LocalLoom
Why does LocalLoom stop before five minutes?
LocalLoom stops at five minutes or 100 MiB of accumulated encoded data, whichever triggers first. A stop before 05:00 can therefore be expected behavior. Read the status message, wait for the prepared recording, and use Download recording. For a longer explanation, plan separate short takes; this version has no pause, editing or joining tools.
Check the message before assuming a failure
The 05:00 display is a maximum duration, not a promise that every recording will last that long. LocalLoom also watches the encoded data it has accumulated. When either threshold triggers, it displays Recording limit reached. Preparing your local download. A timer below five minutes is consistent with the data threshold having triggered first.
Distinguish that message from Screen sharing ended. Preparing your local video. The latter means the capture source ended during recording. For example, ending sharing through browser controls follows that path even when the session is below both limits. The message gives you a better starting point than the timer alone.
Read the two counters separately
The timer measures elapsed recording time and checks for the 300-second limit. The data counter increases when the browser delivers nonempty encoded chunks. LocalLoom requests chunks at one-second intervals and checks elapsed time every quarter second. These counters measure different things; do not expect the size to advance in exact proportion to the clock.
The counter beside the timer is labeled MB, but its calculation divides bytes by 1,048,576. That is the same unit used by the 100 MiB threshold. After stopping, the file information explicitly uses MiB. The different labels do not provide a second data allowance.
LocalLoom requests 720p at 30 fps and supplies a 2.5 Mbps video bitrate hint. Its README describes these as targets rather than output guarantees. Do not calculate a guaranteed remaining duration from those settings. Watch the actual counters and finish your point before either boundary.
Treat the data limit as a guardrail, not a RAM ceiling
The size check adds up encoded chunks held by the page. It does not measure all memory used by the browser. The README warns that overhead and delayed chunk events mean 100 MiB is not a hard memory bound. The threshold also does not promise a finished file of exactly 100 MiB.
There is no control to raise either limit. For an explanation with several stages, plan separate takes: show the setup in one, the action in another, and the result in a third. Keep each useful on its own because LocalLoom has no editing or joining tools. One continuous longer recording is outside this version's scope.
Save the prepared take after a limit stop
Wait for Your recording is ready, then select Download recording. A limit stop prepares the video without requesting the automatic download used by the page's Stop recording button. No automatic download on this path is expected behavior; it does not by itself mean the take was deleted.
Play the prepared preview to decide whether it contains enough of your explanation to keep. Confirm that the downloaded file exists before starting another take. A new recording replaces the in-page result, and closing or reloading loses unsaved video. LocalLoom does not keep a recording library or provide crash recovery.
Separate a recorder error from a normal limit stop
A normal limit stop proceeds toward a preview and download. The message The browser recorder failed. This recording could not be saved. Please try again. reports a different outcome. LocalLoom also reports when no video data was produced. Neither error confirms that a usable recording has been saved.
For the next attempt, prepare a short demonstration with a clear endpoint. Finish with Stop recording while there is room on both counters, rather than letting a limit interrupt a sentence or action. If you need more material, save that completed file and record the next segment separately.
AI-assisted ForgeHub editorial. App capabilities were checked against its implementation; this guide is not an independent review.
Frequently asked questions
Can I increase the five-minute or 100 MiB limit?
No. The implementation fixes the limits at 300 seconds and 100 times 1,024 times 1,024 bytes, with no setting to change them. Plan separate short recordings if the explanation can be split.
Can I pause and resume to stay within the limits?
This version has no pause or resume control. Stop and download a completed take, then start a separate recording. LocalLoom does not join those files.
Does reaching a limit automatically save my video?
It prepares the recording and exposes Download recording, but does not request an automatic download. Use that control and confirm the file is saved before closing the page.
Will the downloaded file always be WebM?
No. LocalLoom tries supported WebM and MP4 candidates, and the download extension follows the actual output MIME type. This version does not transcode the recording into a chosen format.