What Is Loom and What Can You Do With It?

Updated

Loom is a screen and camera recording tool for creating and sharing video messages. You can record your screen, your camera, or both through a Chrome extension, a desktop app for Mac and PC, or a mobile app, then edit and share the result with a link. It fits best when you want to explain something visually to a teammate or customer without scheduling a meeting — walkthroughs, feedback, troubleshooting, and async updates.

How recording works

The basic flow is the same across devices:

  1. Choose a capture source. Record your full screen, a custom area, or your camera. On the Mac app, Loom says you can capture 4K HD video, record custom areas, and customize your camera with bubble shapes, filters, and backgrounds.
  2. Record. Loom describes the process as "record in a few clicks," with controls that automatically hide the toolbar during capture for cleaner recordings.
  3. Edit. The built-in editor lets you trim, stitch clips, add backgrounds, and overlay text, arrows, and boxes.
  4. Share. Send a link or embed the video in tools you already use, such as Google Workspace or Slack.

Expected result: a shareable video link rather than a raw file you have to host yourself.

What you get beyond recording

Capability What it means for you
Editing Trim, stitch, add backgrounds and overlays without a separate editor
Sharing and embedding Links and embeds that work across "hundreds of tools," including Google Workspace and Slack
Collaboration Emojis, comments, tasks, and CTAs attached to the video
Accessibility Transcripts and captions in 50+ languages
Security SSO, SCIM, custom data retention policies, and privacy settings

The collaboration and caption features matter most for remote teams working across time zones: a viewer can watch on their own schedule, read a transcript, and leave comments in context instead of replying in a thread.

Who it's built for

Loom lists four common use cases:

  • Sales — personalized video outreach to prospects.
  • Engineering — adding visual context to code.
  • Customer support — troubleshooting over video to reach resolutions faster.
  • Design — sharing ideas and giving feedback on video.

A concrete example: a support agent records a short walkthrough of the exact steps a customer needs to take, shares the link in a ticket, and the customer follows along without a live call. The same pattern works for a manager explaining a process or a designer narrating feedback on a mockup.

Things to check before committing

  • Plan and pricing. Loom's page links to a pricing page ("See all features") but doesn't state plan limits or costs here, so check that page for current terms before rolling it out to a team.
  • Platform fit. Confirm the Chrome extension, desktop app, or mobile app covers the devices your team actually uses; the Mac app is highlighted as recently rebuilt and lighter.
  • Admin needs. If you need SSO, SCIM, or custom retention, verify those are available on the plan you're considering, since the page presents them as security features without specifying tiers.
  • Workflow integration. Check that the tools your team lives in are among the supported integrations before standardizing on Loom.

Loom reports adoption by "millions of people across 400,000 companies," which is a signal of maturity rather than a guarantee of fit — the deciding factors are usually your plan budget, device mix, and whether async video actually replaces meetings in your workflow.