Loom's published encoding table describes the audio from the Windows desktop app as "Channels: 1 Channel (Mono)" and the audio from the Mac desktop app as "Channels: up to 2 Channel (Stereo)." So if your Loom recording on Windows came out mono, that is the documented behaviour of that recorder — not a dead microphone, not a setting you missed.
Loom's page states the channel counts without explaining the difference, so this article does the same: it tells you exactly what each recorder is documented to produce, and what your options are once you know.
What the official table actually says
The source is Loom's article on video encoding settings by platform, which introduces itself this way: "This article provides details about video formats, adaptive streaming (HLS), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), and the expected encoding for videos recorded with the different areas of the Loom platform."
Here are the audio rows, quoted as they appear:
| Where the video came from | Audio row, verbatim |
|---|---|
| Windows desktop app | Codec: AAC, 48kHz, Channels: 1 Channel (Mono), Variable bitrate. |
| Mac desktop app | Codec: AAC, Sample Rate: 48kHz, Channels: up to 2 Channel (Stereo), Bitrate: Variable bitrate |
| Loom Chrome extension | Codec: OPUS, Sample Rate and Number of channels: Determined by your computer's available system and browser resources |
| Video uploaded to Loom | Codec: AAC, 48kHz, Channels: 1 Channel (Mono), Variable bitrate. |
Three details in that table do most of the work:
- The Mac row says "up to 2 Channel (Stereo)." Up to is a ceiling, not a promise — a Mac recording is described as being able to reach two channels, not as always having them.
- The extension row answers the channel question with a dependency rather than a number. Loom describes it as determined by your computer's system and browser resources, so it is not something you can read off the page in advance.
- The uploaded-video row matches the Windows row exactly: 1 Channel (Mono). That matters more than it looks, and it kills the most obvious workaround. See below.
The limit of what this table describes
This is the part people get wrong, so it is worth being blunt. The table describes the media Loom stores and streams — the container column says "HLS with TS" for both desktop apps and "DASH with WebM" for the Chrome extension. It is not a spec sheet for the file that lands in your Downloads folder.
What Loom says about that file is short: "All videos downloaded from Loom will be in a .MP4 format. The MP4 media encoding specs are similar to the RAW media recorded." The download page repeats it: "When you download a Loom, it is downloaded in the .MP4 format ."
Note the word similar, not identical. Treat the encoding table as Loom's statement about its own recording pipeline, and treat the actual channel count of a specific download as something you verify in a player or editor.
What you can actually do about it
Your options are bounded by the same table, so pick with your eyes open.
Switching to the Chrome extension changes more than the channel count. The extension's audio row does not commit to a channel count, but the rest of its row is a real trade: video codec VP8/VP9 instead of H.264, and resolution "Up to 1080p video" against the desktop app's "Up to 4K video (360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1440p, 2160p)". Internal audio is narrower too — Loom writes that "The Loom Chrome extension can only record internal audio from one tab. To capture internal audio, you must record with the Current Tab setting enabled," while the desktop app "will record the system audio of any application on your device."
Recording elsewhere and uploading does not restore stereo, per the table. This is the workaround everyone reaches for, and Loom's own uploaded-media row describes it as "Channels: 1 Channel (Mono)" — the same wording as the Windows capture. Uploading is also gated: "Video uploading is only available to users on Loom's Loom's Business, Business + AI or Enterprise plans ." (That doubled word is in Loom's text.)
If the audio is the deliverable, pull it out of the MP4 and work on it directly. Once you have downloaded the video, the soundtrack is just a track inside an MP4, and you can lift it out locally instead of round-tripping through another cloud service:
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
This runs inside your browser tab — the file is read from disk, decoded locally, and handed back to you. It is also the quickest way to check what you actually have: extract the audio from the video, open the result in any editor, and look at how many channels appear.
Other reasons Loom audio is not what you expected
Channel count is one of several things that surprise people about a downloaded Loom. These are all documented:
- Background-noise suppression does not travel into the download. Loom is explicit: "No, if you select a video to have reduced background noise, this will be reflected in the web player but downloaded Loom videos will include the original audio."
- System audio and the noise filter are mutually exclusive. Loom's wording: "Please note that system audio and noise filter can't be used simultaneously:"
- Captions are not baked into the MP4. Per Loom, "other Loom features, including CTAs, Filler Word + Silence removal, Chapters, and Closed Captions, will not be included in the downloaded file."
- Too many audio channels can get an upload rejected. Loom's troubleshooting article names this directly: "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." Loom recommends exporting "H.264/AAC to . MP4 file."
- Your audio source carries over from the last recording. Loom describes both recorders as having sticky settings: "Both Loom recorders Chrome Extension and Desktop app have sticky recording settings. This means the settings you set for your previous recording will roll over to your next recording." The list of settings that roll over includes "Audio Source" — so a microphone you picked once is still selected days later.
- Free accounts cannot download at all. "The download feature is only available on Business, Business+ AI, or Enterprise plans. Users on the Starter Free plan can't download videos." If you are on Starter, see the related limits on Loom's 5-minute recording cap.
How to tell it worked
Open the downloaded MP4 in any editor or player that shows track properties and read the channel count off the audio track. Compare it against the row above for the recorder you actually used — the desktop app and the Chrome extension are different rows, and which one you used is the single most important variable.
FAQ
Why is my Loom recording mono on Windows? Loom's encoding settings page lists the Windows desktop app's audio as "Codec: AAC, 48kHz, Channels: 1 Channel (Mono), Variable bitrate." That page states the channel count without giving a reason for it.
Does the Mac desktop app record in stereo? The Mac row reads "Channels: up to 2 Channel (Stereo)." The phrase is up to, so read it as a ceiling rather than a guarantee for every recording.
Will uploading a stereo file to Loom keep both channels? Loom's table for uploaded media uses the same wording as the Windows capture: "Channels: 1 Channel (Mono)." Uploading is also limited to Business, Business + AI and Enterprise plans.
Does the Chrome extension record stereo? Its row says "Sample Rate and Number of channels: Determined by your computer's available system and browser resources," so the page does not give you a fixed number to plan around. Check the official documentation for the current wording.
What audio bitrate does Loom use? Loom's table says "Variable bitrate" and stops there — no figure is given in that row, so treat any specific kbps number you find elsewhere with suspicion and check the official documentation.
Why does Loom keep using the same microphone every time? Because recording settings are sticky by design. Loom lists "Audio Source" among the settings that roll over from your previous recording on both the Chrome extension and the desktop app, so the input you chose once stays chosen until you change it in the recorder.
Can I convert a mono Loom download into real stereo? No conversion adds separation that was never captured. Duplicating one channel into two gives you a two-channel file that still sounds mono. If true stereo matters, it has to exist at the recording stage.
More troubleshooting in the fix archive, and the full set of browser-side converters is at Clapr tools. Encoding details cited from Loom's help centre, checked 16 September 2026 — verify against the official pages before relying on them.
