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FAQ: Enhancing the security of Vimeo embeds

Security enhancement for Unlisted videos

At Vimeo, we are continuously enhancing our security standards to protect the privacy of your videos. In September 2021, we rolled out a security update that made new unlisted video embeds even harder for someone to discover if you haven’t shared the link with them. We are now extending that update to videos that were uploaded before September 2021, and asking users who want enhanced security to update their existing embed codes or change their video privacy settings.

If you have embedded videos that were added to Vimeo before September 14, 2021 and set to Unlisted, you will need to take action to ensure your videos remain viewable past the deadline listed below. If you have a video that is impacted by this change, we’ll notify you directly and send email reminders. 

  • If your account is Vimeo Enterprise, this security update took effect on January 25, 2022.

  • If your account is not Enterprise, this security update will take effect on January 25, 2025. 

Read on for answers to frequently asked questions about this update.

In this article: 

How do I keep my older, unlisted video embeds from being disabled once this security update takes effect?

Option 1: Update your video embed codes.

To download your personalized list of affected videos and manually update their embed codes:

  1. Sign in to vimeo.com and navigate to Account Settings > Privacy
  2. Look for the Unlisted Link Embed Security section of the page. Here, you’ll find a downloadable list of all of your videos impacted by this update. The CSV will contain a link to the video, the video title, and a new embed code for you to use.
  3. Copy the new embed code from each affected video listed in the CSV file, and replace it on your sites.
  4. Once you’ve updated your embed codes, return to Account Settings > Privacy and toggle-on Enable Retroactive Security Update. This will ensure all your new uploads include the privacy hash.

Option 2: Change your video privacy settings from “unlisted” to “password protected.”

For added security, you can change your affected videos to “Password protected.” If you choose this option, you will not need to update your embed codes. However, your viewers will require a password to gain access to your videos wherever they are shared online.

Option 3: Do nothing.  

Any unlisted videos that were uploaded before September 14, 2021, will no longer be accessible through our embeddable player starting on January 21, 2025.

When does this security update take effect on my unlisted embedded videos?

  • If your account is Vimeo Enterprise, this took effect on January 25, 2022.
  • If your account is not Enterprise, you have until January 21, 2025 to make the required adjustments.
  • We’ve notified all impacted users via the email on the account and will send reminder emails before the deadline. 
    • If your account was created on or after August 31, 2021, regardless of membership level, you are not impacted by this update as all of your unlisted embeds already include these security features.

Are my unlisted live event embeds also impacted by this security enhancement?

Embedded events set to “unlisted” are only impacted if they are one-time events created before September 14, 2021. All unlisted recurring event embeds already include the additional security features and are not impacted.
However, individual archived streams from a recurring event behave the same way as uploaded videos. If you embedded any unlisted live archives that were streamed prior to September 14, 2021, those embedded videos will be impacted.

I don’t embed my private videos, but I often share the links to them. Will those links be disabled?

No, the links to access and watch your unlisted videos on vimeo.com will not be impacted by this security update. This update pertains only to unlisted videos embedded on other sites.

My website hosting service lets me paste the video link to easily embed the player. Is that impacted by this security enhancement update?

We’re aware of some website hosting platforms whose video embedding widgets are not currently including the security enhancements for unlisted videos, and we are reaching out to all of our partners and other developers using Vimeo’s API to ensure their tools continue to support all Vimeo videos. 

If you are encountering an issue with your unlisted video’s embedded player displaying an error when inserting a link into an embed widget, please let us know.

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