Leaving Vimeo, step zero
How to back up your entire Vimeo library.
Before you decide anything else.
Whether you stay on Vimeo or leave, the first job is the same: a second copy of every film, with a clear record of which copies are your source files and which are versions Vimeo converted. Here is how to build that inventory, where the copies can go, and why one of them should sit on a drive you own.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated September 2026
Why backup comes first
Vimeo has a copy of every film,
it may not be your master.
A Vimeo library can hold two kinds of file for the same film: the source file you uploaded, and the versions Vimeo converted for playback. Only the first is a master. Whether Vimeo still has it depends on your plan and one setting.
Vimeo’s help center is direct about it. Source files can be stored only on a paid account, through the Keep source video files setting. On Free and Basic accounts, and on paid accounts where that setting is off, the source file is permanently deleted by default. Turning the setting on later does not restore anything already removed, and if the subscription ends or the setting is turned off, Vimeo warns that source files may be deleted and may not be recoverable.
That is why a backup belongs before any decision about staying or leaving. The deadline is not the day you cancel. It is the day the plan or the setting changes, and that can happen by accident: an expired card, a downgrade, a colleague tidying settings.
0
Bulk download on Vimeo
Vimeo's help center says bulk downloading is not supported.
1 GB
Vimeo Free storage
For the account's lifetime, unless you upgrade. Videos above it are restricted after a lapse.
60 days
Legacy Basic lapse
Stored source files are deleted; the HD and SD versions remain.
Step one
Build the inventory
before a single byte moves.
A backup you cannot describe is a backup you cannot trust. Start with a list: every film, where its master lives, and what kind of copy Vimeo can give you.
List every film
One row per film: title, Vimeo link, date, client, and where the edit project and export live today. A spreadsheet is enough.
Check the source setting
Open Keep source video files on your paid account. If it is off, assume older uploads have no source on Vimeo; turning it on now protects future uploads only.
Mark each film's best copy
For each row, write one of three things: master on my drive, source file on Vimeo, or converted version only. The importer's labels, below, fill this column for you.
Sort by risk
Films whose only good copy is the Vimeo source go first. Films you already hold on a drive can wait.
Step two
Make the second copy
while Vimeo stays live.
There are two practical routes out of Vimeo. Both leave your Vimeo library, links and embeds untouched, so nothing changes for your viewers while you work.
Route A: Vimeo's own download
Download each film from Vimeo, one at a time, since Vimeo does not support bulk downloads. Vimeo's Free plan article lists the ability to download converted files; a source file is only there if Vimeo kept it. The step-by-step, including the API route for scripts, is in the guide to downloading original files from Vimeo.
Route B: server-to-server import here
Connect Vimeo once with read-only access. Your library appears, each file carries a label, and the films you select move directly from Vimeo into your account, never through your laptop, with no re-encode added. Large files use a resumable transfer. The walkthrough is in the guide to moving Vimeo videos without re-uploading.
Details for each route live on their own pages, so this one does not repeat them: download original files from Vimeo for Route A, and move Vimeo videos without re-uploading for Route B.
Source or converted
Know what each copy is
before it moves.
The importer reads what Vimeo exposes for each film and shows one of three labels before you import. Copy those labels into your inventory.
When no source is exposed, the importer takes the largest available file and labels it. Importing a converted version cannot restore detail that the conversion removed.
The labels describe the file, not its quality on every screen. To confirm a copy is your exact master, compare it with the export you kept: duration, resolution, frame rate and size first, then a full-file checksum when both files sit on your own machine. Matching properties alone do not prove two files are identical; a matching checksum does.
Step three
Keep one copy local
on a drive you own.
Two online copies still share a weakness: both depend on accounts, cards and settings. A copy on your own storage does not.
The long-standing rule of thumb is 3-2-1: three copies of anything that matters, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy somewhere else. For a Vimeo library that can look like this: the master on your working drive, a second drive or NAS that you update on a schedule, and an off-site copy with a hosting service. Vimeo can count as one copy only for films where it still holds the source file.
Write the checksum of each master into your inventory when you make the local copy. The next time you restore or move a film, the same check tells you in seconds whether the file survived intact.
Where uncompressed.io fits
Sizing the copy
Add up the library,
then choose the plan.
Imported films land in ready-to-play storage. Add up the sizes of the films you want to copy and pick a plan whose hot storage covers them. Test one film on the free plan first.
US dollars, from the pricing page. Archive extras cost $20 per TB per month on any paid plan, including Lite and Pro. Storage extras stay monthly even with an annual base plan.
Only then
Decide whether to leave
with nothing at risk.
With a labelled inventory, a second copy and a local copy, the decision about Vimeo is a normal business choice rather than a race. If Vimeo still suits you, stay: the backup was worth making anyway. If you plan to leave, keep the Vimeo plan paid until every link and embed has moved, then follow the export checklist before canceling. Views, comments and Vimeo URLs do not travel with the files, so save what you need from them while the account is active.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is importing into uncompressed.io a backup?
It is a second copy with a different company, which is what a backup needs. The importer only reads your Vimeo account: it never posts, edits or deletes anything there, so Vimeo stays exactly as it was. It copies the file Vimeo makes available, so if that file is a Vimeo re-encoded version, what you have backed up is the re-encode, not your master. The label shown before import tells you which.
Can I download my whole Vimeo library at once?
Not from Vimeo's site: Vimeo's help center says bulk downloading is not supported. The importer here lets you select many films in one pass and moves them server to server. The script route and its requirements are covered in the guide to downloading original files from Vimeo.
My source files are already gone. Is a backup still worth it?
Yes, but label it honestly. Vimeo says turning on Keep source video files does not restore files that were already removed. Your best master is then your own export or project drive. A converted Vimeo file is still worth keeping as a reference copy, as long as nobody mistakes it for the original.
What if my paid Vimeo plan ends before I finish?
After a lapse to Free, videos over the Free storage cap are restricted, and Vimeo says restricted videos cannot be played, edited or downloaded. After a lapse to the legacy Basic plan, stored source files are deleted after 60 days while the HD and SD versions remain. Finish the backup while the plan is paid.
How much room does the backup need here?
Imported films count against ready-to-play (hot) storage. The free plan holds 5 GB and one film at a time, enough to test one film. For a library, pick a paid plan whose hot storage covers the files you select: Lite 100 GB, Pro 500 GB, Max 1 TB, Studio 1 TB.
Make the second copy while Vimeo stays live
Connect Vimeo, read the label on each file, and import the films you choose. Your Vimeo account is only read, never changed. The free plan holds 5 GB and one film at a time; paid plans add room for a whole library.
Sources
- 1.Vimeo Help Center: Store your source files on Vimeo (paid plans only, Keep source video files, no restore of removed files, Free and Basic default, deletion when a subscription ends), updated 9 July 2026 (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 2.Vimeo Help Center: downloading a source file (bulk downloading is not supported; viewers must be logged in to download the source of a Public video), updated 14 November 2025 (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 3.Vimeo Help Center: the Free plan (1 GB for the account's lifetime unless you upgrade; the ability to download converted files), updated 29 May 2026 (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 4.Vimeo Help Center: what happens when a paid plan lapses to Free (restricted videos cannot be played, edited or downloaded), updated 5 August 2026 (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 5.Vimeo Help Center: what happens when a paid plan lapses to legacy Basic (source files deleted after 60 days; HD and SD versions remain), updated 5 August 2026 (fetched 16 September 2026)
- 6.uncompressed.io pricing: plans, hot and archive storage (product page, verified)
- 7.uncompressed.io: Import from Vimeo (dashboard, sign-in required; read-only access, file labels, source-first selection) (product page, verified)