Replace a video without changing its link or embed

Use replacement for a correction to the film already published at that address. Use review versions when both cuts and their feedback must remain available for comparison. Use a separate film when it needs a different audience or independent delivery.

The dashboard’s main Video panel labels its replacement control “Upload a new version.” Despite that label, this control replaces the main file; it is distinct from adding a version in the review workflow. Check which operation you are using before uploading.

The operation updates the film’s media path, size and technical metadata while retaining its ID, slug, view count, visibility and player settings. Existing review records are not a fresh approval of the new content. If timing changes, old timestamps or captions may no longer line up: inspect them and obtain new sign-off where needed.

The outgoing file is not automatically added to a user-visible version history. Do not rely on a promised immediate physical deletion or a recovery window. Keep your own previous export if you may need to restore it.

1. Save the existing export independently, and record the current watch and embed URLs. For client work, confirm the corrected cut is the one meant to replace the public delivery.
2. Open the film’s main Video panel and choose Upload a new version. Select a compatible file and allow the upload and final save to complete. A completed transfer alone is not proof the film record was updated.
3. If the interface offers Retry finishing, use that recovery path and inspect the result. Do not assume the new file is published while saving still reports a failure.
4. Reload the existing watch link and a real page containing the embed, signed out. Check the changed frame, sound, duration, captions and intended download permissions.
5. Check the review selection too. A review room with separately stacked cuts may be showing one of those cuts rather than the replaced main file. Request approval on the version actually being delivered.

Within Wistia, Overwrite retains the media’s stats; Swap starts new stats for the replacement and keeps the old media and its stats separately. Wistia documents retained embeds and customizations for these operations. Recheck captions and timed elements against the new cut.

Moving from Wistia or Vimeo to UC creates a UC address. UC cannot preserve or redirect another provider’s hosted URL. Replace embeds in websites you control and retain historical analytics as separate exports. That is a migration, not the same-host replacement described above.

UC behavior checked against the current replacement interface and upload-commit code on 16 September 2026. No customer file was replaced to produce this guide. There is no guaranteed zero-delay update: upload validation, final saving, caching and the selected review version can affect what the viewer sees.

Wistia replacement documentation · Review versions and approval · Cross-host migration checklist.