This article covers how to prepare your file for upload.
In this article:
- What are the acceptable file formats?
- To compress or not to compress
- What upload methods are available?
Video overview
What are the acceptable file formats?
Vimeo supports just about any kind of video file, but we tend to favor these common formats: MP4 and MOV. In the rare circumstance that a format is not supported, an Invalid File error is displayed on the video page. All videos uploaded to Vimeo will be converted to square pixels. Regardless of format, all videos will be displayed at the correct aspect ratio.
To compress or not to compress
While it’s technically possible to upload an uncompressed video to Vimeo, in many cases, it isn’t a good idea. Users remaining on weekly storage plans should note that uncompressed files use more quota, take longer to upload, and may not look much better than compressed videos.
If you decide to compress your source file before uploading, we recommend following the guidelines outlined in 'Video and audio compression guidelines'. Check out these compression tutorials for several popular video editing programs.
⚠️Note: We advise that files are kept within 200 GB for a successful upload. We also do not support uploads of videos longer than 24 hours.
What upload methods are available?
There are several ways to upload to Vimeo:
- Using the video upload page.
- Using a supported hosting service (Dropbox, Google Drive, Box). This option is for those who store their videos in the cloud or are looking for a bulk uploading option.
- Using a mobile app (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) or third-party software integrations (iOS, iMovie, Windows 10, and more).
- Using a custom-built application. This option is for unique uploading needs, and coding skills are required. Read more at 'Vimeo Developer resources'.