If you’ve successfully uploaded a video, but you’ve run into an issue before or during conversion, there may be a problem with your source file. Here are some common errors:
Corruption
If your video fails to convert or is unable to play for its entire duration, your source file likely contains corruption. Corruption can be introduced on your hard drive or anywhere along the production process (shooting, editing, exporting). To test for corruption, try playing your file in another video player, such as QuickTime or VLC. Note: We recommend viewing instead of spot-checking, as corruption may only be present in certain parts of your video.
If the file plays to the end without issue, try re-uploading to Vimeo one more time.
- This can be done by attempting a brand new upload, or you can replace the current uploaded file that did not convert successfully.
- To replace the current video, select the options menu (...) on the top panel and select 'Replace video'.
If you still see a conversion error, try re-exporting your video from the program you used to create it. We recommend following our compression guidelines for the best results.
If you don’t have access to the original software, you can use a free program like HandBrake to re-encode your video file, which should hopefully remove any corruption from your audio or video track.
Variable frame rate
All videos are converted to a constant frame rate on Vimeo. Depending on the level of variation, variable frame rates can cause certain videos to fail conversion. Variable frame rates can also lead to playback issues after conversion, such as audio sync discrepancies. Be sure to always set a constant frame rate in your editing software. If your editing software does not offer these customizations, we recommend using HandBrake to re-encode.
Non-square pixels
All videos are converted to square pixels for playback over the web. If your video is being displayed with an unexpected aspect ratio (for example, an HD 16:9 video displaying as SD 4:3) check the export settings within your editor. Be sure to uncheck any options for an anamorphic video.
Invalid file type
We support a wide range of video and audio codecs, but we recommend following our compression guidelines to avoid complications. All files must contain a valid video track (even if it only contains a black slate or still image). However, audio is optional.
Here are some examples of file types we do not support for upload or conversion:
- PowerPoint or Keynote files (e.g., .key, .pptx, .ppt, .pptm)
- Documents (e.g., .pdf, .txt, .doc, .docx, .xlsx, .xml)
- DVD video disc information (e.g., .IFO, .ISO, .BUP)
- Audio files (e.g., .mp3, .wav)
- Project files (e.g., .wlmp, .prproj, .imovieproj, .camproj)
- GoToMeeting files (e.g., .g2m)
- Webex files (e.g., .arf or .wrf)
Multiple audio or video tracks
All videos should be uploaded with a single video and audio track. When multiple audio or video tracks are present, our encoder has no way of knowing which track was intended for playback, so it will select one at random. For this reason, we recommend mixing down video and audio tracks in your editing software before uploading to ensure all your videos play as intended.
Below are the audio formats that Vimeo supports as output:
- Standard mono
- 2-channel stereo audio
- Surround audio with 5.1 and 7.1 channel layouts
- Spatial audio in the first-order and second-order ambisonic format (AmbiX)
You can always check the Vimeo status page for the latest updates on any current site-wide issues. Contact us if you're still having trouble or have any further questions.