Loom's 5-minute limit, explained

You hit record in Loom, explain something properly for once, and at exactly five minutes the recording ends. That is not a bug. It is the main limit of Loom's free plan. This page explains how the limit works, what happens to your video, and what you can do instead, from paying Loom to using a free recorder that has no time limit at all.

Everything about Loom below comes from loom.com/pricing and Loom's own help center, checked on 14 October 2026. Plans change, so check those pages before you decide. We make Dolly, one of the options at the end; read that part with that in mind.

How the 5-minute limit works

Loom's free plan is called Starter. Its pricing page lists "5 min per video recording length", together with a cap of 25 videos per person and video quality up to 720p. Free videos also carry a Loom watermark.

Loom's help article How long can I record? describes what you see while recording: a small timer under the Stop button starts at 5:00 and counts down. When it reaches 0:00, the recording ends and your share page opens. You can't extend it while you're recording.

Two details people often miss:

It only applies to new recordings. Videos you made earlier, for example during a paid trial, keep their full length.
The 25-video cap counts archived videos. According to the Starter plan FAQ, the count covers videos and screenshots, archived ones included. Loom doesn't delete anything when you reach it; you just can't record more until you upgrade.

Why you might see it on a paid plan

Loom's help center lists a few reasons the limit shows up for people who do pay: the recorder is logged into a different account, your default workspace is a free workspace, or a trial ended and the account went back to Starter. Check your default workspace under personal settings, and sign out of every Loom app and back in if it persists.

Four ways around it

1. Upgrade Loom

The direct fix. Loom's help center says Business, Business + AI and Enterprise have unlimited recording time. On 14 October 2026 the pricing page lists Business at $18 per user per month and Business + AI at $24 per user per month, with up to 17% off when billed annually. Business also lifts the video cap and raises quality to 4K.

If your team lives on Loom links, comments and viewer insights, this is usually the right answer. Nothing else on this list replaces those.

2. Split it into parts

Record in chapters of under five minutes: "Part 1: setup", "Part 2: the change". It costs nothing, and shorter videos often get watched more. The downside is real, though: every part counts toward the 25-video cap, and viewers have to click through several links.

3. Use the recorder your Mac already has

Press ⇧⌘5 on a Mac and choose to record the whole screen or a part of it. There is no time limit beyond your disk space, and QuickTime Player can trim the result. You won't get a link, a camera bubble or any polish, but for a long walkthrough you'll send as a file, it's free and already installed. Our Mac screen recording guide covers the options and settings.

4. Use a free recorder without a time limit

Several screen recorders let you record as long as you like for free. They differ in what you get afterwards:

Dolly (Mac, our app): no time limit and no video count on the free plan, export up to 1080p. Dolly zooms in on your clicks automatically and smooths your cursor, so long walkthroughs stay readable. Quick share puts the finished MP4 on your clipboard when you press Stop, so you can paste the video itself into Slack, Mail or Notion. Free exports carry a small "Made with Dolly" logo in the corner; Pro removes it. Get link makes a hosted link with comments and view counts: up to 10 active links on Free, unlimited on Pro.
Cap (Mac, Windows, Linux): its pricing page says there is no time limit on local recordings on the free plan, while shareable links are up to 5 minutes. The free plan covers personal use; a commercial desktop license is $58 once or $29 a year.
OBS Studio (Mac, Windows, Linux): free and open source, no limits, but built for streaming. Expect a learning curve and no editing.

Which one should you pick?

You need a link, comments and to know who watched: stay on Loom and upgrade, or try Cap Pro for links.
You need to send one long video as a file: the Mac's ⇧⌘5 recorder is enough.
You want long recordings that look good and are easy to share in chat: that's the job Dolly is built for. See Dolly as a free Loom alternative for the details.

Sources

Loom pricing, checked 14 October 2026
How long can I record?, Loom help center
Starter plan FAQ, Loom help center
Cap pricing, checked 14 October 2026
Loom Free limits (5 minutes per video, 25 videos, 720p, Loom watermark) from Layerpath, checked 7 September 2026