Loom stuck in processing: how to recover your video
How long Loom takes to process a video, when to stop waiting, and Loom's own steps for the desktop app, the Chrome extension and mobile. What the failed upload message means and where the files are.
A Loom video that says it is processing is waiting on an upload. Whether that finishes depends on your connection, the length of the recording and which Loom you used. This is what Loom's own help pages say to do, in order.
How long processing should take
Loom says processing time depends on four things: the duration of the video, the quality you recorded in, your upload speed, and how many videos are processing at once.
On a strong, stable connection a video under 10 minutes at 720p should take no more than a few minutes. Loom recommends at least 5 Mbps of upload speed. A dropout during recording or during processing can stop the upload completing.
When to stop waiting
Loom's instruction is to wait at least 30 minutes and not close the tab until you have played the video you made. After 30 minutes, what you do depends on the recorder.
- Desktop app: quit it and reopen it, give it a few minutes, and refresh the video link. Then try
loom.com/recover-videosand paste the video ID from the link. That page only works for videos you own that were recorded with the desktop app, either screen only or screen with camera. - Chrome extension: "Unfortunately we do not have a recovery method for these videos at the moment."
- Mobile apps: the same.
If the recovery page cannot find all the parts, Loom asks you to send what is missing to Support. The Mac folder to look in is ~/Movies/Loom/Temporary/, and the full steps are in Loom crashed and lost your recording.
The upload error
If you see "We experienced an error while uploading your video", Loom says there was likely an interruption to your connection. Restart the device and check the app is up to date. A failed preview that never processes is filtered out of your dashboard after 24 hours.
Loom puts the failure rate for crashes and stuck videos at less than 0.1% of all videos. For one person that is still the whole recording.
The pattern behind it
Processing happens on Loom's servers after an upload. Any recorder that works this way has the same weak point: the video is not yours to use until a server says so. Tella works the same way, and Tella export stuck is the same page for that tool.
Two Loom problems often travel with this one. Why your Loom recording is not the quality you set covers the recording once it plays, and how to download a Loom video as an MP4 covers getting a file out once it does.
Export on your own Mac
Prequel renders an export on the Mac's video hardware. The button fills as it goes, you can keep editing while it runs, and closing the dialog does not stop it. When it is done the file is on your disk: drag it into Slack or Mail, reveal it in Finder, or copy it. See export.
A link, if you want one, is made afterwards by Share video, from the finished file.
Make your next video without waiting for a server.
Prequel needs an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later. Download Prequel for Mac and try it free for 7 days, with no watermark on anything you export. After that it is $9 a month or $29 once. See what it costs.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a Loom video take to process?
- Loom says on a strong, stable connection a video under 10 minutes at 720p should not take more than a few minutes. Longer videos, higher quality and slow upload all add time, and Loom recommends at least 5 Mbps of upload speed.
- What do I do if my Loom video is stuck in processing?
- Wait at least 30 minutes without closing the tab. For the desktop app, quit and reopen it and try loom.com/recover-videos with the video ID. For the Chrome extension and mobile apps, Loom says there is no recovery method.
- What does "We experienced an error while uploading your video" mean?
- Loom says it usually means your internet connection was interrupted and the upload failed. On a Mac, some of the video may still be in ~/Movies/Loom/Temporary/ in a folder named after the video ID.
- Why did my Loom video disappear from my dashboard?
- Loom says a recording that has not processed successfully after 24 hours is filtered out of your dashboard view. The files for a desktop recording may still be on your computer.
- Can Prequel get stuck processing a video?
- Prequel does not upload to make a video. It records and exports on your Mac, and the export button fills as it renders. Uploading is a separate step you choose, after the file exists. It needs an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later.
Keep reading
- Loom crashed and lost your recording: what you can get backLoom's own help pages say what can be recovered. Desktop recordings sometimes, Chrome extension and mobile recordings never. The page to try first, the folder to check on a Mac, and how to lower the risk.
- Why your Loom recording isn't the quality you setUsers report Loom recordings that go fuzzy after pausing, a 1080p setting that does not hold, and a webcam that lags only on an external camera. What they saw, and how to record at the full size of your screen instead.
- Tella export stuck: why it happens and what to tryTella has a help page for an export that gets stuck at a percentage or a download window that never finishes. What it says to try, why re-rendering is the first fix, and how exporting on your own Mac avoids the problem.
- How to download a Loom video as an MP4Loom only offers downloads on its two top paid plans, and asks for a wait before the file is ready. Who can download, why the button is missing, and the cleanest route if you are on the free plan.