Loom's Starter (free) plan limits your video library to 25 videos, and archived videos count toward that number. Loom's plan table states it in one line: "Free plan with 5 min recording limit and 25 video limit storage ."
The number itself is not the interesting part. What trips people up is what counts — and on that question Loom's own help center gives two different answers.
The limit at a glance
| Starter (free) | Business / Business + AI / Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|
| Videos in your library | 25 | "unlimited storage" |
| Archived videos | Count toward the 25 | n/a |
| Screenshots | Two official answers — see below | n/a |
| Recording length | 5 minutes | Two official figures — check the official documentation |
| Video expiry | "There is no expiration date for your videos." | Same |
Every cell above is quoted from Loom's help center. The paid recording length is deliberately left open: Loom's how long can I record page says "Loom Business, Business + AI and Enterprise can enjoy unlimited recording time," while its Business plan FAQ feature list says "Up to 6 hours recording length." Check the current figure in the official documentation rather than trusting either one in isolation.
What actually happens when you hit 25
Loom is explicit that the cap blocks creation, not access. From the page dedicated to this limit:
"If your Video Library reaches the video limit of 25 videos (this includes any archived videos), and you are on a Starter plan , you won't be able to create new recordings."
And immediately after, the reassurance that a lot of third-party articles get backwards:
"Don't worry, we won't delete them - you just won't be able to record more. To start recording again, you can upgrade to a paid Business account."
So nothing disappears. Your existing 25 videos stay viewable and shareable — Loom's storage FAQ says they last "For as long as you'd like. There is no expiration date for your videos." What stops is the record button.
The screenshot question: two official answers
This is the one genuinely contradictory part of Loom's documentation on this limit, and it is worth knowing before you count your library.
The Starter plan FAQ lists what the plan includes as:
"Up to 25 videos and screenshots (video count includes archived videos)"
Read plainly, that puts screenshots inside the 25. But the page written specifically about this limit, Loom Starter Free video and screenshot storage limit explained, says the opposite:
"Screenshots will not count towards this limit as your screenshot storage is unlimited."
The practical call: follow the dedicated page, which is the more specific of the two and states the screenshot rule as its own sentence. But if your library is sitting right at the edge and Loom is refusing new recordings, the Starter plan FAQ wording is the reason to check your screenshot count too. When two official pages disagree, the current documentation is the tiebreaker, not this article.
Archiving does not buy you room
Both pages agree on this one, so you can rely on it. The Starter FAQ says the "video count includes archived videos"; the dedicated limit page says "this includes any archived videos."
That matters more than it sounds, because archiving in Loom is not a light-touch action. Per Loom's archive page: "Once a video has been archived, it cannot be viewed (this applies to viewers and the video creator). If you want to view the video, you will need to unarchive it." So archiving costs you access to the video and still consumes one of your 25 slots. It is not a way to tidy up under the cap.
Deleting is the other lever, and it is permanent
The only way to reduce the count is to delete. Loom describes deletion as "the irreversible removal of video data from Loom's servers," adding that "Once a video is deleted, all associated data is purged from the system, meaning the video can no longer be accessed, even with the original link."
Two constraints come with it:
- Only the owner can delete. Loom states that "Only the video owner can delete videos from their library; other users can't delete another creator's content even if they have edit permissions."
- On Starter, you cannot take a copy first. 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." Deletion on a free plan is therefore a one-way door.
Given that, the realistic options at 25 are to upgrade, or to review the library and delete recordings you are genuinely finished with.
If you can download, shrink before you share
On a paid role the picture changes: downloads are available, and Loom says every download arrives as MP4 — "When you download a Loom, it is downloaded in the .MP4 format ." A desktop-app recording can be captured at up to 4K, and Loom's own yardstick for scale is that 20GB is "Approx. 3 hours recorded in 4K." Files that size are fine as an archive and awkward everywhere else, particularly in chat apps and email.
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
That runs entirely in your browser tab — the file is read from disk, re-encoded locally, and handed back, so an already-private recording does not get uploaded to a third party on its way to being smaller. If you would rather set the knobs yourself, compress video exposes them directly.
One thing a downloaded MP4 will not bring with it: captions. Loom states that "other Loom features, including CTAs, Filler Word + Silence removal, Chapters, and Closed Captions, will not be included in the downloaded file." Captions can be exported separately as an SRT, but only by "creators and admins on a Business/Business + AI plan, and members and admins on an Enterprise plan." If you need the subtitles visible in the file itself, burn subtitles to video does that locally.
Gotchas that make the cap appear when you did not expect it
- You are on a paid workspace but still capped. Loom's definition of the Creator Lite role says such users "can only record and edit with the limitations of the Starter free plan (25 video storage limit and a 5-minute recording limit)". The plan is paid; the role is not.
- Wrong account or wrong default workspace. Loom lists these first: the limit usually appears "because you are logged into the wrong account on your recorder, or your default workspace is a free workspace." It also notes the desktop app "has separate session management from the web or the Chrome extension" — being signed in as a paid user on the web proves nothing about the app.
- An expired trial. Loom warns that "If you were on a trial subscription that ended, your account may have reverted to the free plan."
- Seat count, not just video count. A footnote adds that "If your Loom workspace integrates with Atlassian systems and is on a Starter free plan, you are limited to 10 Free users."
FAQ
Does the Loom free plan really only allow 25 videos? Yes. Loom's plan table describes Starter as a "Free plan with 5 min recording limit and 25 video limit storage ." Business, Business + AI and Enterprise users get "unlimited storage."
Do screenshots count toward Loom's 25-video limit? Loom's two pages disagree. The Starter plan FAQ says "Up to 25 videos and screenshots," while the page dedicated to this limit says "Screenshots will not count towards this limit as your screenshot storage is unlimited." Treat the dedicated page as the closer read and confirm against the current docs.
Do archived videos count toward the limit? Yes, and both pages agree here: the limit "includes any archived videos." Archiving also makes the video unviewable until you unarchive it, so it frees nothing.
What happens to my videos when I hit 25 or downgrade? They stay. Loom says "we won't delete them - you just won't be able to record more," and you can resume recording by upgrading to a paid plan.
Can I download my Looms to free up space on the free plan? No. Loom states that "Users on the Starter Free plan can't download videos," and deletion is irreversible, so decide carefully before pruning a free library.
Is there a way to move videos to another account instead? Loom's documented route requires paid seats: transferring manually "requires a paid Loom plan and paid seats on both the account you need to download content from and the account you will be uploading to."
More limits explained the same way in the limits hub, and the browser-side tools referenced above are listed under all Clapr tools.
Quotes taken from Loom's Atlassian-hosted help center, checked 16 September 2026. Loom's pages contradict each other on several of these points — verify against the official documentation before relying on a number.
