DEV Community

Devin
Devin

Posted on

Get Your Loom Videos Back: How to Download Loom Videos - A Simple Guide for Everyone using yt-dlp

Have you ever recorded videos on Loom and then couldn't download them later? Maybe your subscription ran out, or you just want to save copies on your computer. Don't worry - this happens to lots of people, and there's a simple way to get your videos back!

I'm going to show you how to download your Loom recordings using a helpful tool called yt-dlp. Even if you're not super comfortable with computers, you can follow along. And if this seems too complicated, I'll show you an even easier way at the end.



Want something super easy? Try the Loom Video Downloader instead - no complicated steps, just paste your video link and download!


What You'll Need First

Don't worry, setting this up is easier than it sounds! You just need two things:

1. Install yt-dlp (the downloading tool)

  • If you have a Mac: Open Terminal (find it by searching "Terminal") and type: brew install yt-dlp
  • If you have Windows or Linux: Go to this website and download the file

2. Learn to use your browser's "detective mode"
This sounds fancy, but it's really simple:

  • Right-click anywhere on a webpage and choose "Inspect"
  • You'll see a panel open up with lots of text - don't panic!
  • Look for a search box and type loom.com to find video links
  • This works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or any browser

That's it! You're ready to start getting your videos back.


Your First Video Download: The Easy Case

Let's start with the most common situation. Most Loom videos work exactly like this example.

Step 1: Find Your Video Link

  • Go to your Loom video in your browser
  • Right-click and choose "Inspect"
  • In the search box, type loom.com
  • You'll find a link that looks like: https://www.loom.com/share/43d05f362f734614a2e81b4694a3a523

Step 2: See What Download Options Are Available
Open your Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows) and type:

yt-dlp -F "https://www.loom.com/share/43d05f362f734614a2e81b4694a3a523"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

This shows you what formats are available (like MP4, WebM, etc.)

Step 3: Download Your Video

yt-dlp "https://www.loom.com/share/43d05f362f734614a2e81b4694a3a523"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

That's it! Your video will download to your computer.

Note: Some videos don't have sound - that's normal for certain types of screen recordings.
(Want to learn more? Check out this helpful guide with more examples.)


When Your Video Downloads as WebM (And You Want MP4)

Sometimes the tool picks a format called WebM instead of the more common MP4. Here's how to fix that.

Your video link: https://www.loom.com/share/c43a642f815f4378b6f80a889bb73d8d

If you just run the basic download:

yt-dlp "https://www.loom.com/share/c43a642f815f4378b6f80a889bb73d8d"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

You might get a WebM file, which some devices can't play easily.

To get MP4 instead:
First, see your options:

yt-dlp -F "https://www.loom.com/share/c43a642f815f4378b6f80a889bb73d8d"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Then choose MP4 specifically:

yt-dlp -f http-transcoded "https://www.loom.com/share/c43a642f815f4378b6f80a889bb73d8d"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Now you'll get an MP4 file that plays on almost any device!


Downloading Videos That Have Subtitles Too

Some Loom creators add captions to their videos. Here's how to get both the video and the subtitle file.

First, check if subtitles exist:

yt-dlp --list-subs "https://www.loom.com/share/9458bcbf79784162aa62ffb8dd66201b"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

If you see something like en.vtt, that means subtitles are available.

Download video with subtitles:

yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-format vtt "https://www.loom.com/share/9458bcbf79784162aa62ffb8dd66201b"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

What you'll get: Both an MP4 video file AND a subtitle file you can use with any video player.


A Different Type of Video (MPD Format)

Sometimes Loom uses a different technology called MPD. Don't worry about what that means - just know the download process is the same!

Video link: https://www.loom.com/share/24351eb8b317420289b158e4b7e96ff2

Download command:

yt-dlp "https://www.loom.com/share/24351eb8b317420289b158e4b7e96ff2"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Note: This video also has no sound - again, totally normal for some recordings.


Tricky Case: Videos Where Sound and Picture Are Separate

This one sounds scary, but it's not too bad. Some embedded Loom videos split the audio and video into separate files, then combine them automatically.

Embedded video link: https://www.loom.com/embed/ddcf1c1ad21f451ea7468b1e33917e4e

When you check the formats, you'll see:

  • hls-raw-audio (audio only)
  • hls-raw-1500 (video only)

To download and combine them automatically:

yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio" "https://www.loom.com/embed/ddcf1c1ad21f451ea7468b1e33917e4e"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The + sign tells the tool to combine the audio and video for you. Pretty cool, right?

💡 Feeling overwhelmed? If all this seems like too much work, remember that the Loom Video Downloader handles all these complicated cases automatically - no commands to remember!


Videos with Multiple Quality Options

Some Loom videos let you choose different qualities, like watching YouTube in 720p or 1080p.

Video link: https://www.loom.com/embed/2a742981490b4c649ce429d75f70fd73

Check what qualities are available:

yt-dlp -F "https://www.loom.com/embed/2a742981490b4c649ce429d75f70fd73"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

You'll see options like:

  • hls-raw-1500 = 720p (good quality)
  • hls-raw-3200 = 1080p (even better quality)

Download the standard quality (720p):

yt-dlp "https://www.loom.com/embed/2a742981490b4c649ce429d75f70fd73"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Download the high quality (1080p):

yt-dlp -f hls-raw-3200 "https://www.loom.com/embed/2a742981490b4c649ce429d75f70fd73"
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

You Did It! Here's What You Learned

Congratulations! You just learned how to download Loom videos in seven different situations. The process is always the same three steps:

  1. Find the video link using your browser's inspect feature
  2. Check what download options are available with yt-dlp -F
  3. Download with the right command

Once you practice this a few times, it becomes second nature. You'll be ready for any type of Loom video - different formats, subtitles, split audio/video, or multiple quality options.

Remember the Easy Way: If you found this too complicated or just want to save time, the Loom Video Downloader does everything automatically - just paste your link and click download!

Want More Help?
Check out this complete guide with even more examples and tips - it has lots of extra scenarios and solutions for tricky situations.

Easy Reference Guide

Keep this handy for quick reference:

What You Want to Do The Command You Need
Download a basic Loom video yt-dlp "https://www.loom.com/share/[VIDEO_ID]"
Check what formats are available yt-dlp -F "https://www.loom.com/share/[VIDEO_ID]"
Force MP4 format instead of WebM yt-dlp -f http-transcoded "https://www.loom.com/share/[VIDEO_ID]"
Download with subtitles yt-dlp --write-subs --sub-format vtt "https://www.loom.com/share/[VIDEO_ID]"
Download MPD format videos yt-dlp "https://www.loom.com/share/[VIDEO_ID]"
Combine separate audio and video yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio" "https://www.loom.com/embed/[VIDEO_ID]"
Download highest quality available yt-dlp -f hls-raw-3200 "https://www.loom.com/embed/[VIDEO_ID]"

Just replace [VIDEO_ID] with the actual ID from your video's URL, and you're good to go!

Lots of Loom related resources

Top comments (0)