 3: Download the captions separately

This is the step most people skip, then discover too late. Loom's download FAQ says: "While all video trims will be retained in the mp4-downloaded format, it's important to note that other Loom features, including CTAs, Filler Word + Silence removal, Chapters, and Closed Captions, will not be included in the downloaded file."

Loom's own pages are not consistent about one item in that list: the page on removing filler words and silences says "If you download your video, the removal will remain intact." Both statements sit in Loom's help center, so verify that one on your own file. Background noise reduction is unambiguous, though — Loom's page on it states that the effect "will be reflected in the web player but downloaded Loom videos will include the original audio."

For the captions, Loom describes an SRT export: "You can download an SRT file of your captions. To download, select the " ... " above your video and then Download captions . Downloadable captions are only available to creators and admins on a Business/Business + AI plan, and members and admins on an Enterprise plan ." SRT is the only caption format that page describes.

That leaves you with two files that no longer travel together. If the subtitles need to be visible wherever the MP4 ends up, burn the subtitles into the video — and note that sending an edited SRT back to Loom is not an option: "Users can't upload external subtitle files to Loom."

Step 4: Check the aspect ratio before you publish

Loom explains a mismatch people usually blame on their editor: "Our web player adjusts the aspect ratio of a video to 16:9 (1280 x 800), which makes the video appear proportional." But, it continues, "when you download a video, it is in the original aspect ratio the video was recorded in. That being said if you recorded in an atypical aspect ratio your video may look stretched out. To avoid this problem, we suggest changing your screen resolution to a 16:9 ratio."

So a download that looks stretched is showing you the shape you actually recorded in, not a shape the download introduced.

Why the MP4 is "similar", not a copy

Here is the detail that explains the rest. Loom's encoding page ends with: "Note: All videos downloaded from Loom will be in a .MP4 format. The MP4 media encoding specs are similar to the RAW media recorded."

Similar is Loom's own word here, and it is worth reading literally rather than as a synonym for identical. The same page also documents what Loom stores in the first place. The media specifications differ by recorder:

Two platform details from the same tables are worth keeping: the Windows desktop app row reads "1 Channel (Mono)" while the Mac row reads "up to 2 Channel (Stereo)". Loom does not explain why, but it does document the difference — which is the answer when a Windows-recorded Loom downloads with mono audio.

Read the table carefully: it describes the media Loom holds and streams, not the file the Download button hands you. That file is an MP4 in every case. Loom also notes that both recorders "target 30fps on average" and that "system load might affect the actual frame rate Loom can capture."

If the MP4 needs to be a different shape

Loom's advice for getting a file into a form its uploader is happy with is unusually specific: "If the file you want to upload to Loom is not supported, or even if the quality of the uploaded video doesn't turn out quite right, try running your video through Handbrake ." And: "We recommend exporting your video using the media specifications in the above table (H.264/AAC to . MP4 file.)"

Loom's upload troubleshooting page names a concrete failure this fixes: "There are times when an underlying property of your video is not supported (like the number of audio channels is too high) and this can only be fixed by running the media through Handbrake."

If you would rather not install a desktop encoder for one file, the converter below does the same H.264/AAC-into-MP4 job in your browser tab.

Nothing is uploaded — the file is read from disk, re-encoded locally, and handed back, which matters for a Loom download that is usually internal material. The full set of converters lives at all Clapr tools; the MOV to MP4 converter handles the QuickTime files that tend to sit in the same folder.

Common mistakes

1. Expecting subtitles inside the MP4. Loom lists Closed Captions among the features not included in the downloaded file. Download the SRT separately.
2. Expecting a WebM from a Chrome extension recording. Loom documents "DASH with WebM" as the extension's container, and separately documents that all downloads are .MP4. Those are two different things.
3. Assuming a failed download means a broken video. Videos over 20GB, videos with Variables, and meeting recordings you did not organise are covered by explicit rules.
4. Blaming the download for a stretched frame. The player normalises to "16:9 (1280 x 800)"; the download keeps the original aspect ratio.

FAQ

What format does Loom download in? MP4. Loom's help center states it on three pages, including "When you download a Loom, it is downloaded in the .MP4 format."

Why is the download option missing for me? Loom restricts downloads to Business, Business + AI, and Enterprise plans, with per-plan role rules, and admins on eligible plans can disable downloads workspace-wide. Check your plan, your role, and your workspace settings in that order.

Do downloaded Loom videos include captions? No — Loom lists Closed Captions, Chapters, and CTAs as features that "will not be included in the downloaded file." Trims are retained. Captions come out separately as an SRT file, for eligible roles.

Is the downloaded MP4 identical to the original recording? Loom says "The MP4 media encoding specs are similar to the RAW media recorded." That page describes the media specifications per recorder but does not list the encoder settings used for the downloaded file — check the official documentation if you need precise numbers.

Can viewers download my video if I turn the setting on? Partly. Loom says that with download access enabled for viewers, "viewers signed into Loom can download" — but adds that "Viewers who are not signed in to Loom or have the Starter free plan will not be able to download your video regardless of your video settings."

Working through more screen-recorder exports? The rest of the step-by-step guides are in the how-to hub.

All quotes above are from Loom's official help center on Atlassian Support, checked 16 September 2026. Where Loom's pages disagree, both wordings are quoted here — verify against the current documentation before relying on any of it.