How do you remove pauses from a Zoom or Loom recording?
By Mohamed Mokbel, founder · Last updated:
Download the recording as a video file, upload it to an editor that cuts pauses, and review the cut. Zoom saves MP4 video, and Loom downloads as MP4 on the plans that allow it. Cutora AI suits a recording of one person talking to camera; a screen share or a second speaker is where it needs care.
At a glance
- Accepted file types
- MP4, M4V, MOV, WebM and MKV
- File size
- Up to 2 GB a file
- Built for
- One person talking to camera, recorded in one session
- Screen recordings
- Not stated yet
Source: Cutora AI product facts. Last updated .
Where does the file come from?
What follows about Zoom and Loom comes from their own help pages, read on 31 October 2026. Plans, roles and admin settings change what you see, so check your own account.
| Source | How you get the file | What you get | Limits on the vendor's page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom, recorded to your computer | Open the Zoom desktop app, or the default folder: Documents/Zoom on Windows, Mac and Linux (Zoom: finding your recordings) | MP4 video (video[number].mp4) and an audio-only M4A (audio[number].m4a) (Zoom: file formats) | The file sits on the computer that recorded it. Whether your plan or admin allows computer recording: not verified |
| Zoom, recorded to the cloud | Sign in to the Zoom web portal, open Recordings & Transcripts, then the Cloud recordings tab (Zoom: finding your recordings). Zoom says cloud recordings can be password protected, shared and downloaded (Zoom: computer and cloud recording) | MP4 video, M4A audio and chat text; a transcript is a separate VTT file (Zoom: file formats) | Zoom lists a Pro, Business or Enterprise account and being the host; a recording started by a co-host appears only in the host's list. Whether an admin has switched downloads off: not verified |
| Loom | Open the video in your Library, use the menu above it and choose Download (Loom: download your video) | An MP4 file | Loom's Starter plan and the Creator Lite role cannot download. A viewer can download only if downloads are allowed and they are signed in. For a meeting recording only the organiser can. Videos made with Variables, and videos over 20 GB, cannot be downloaded |
One Loom detail matters here. Loom's page says its Filler Word + Silence removal, chapters, captions and CTAs are not included in the downloaded file, while trims are kept. If you tidied a Loom with its own tools, check what actually came out in the MP4 before you rely on it.
Which file types does Cutora accept?
Cutora AI accepts MP4, M4V, MOV, WebM and MKV files, up to 2 GB a file. A trial video can be up to 10 minutes, and projects on Creator and Pro up to 60 minutes. A Zoom or Loom MP4 is the right type. Zoom's audio-only M4A file is not footage Cutora can cut as video, and a VTT transcript or a chat file is text, so none of those three goes in.
Does a screen recording work?
Many Zoom and Loom files show a shared screen, with or without a face. Cutora's product facts do not say yet that screen recordings work: Cutora AI is built for one person talking to camera, so we do not promise the cut on a screen share.
The practical risk is a pause that is not dead air. While you click through a menu or wait for a page to load, the screen is the content, and a first cut that removes long pauses does not know that. Try one short clip on the trial and check every cut. More in editing screen recordings and tutorials.
What about a meeting with two speakers?
- Every voice is one voice. Cutora AI does not tell speakers apart, so another person's pauses and repeated lines are cut by the same rules as yours, and overlapping speech gets no special handling.
- Separate tracks are not used. Zoom can save a separate audio file for each participant when you record on a computer (Zoom: file formats). Cutora does not line up a separate microphone recording or a second camera with the main video: each video file is transcribed from its own audio. Upload the one recording.
- Nothing is protected in advance. You cannot mark sections to protect before cutting. After the cut, listen to the other person's answers and restore any cut you want back from the Edits list.
Cutora's product facts do not say yet how well a two-person call cuts. See interviews, two speakers and multicam.
What are the steps?
- Get the file from Zoom or Loom as the table above shows, and play it once to check that it has picture and sound.
- Check that it is an MP4, M4V, MOV, WebM or MKV file, under 2 GB, and within your plan's length.
- Upload it to Cutora. Files go from your browser straight to storage in parts, and after a lost connection you open the project and select the same file again to carry on.
- Choose Pacing, Fast or Natural, before the first cut. There is no setting for an exact pause length.
- Let the first cut run. It starts on Cutora's servers once your footage is analysed, so you can close the tab and open the project later.
- Review the cut on the timeline. Restore a pause that mattered and undo anything you disagree with.
- Export an MP4, horizontal (1920×1080) or vertical (1080×1920).
What should you check afterwards?
- Pauses that did a job: a beat after a question, or the moment a page loads.
- The other person's answers, if there is one.
- The opening word after each join, in case a cut clipped it.
- The sound. The editor preview plays your original sound. The audio cleanup is heard in the exported MP4, so listen to the export.
- Captions. English captions work today; Arabic cutting and captions are in Beta.
Where next?
FAQ
Can I edit a Zoom recording in Cutora?
Yes if the file is an MP4, M4V, MOV, WebM or MKV file within the size and length limits. Cutora is built for one person talking to camera, and its product facts do not say yet how it handles a meeting.
Can I use the audio-only M4A file Zoom saves?
No. Zoom's M4A is an audio-only file, and Cutora cuts video. Upload the MP4 from the same recording.
Can I download a Zoom cloud recording?
Zoom's recording article says cloud recordings can be downloaded from the web portal (read 31 October 2026, Zoom). Which account and role can, and whether an admin has switched it off, is not verified here.
Why can't I download my Loom video?
Loom's page lists the reasons (read 31 October 2026, Loom): the Starter plan and the Creator Lite role cannot download, a viewer must be signed in and downloads must be allowed, only the organiser can download a meeting recording, and videos made with Variables or over 20 GB cannot be downloaded.
Does Loom's own silence removal carry into the download?
Loom's page says its Filler Word + Silence removal is not included in the downloaded file (read 31 October 2026). Download first, then remove the pauses in the editor you use, and check the result.
Will Cutora use the separate audio files Zoom records for each participant?
No. Each video file is transcribed from its own audio, and Cutora does not line up a separate microphone recording or a second camera with the main video.
Does it remove um and uh from a meeting recording?
It cuts clear “um” and “uh” sounds that sit between words, and keeps words such as “like”, “so” and “you know”. A hesitation the speech check does not hear as a separate sound stays in.
Can I try this on a Zoom or Loom file?
Yes. Cutora is in Beta. You can create an account now and try it on one video. The trial needs an account with your email address: one video up to 10 minutes, up to 10 exports with a small Cutora mark, and no card needed. Start at usecutora.com.