Content ratings

Vimeo asks that you rate all of your videos and live events to tell viewers if they contain nudity, violence, profanity, or illegal substances, and mark any content that contains advertisements.

An ad is content that has the intent to influence the choice, opinion, or behavior (with respect to a product, service, etc.) of those to whom it is addressed.

As a video-sharing platform, we are legally required to ask users to declare whether a video they upload contains an advert. This is to ensure anyone that who views that video is made aware of the fact that they are being exposed to this type of content.

We understand that your intention may not be to advertise any product or service, but rather, that you're uploading this type of content to showcase your own portfolio. However, if you intend for this content to be public (instead of being set to private), you would need to "check the box" to indicate that it contains an advert.

Content ratings help keep vimeo.com safe and accessible to as many audiences as possible.

⚠️Note: We strongly encourage you to rate all your videos. Because of local regulations, some viewers in the European Union and the United Kingdom will have to log into a Vimeo account to watch them.

If you are a viewer wanting to learn how to filter out mature content from Vimeo search results, see this article. 

In this article: 

• Rating types and what the viewer sees
• How to rate a single video in your Library
• How to rate videos in bulk by setting a default content rating
• How to rate your live events
• Why you should rate your videos and mark whether they contain advertisements

Rating types and what the viewer sees

Please note the following content rating types and how they will be displayed on your content. 

• For videos with a Mature rating, viewers will see a Mature badge next to the video’s title.
• For videos with an All Audiences rating, viewers will see no badge next to the video’s title.
• For videos without a rating:
  • Viewers will see no badge next to the video’s title. 
  • You and any team members accessing your video on their team account will see a Not Yet Rated badge. 

How to rate a single video in your Library

You can rate your videos while you are uploading them or at a later time from the video settings page by following these steps: 

1. Select your video from the Library to open the video settings page.
2. Scroll past the player to find the Rating section.
   
3. Select the dropdown and choose All audiences or Mature. If you select Mature, additional selections will appear; be sure to check all that apply. 
4. If there is sponsored content within your video, check the box next to This video contains an advertisement.
5. Click the X in the upper right corner to close the panel. Your settings will save automatically. 
6. If you have set a rating for a previously unrated video, you will see a prompt at the bottom of the page stating "Set as default for new videos?". You can select the Set as default button to apply the same rating to all new uploads. 
   
   

⚠️Note: Once you select a rating, you cannot go back to Not yet rated.

How to rate videos in bulk by setting a default content rating

If all of your videos can be categorized similarly, you can set a default content rating to apply to your current and future videos. After applying it you will still be able to change the ratings of individual videos. To set a default content rating for your videos, follow these steps: 

1. Navigate to the Videos tab of your account settings.
2. Select Upload defaults.
3. Under the heading Content rating default select the appropriate rating in the dropdown menu: All Audiences or Mature. The default rating will apply to new videos that you upload. 
   • If you've selected Mature, check the checkboxes for the reasons why your video would fall under a mature rating. 
     
   • If you want to keep All audiences as the default, select Mature first and then select All audiences. 
4. Select Save.
   

💡Tip: If you want to apply the same rating to your unrated videos currently on Vimeo, select the box next to Also apply to all existing unrated videos. 

How to rate your live events

You can rate a live event while you are creating it or after the fact by following these steps: 

1. Navigate to the video’s live settings page by creating a new video or opening an existing one. 
2. Click on the Content rating dropdown and select either All audiences or Mature. If you select Mature, additional selections will appear; be sure to check all that apply. 
   
   
   
   
3. If there is sponsored content within your video, check the box next to This video contains an advertisement.

⚠️Note: While you are not required to rate your live events, keep in mind that if your event is unrated, viewers in certain countries won't be able to access it unless they log into a Vimeo account, even if the event viewing privacy is set to Public.

Why you should rate your video and events and mark whether they contain advertisements

Vimeo encourages you to rate your content and mark whether it contains advertisements so that viewers can make informed decisions about what to watch and what to filter out. Videos with detailed, accurate ratings are more likely to appear in relevant search results and less likely to receive negative comments or complaints. 

Furthermore, in order to remain compliant with laws and regulations around the world, Vimeo must make sure that children are not able to access mature content posted on Vimeo’s platform or content that contains advertisements. As such, we strongly encourage you to select a content rating for all of your videos, especially Public videos. If you don’t rate your Public videos, viewers in some countries (specifically in the UK and EU) will need to log into a Vimeo account to watch those videos per local regulations. 

⚠️Note: If a Vimeo moderator comes across a misrated video, we may change your rating and lock in the new rating. If we believe that you're intentionally misrating your videos to shock or confuse people, your account may be closed or restricted.