How to Use Loom for Async Screencasts in 2026

Direct answer: To use Loom, install the desktop app or browser extension, pick screen plus camera, hit record, then share the auto-generated link. The free plan allows 25 videos and 5 minutes per video.

Loom solves one narrow problem: you need to explain something on screen without scheduling a meeting. That’s it. The rest of the product — transcripts, comments, reactions, folders — exists to make that one thing survive inside a company where nothing gets watched twice.

What is Loom and who is it actually for?

Loom is an async video recorder made by Loom, Inc. It captures your screen, your webcam, or both, and uploads the clip while you’re still talking. When you stop, the link already exists.

It fits product managers filing bug reports, support teams answering the same question for the tenth time, and anyone onboarding a remote colleague. It does not fit people who need edited video. There is no timeline, no cuts, no transitions. Loom is a message, not a production.

How do you record your first Loom video?

Roughly four minutes, start to link.

1. Install the desktop app from loom.com or the Chrome extension. Both work; the desktop app handles system audio better on macOS.
2. Sign in. You can start on the free tier without a credit card.
3. Click New video in the top-left, then choose Screen and camera, Screen only, or Camera only.
4. Select which monitor and which window or full screen. Pick a specific window — full screen leaks your Slack notifications.
5. Check the mic meter before recording. Loom will warn you if input is silent, but only after you hit record.
6. Hit the blue button, count 3-2-1, talk.
7. Stop with the toolbar, name the video, and copy the link.

One detail people miss: Loom’s default recording quality is 720p on free accounts. If you’re demoing small UI text, bump it in Settings → Recording → Video quality. 1080p is available, but long 1080p clips eat your storage faster than you’d expect.

How should you structure a Loom that people actually finish?

Average watch time on internal Loom videos sits well under two minutes. Treat 90 seconds as your target and 5 minutes as the hard ceiling on free.

• First 10 seconds: state the outcome. “I’m going to show you why the checkout form drops mobile users.”
• Minutes 1-3: one path only. Don’t show three ways to do it.
• Last 15 seconds: the ask. “Reply with the ticket number if you want me to fix it.”

Use the camera bubble for the intro only, then hide it. Watching a face for four minutes while trying to read a spreadsheet is tiring.

Is Loom free in 2026?

Yes, with real limits. The free plan gives 25 videos total, 5 minutes maximum per video, and 720p recording. Business runs $15 per user per month billed annually and lifts you to unlimited videos, 1080p, and 45-minute length. Enterprise pricing is quoted.

The 25-video cap is the part that surprises people. It counts videos, not storage, and deleting old clips does free the slot back — but the shared links you sent out will break once the video is gone. If you’ve ever sent a Loom link into a client email, that matters.

Where does Loom fall short?

Search is weak. Transcripts exist and the AI summary is fine, but finding “that video where I explained the refund flow” three months later is harder than it should be. The AI features also only work in English well; non-English transcripts are noticeably rougher.

Privacy is the other thing to watch. Loom workspaces default to link sharing, which means anyone with the URL gets in. For demos of customer data or internal dashboards, switch the default to workspace-only in Settings before your team starts recording.

If you need heavy editing or a polished marketing video, Loom is the wrong tool — CapCut or Descript will serve you better. If you need to send a 90-second explanation right now, nothing is faster.

Can you use Loom with other tools?

Yes. Loom embeds in Notion, Confluence, Jira, Slack, and Google Docs as a playable card. That’s where most of its value shows up: the video lives inside the ticket instead of a separate inbox. There is a Zapier integration for auto-posting new videos to a channel, though it’s limited to title and link fields.

Quick Summary

• Loom records screen plus camera and uploads instantly; a share link appears the moment you stop.
• Free plan: 25 videos, 5 minutes each, 720p. Business is $15/user/month annually.
• Keep recordings under 90 seconds — that’s what people actually watch.
• Free accounts record at 720p by default; change it in Settings → Recording.
• Send customer-data demos to workspace-only sharing, not public links.