How To Do a Screen Recording: Desktop and Mobile

Stuck on a tech issue, but explaining it over text messages or calls feels like a game of charades? You describe the error message in detail, but your colleague is still missing the picture.

In a different scenario, you share a crystal-clear recording of your screen, highlighting exactly what’s happening on your screen and making the solution clear in minutes. No more frustrating back-and-forth, just a quick way to collaborate and get things done.

This is what makes screen recording such a powerful communication tool. Screen recording helps you effectively communicate your point to your team or client, especially if you’re working remotely and want to provide richer contextual information. 

Read on to learn the practices of screen recording, and find out how to record your desktop, iPhone, or Android device with a few clicks using Loom. 

Maybe you need to walk a team member through a software tutorial, show a bug in code, or create a video presentation demonstrating your product.

Whatever your goal, recording your desktop screen is one of the best ways to communicate visually. 

Luckily, screen recording tools like Loom help you capture and share screen recordings, your voiceover, and even your webcam feed.

The result is engaging videos that go beyond mere screenshots, making it easier to communicate complex ideas and share information in a visually appealing way. 

Here’s a quick overview of the step-by-step process to record your desktop screen with Loom. 

Step #1: Get Loom

The first step is to install the Loom desktop app for your operating system. Whether you need to capture your Mac screen or your Windows screen, Loom provides a dedicated app for each platform.

Alternatively, you can install the Chrome extension for a quick and easy setup. 

Step #2: Launch Loom and choose your recording mode

Open the Loom app or click the Loom icon in your browser toolbar.

Once you hit the “Record a Loom” option, you’ll get different capture options: 

• Screen and Camera: Record your screen and include a small video of yourself in the corner.

• Screen Only: Record just your screen.

• Camera Only: Record yourself without the screen.

You can also choose whether to record your entire screen, a specific window, or a custom-size area.

Step #3: Adjust audio and video settings 

Before screen and audio recording, check your voice and video settings. 

You can turn off your microphone or select from multiple microphone sources. You’ll also see a blue audio indicator, which ensures that the microphone is working and there is sound in your recordings.

Next, choose your camera if you plan to include yourself in the video.

For additional options, click on the three dots ‘...’ and then hit the “Settings” option. From here, you can: 

• Choose your video quality

• Turn the recording countdown on or off

• Show or hide the recording controls

• See how long you have been recording

• Flip your camera’s orientation  

Also, if you’re recording yourself, double-check whether your camera is positioned correctly.

Pro tip: Use a good-quality microphone to record audio. Your team will be able to understand you in a feedback clip, and your customers will be impressed by the sound quality accompanying your content.

Step #4: Start recording

Click the record button that says “Start Recording.” If you’re using the desktop app, you’ll get a three-second countdown to gather your thoughts. 

If you’re using the Chrome extension, Loom will prompt you to select what you want to record: 

• Your full screen

• The current tab 

• A specific Chrome tab you want to share

Step #5: Record your content

You can navigate through your desktop, demonstrate processes, and explain details as you record. Use the recording toolbar to pause, resume, rewind, or cancel the recording.

You can also move your webcam bubble around and reduce or increase its size.

Don’t forget to show and narrate what you’re doing as you record. Remember, you’re not just sharing your screen, but also guiding your audience through a process or experience. 

Pro tip: If you make a mistake, don’t worry. You can use Loom’s AI-based video editor to correct any errors later.

Step #6: Finish and save

Once you’ve finished, click the “Stop Recording” button. Loom will automatically save your video to your Loom library. 

You can trim the video, add a title, and choose who can view it.

Step #7: Edit and share your recording

You can use Loom’s editing tools to trim your video, remove filler words, add auto-transcriptions, and even add interactive calls to action (CTAs) within the video. 

Once you’ve finished editing, copy the link to your Loom video and share it via email, Slack, chat, or any other platform. Loom also lets you download and embed the video on a website. 

Need help explaining a process on your iPhone? A screen recording app will solve that problem. 

Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to screen record on an iPhone using Loom’s iOS app.

Step #1: Get Loom on your iPhone

Download the Loom app from the App Store. It’s free and takes just a few moments to install.

Open the app and sign in with your Loom account. If you don’t have one yet, you can quickly sign up for Loom using your email or Google account.

Step #2: Enable screen recording

Now, you have to ensure your iPhone or iPad will allow Loom to record screens. 

To do that, go to your iPhone's Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Tap the green toggle button to add “Screen Recording” to the included controls.

Step #3: Open Loom and start recording

Open your Loom iOS app, select “Screen” from the bottom bar, and click on the “Record Screen” option. To record your voice simultaneously, enable your microphone by tapping the mic.

Note that unlike Loom’s desktop app and Chrome extension, the iOS app doesn’t let you record your screen and camera simultaneously. 

Pro tip: Turn on “Do Not Disturb” in your iOS menu to prevent unexpected disruptions or notifications during your recording.

Step #4: Start the broadcast and record your content 

Finally, tap the “Start Broadcast” option to start the recording. You’ll see a red bar at the top of the screen, indicating that screen capture is in progress.

Navigate through your iPhone’s screen or apps to demonstrate whatever process you need to show. Loom will capture everything as you navigate through the screen, including your audio if you enabled the mic. 

Step #5: Stop recording 

Stop the recording once by tapping the red bar at the top of your screen. Confirm that you want to stop the recording. 

Finally, your video will automatically process and be available on Loom’s built-in video library. You can find it in the “My Videos” section. 

Like its iOS counterpart, Loom’s Android free screen recording app helps you capture your phone’s screen activity and narrate your actions. You can use it to walk your audience through a feature, give a demo, showcase a new app, or simply share a personalized video. 

Here’s a quick step-by-step process of how to screen record on Android using Loom: 

Step #1: Download and sign in to the Loom app 

You can download the Loom app from the Google Play store on your Android phone. Like the iOS app, the Android app is free to use and easy to set up. 

Step #2: Choose capture mode 

Once you sign in or sign up for the Loom app, you will see the Loom icon at the bottom of your screen. Click on the icon and grant Loom permission to record videos. 

Next, you’ll be prompted to choose the capture mode: Camera, Screen, or Audio. 

Once you select the Screen option, you can choose to record in different modes: 

• Screen only 

• Screen + Audio + Camera 

• Screen + Audio 

• Screen + Camera 

You'll have to grant Loom permission to record both audio and video, display over other apps, and screencast. It’s important to allow all of these for a seamless recording experience.

Step #3: Begin recording 

Once you grant Loom permission to record, it will start a three-second countdown before your recording begins. 

A control menu will appear on your screen to help you track your recording and its progress. You can move it around the screen by hovering and holding it.  

If you want to record your camera while recording your screen, tap the “Cam” icon. 

Step #4: Stop recording and share 

Hit the red square stop button in the control bar to stop the recording. Once you’ve finished recording, your video will automatically appear in Loom’s video library. 

You can add a title to your video and share it directly through Slack, email, SMS, Messenger, or any other platform by copying and pasting the shareable link. You can also embed your video into your website. 

Voilà, you’re done. Whether you want to capture your Mac, Windows, or Android screen, it only takes minutes to capture, store, and share your screen recording. 

Now that you’ve captured your screen with Loom, the next step is to polish your raw footage and turn it into an engaging video for your target audience. 

Luckily, Loom’s AI-based editing features and built-in editor make this process a breeze.

Want to make the maximum impact with your screen recording? Here are some video editing tips:

• Trim the fat. Use Loom’s built-in editor to automatically remove pauses and filler words. You can also eliminate any mistakes or superfluous recordings to keep your video concise and focused.

• Add a catchy title. Loom uses AI to automatically generate your title based on the transcript content. You can tweak the auto-generated title to make it more catchy or use Ahrefs’ free title generator for more ideas and inspiration. 

• Highlight key points. Use Loom’s drawing tool to reinforce your message and bring your viewers’ attention to an important moment or object to convey your point. 

• Insert engaging calls to action: Many popular screen recording tools, like Loom, also let you add CTAs at opportune moments, allowing you to compel your viewers to take an intended action.

• Optimize for mobile devices: Considering that 58% of people prefer mobile viewing, optimizing your video for mobile devices should be your top priority. This includes keeping your videos short, using vertical formats, and designing for sound-off viewing.

Once you polish your video to make it more helpful and captivating, it’s time to share it with your target audience. 

Loom offers multiple video-sharing options:

• One-click shareable link: Get a unique sharing link and copy and paste it anywhere you want, including email, messaging apps, or social media. It’s like passing a note in class, but with video.

• Embed on a website: If it’s an explainer or a demo video, you can embed it directly into your site or blog.

• Direct social media integration: Embed your video recording directly into social media posts, including LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. You can also add it to a Gmail message.

With the best screen recorder, it’s easy to record, edit, store, and share videos—all from a single dashboard.

Screen recording is one of the best tools for modern workspaces, bridging the gap between in-person and remote interactions. 

However, you need the right tool to simplify the process. 

Loom helps you communicate visually with your team by recording, editing, and sharing your screen across devices. You can even record your camera and audio alongside the screen, making information more contextual. 

So, why wait? Create, edit, and share your screen recordings with Loom today.