Loom is where a lot of work explanations live: walkthroughs, feedback, onboarding. This guide is for people who want the words or the file, whether it’s their own video or one someone sent them.
How do I get a Loom’s transcript?
Open Transcript in the video’s side panel and click the copy button above it. It expands beside the video with timestamps, and clicking one jumps the video to that point (Loom video transcription and closed captions).
How do I download a Loom video?
Only sometimes: Loom’s download button needs a paid plan and the right role, and viewers also need the owner’s permission. If you have it, open the video from your Library, open the menu above it and choose Download, which saves an MP4 (Download your Loom video).
- Creators on the free Starter plan can’t download.
- Creator Lites can’t download on any plan.
- Viewers can download only when the owner has a paid role and has allowed it, and only when signed in to Loom and not on the free Starter plan.
- Admins can turn downloads off for a whole workspace.
- Some videos can’t be downloaded this way at all: videos with Variables, meeting recordings unless you’re the organiser, and videos over 20GB.
How do I save a Loom when there’s no download button?
For a public link, paste it into Parsly’s free Loom video downloader: no install, and you get the MP4 and the transcript. For a private or team Loom, use Parsly’s Chrome extension, which saves any Loom you can watch, free and with no limit.
With the extension:
- Add Parsly to Chrome, and allow it on Loom when it asks.
- Open the video (a loom.com/share link). Public videos need no Loom account; Parsly asks for its own free sign-in.
- Click Collect video. Its screen shows who made it, its views, length, summary and chapters when Loom has them, and the transcript in paragraphs with Copy transcript.
- Click Download video. It saves an MP4 with picture and sound, usually in 1080p.
Stay on the video’s screen until it finishes, because leaving stops the download.
How do I summarise a Loom with ChatGPT or Claude?
Copy the transcript and paste it in with what you want back: a summary, notes, or step-by-step instructions. A transcript is plain text, so the assistant doesn’t need the video.
Which way should I use?
Use Loom’s copy button if you only want the words. For the video, use Loom’s download button if you have it, Parsly’s web tool for a public link, and the extension for anything else you can watch.
| Way | Free | Viewer of someone else’s video | Transcript | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loom’s copy button | Yes | Unless the owner turned transcripts off | Yes | Low |
| Loom’s download button | Paid roles only | If the owner allows it | Separate | Low |
| Screen recording | Yes | Yes | No | Real time, lower quality |
| Parsly’s Loom downloader (web) | Yes | Public videos only | Yes | Paste a link |
| Parsly’s Chrome extension | Yes | Any Loom you can watch | Yes, with summary and chapters | Two clicks |
What can’t you do?
- Videos you can’t watch. Parsly asks from your own browser, so a private Loom needs your access to it.
- Long videos at full quality. Over 30 minutes, Parsly saves Loom’s smallest size, because the whole video is held in memory while it’s put together.
- Hidden transcripts. If the creator turned transcripts off or the video needs a password, Parsly doesn’t fetch the transcript and says why.
- Looms embedded in other sites. Open the video’s loom.com/share link instead.
- A whole library or folder. Loom has no public list of a creator’s videos, so it’s one link at a time.
Questions people ask
Why doesn't my Loom have a transcript?
Loom's help says it can come down to the video's length, processing that's still running, or a video recorded before transcripts launched. Its suggested fix is to download the video and upload it again. Viewers also lose the transcript if the creator turned transcription off.
Can I download a Loom video if I'm only a viewer?
With Loom's own button, only if the owner has a paid role and has allowed viewer downloads, and you're signed in and not on the free Starter plan. Parsly's Download video works on any Loom you can watch.
Why can't I download my own Loom?
Loom's help says creators on the free Starter plan can't download, and Creator Lites can't on any plan. Your admin can also turn downloads off for the workspace.
What quality does Parsly save?
The best Loom streams, usually 1080p, with picture and sound. Videos over 30 minutes are saved in Loom's smallest size, usually 720p, and the screen says so.
Can I download a Loom's captions file?
Yes, as an SRT file from the menu above the video, but only for creators and admins on Business plans, and members and admins on Enterprise. Copying the transcript works on every plan.