Deleting your precious Vimeo videos can be stressful, especially if you are under the impression that you won't be able to restore them. The good news is that you can get your Vimeo deleted videos back in some scenarios.
Below, you can learn how to recover deleted Vimeo videos, why and how they get deleted, and how the Enterprise Data Retention tool can help you watch and recover a deleted video from Vimeo.
In this article
How Can Vimeo Videos Get Deleted?
Generally speaking, your Vimeo videos can get deleted in two ways. First, the more obvious one is deleting Vimeo videos yourself. Vimeo allows you to delete your videos directly from the account dashboard. You can also accidentally delete Vimeo videos while they are in your local storage.
The other, less obvious way is Vimeo itself deleting your videos. If you read Vimeo's policy carefully, you will learn that it can delete your videos, bringing us to the following topic. Let's see why Vimeo usually deletes its users' videos.
Why Did Vimeo Delete My Videos?
Vimeo can delete your videos for several reasons. The most common one is lapsing into another plan. For instance, if you have a paid membership, your video storage is significantly larger than that of users with a basic membership. However, if you downgrade back to the basic plan, you will lose access to a percentage of your video storage, which can result in deleted videos.
Vimeo can also delete your Videos if they violate any copyright policies. After a copyright holder submits a claim, your video can be deleted due to DMCA. Team accounts can also cause trouble in this department, meaning some of your team members may delete a video.
Now that you understand how Vimeo videos get deleted and why Vimeo does it, it's time to see whether it's possible to recover deleted Vimeo videos.
Is It Possible to Recover Deleted Vimeo Videos?
We are not talking about a simple yes or no question. In some instances, you can recover a deleted Vimeo video; in others, you can't. When you lapse into another membership bracket, Viemo can move the videos that exceed the storage limit to archive, and you will have up to one year to upgrade your membership and get them back.
If Vimeo deletes your video because it exceeds the maximum file size, you won't be able to restore it. The same applies to videos that you manually delete from your Vimeo dashboard.
You can also delete your videos from local storage once you upload them to Vimeo. Let's see how to restore the deleted video if you mistakenly trashed it.
How to Recover Deleted Vimeo Videos
Recovering deleted Vimeo videos is a walk in the park with reliable tools or assistance. The following are the proven methods that have helped many retrieve their erased files.
Option 1. Recover Vimeo Videos Deleted From Local Storage Using Data Recovery Software
Once you've deleted Vimeo videos from local storage, they are not lost for good. All the data is still there on your drive. The best way to retrieve it is to use reliable data recovery software like Wondershare Recoverit.
It's a go-to video recovery software for many users (novice or tech-savvy) because it's easy to use, reliable, and can restore Vimeo in seconds. It supports nearly 100 video formats across 2,000+ devices and can even repair corrupted files.
Moreover, its patented Enhanced Recovery technology can detect matching scattered fragments of professional videos, from HD and Full HD to 4K and 8K, and stitch them together.
Here is how to use it.
- Choose a location to scan with Wondershare Recoverit.
Wondershare Recoverit makes finding deleted Vimeo videos in local storage straightforward. Simply click Enhanced Recovery and navigate to the drive letter where your Vimeo videos were before deletion.
- Specify the desired video formats.
Wondershare Recoverit selects MP4 and MOV by default, but you can change that or add other formats. However, the more you choose, the longer the scan will be. Once everything is in order, click Start.
- Let Wondershare Recoverit scan the location.
The software will run a Quick Scan to find source files before conducting a Deep Scan to detect and patch matching video fragments. The latter will take more time, so be patient.
- Preview and recover deleted Vimeo videos.
If you were wondering how to watch deleted Vimeo videos, Wondershare Recoverit has your answer. After it completes the scan, you can preview the deleted videos and restore them once you ensure those are the videos you want to undelete. Once you select them, click Recover and choose a file path on your device (not the original location).
Option 2. Watch and Recover Deleted Videos Using Vimeo Enterprise Data Retention Tool
Vimeo also has a built-in tool that answers your "how to find old Vimeo videos" and "how do I recover a deleted Vimeo video" questions. It's the Enterprise Data Retention Tool.
However, this tool is available only to Enterprise plan users, and only Account Administrators and Owners can use it. Here is how Vimeo's built-in restore deleted video tool works:
- Navigate to the team management page.
- Navigate to Settings and click History & recovery.
- Select the time-period option to recover videos.
On the History & recovery tab, you can choose one of the two options. The Last 30 days will list all the videos deleted in the previous 30 days.
The Past 30 days option will allow you to specify a date range to view a history of deleted clips. In either case, select the video you want to restore and click the Recover video button.
Option 3. Contact Vimeo and Ask for Video Recovery
If the above-listed methods fail, you have only one option to recover Vimeo deleted videos. While Vimeo doesn't provide guarantees, the platform has a support team to assist users in recovering deleted videos.
If the video is still in Vimeo's archived storage, you might be able to get it back. Feel free to contact Vimeo and ask for video recovery.
How to Ensure Your Videos Don't Get Deleted by Vimeo
You can use several strategies to ensure Vimeo doesn't delete your videos. First, don't lapse into a lower-tier premium Vimeo plan because Vimeo will delete your videos if you exceed the storage limit. If you plan to downgrade, download your videos before doing so.
The next option is only available to Enterprise account holders. Vimeo offers a Vimeo Enterprise Legal Hold option to prevent your videos from being deleted.
Your videos on Vimeo can get deleted due to the DMCA disputes. You can challenge DMCA video takedown or ensure you only use original content on your Vimeo channel.
Finally, if you use a team account, ensure you assign account administrator and folder administrator roles to people you can trust and who know their way around Vimeo.
Conclusion
As you can gather, your Vimeo videos may be deleted for several reasons. You can exceed the allowed upload limit, lapse into a lower premium membership tier, get into a DMCA dispute, or have a team member delete a video on your team account.
Fortunately, you can get your videos back if they are still in the Vimeo archive and get Vimeo's support team to sort it out.
If you delete a Vimeo video from local storage, the only option to recover the deleted video from Vimeo is to use a data recovery tool like Wondershare Recoverit. This software lets you stitch fragmented professional videos together and retrieve them regardless of format, size, quality, or length.
FAQ
What is the storage limit for Vimeo videos?
The storage limit for Vimeo videos goes as follows: Basic plan – 5 GB, Pro Unlimited plan – 3 TB, Business plan – 5 TB, and Premium plan – 7 TB.How long are my videos stored on Vimeo?
Your videos are stored for a lifetime on Vimeo if you are a paid subscriber. However, if you lapse into a lower-paid plan tier, Vimeo will move your videos to the archive, storing them for up to one year.Should I back up my Vimeo videos?
Yes, you definitely should. Always keep regular backups of your precious data. You can store your Vimeo videos in local storage, on an external drive, or in the cloud to ensure you don't lose them if something goes wrong.
