Before you cancel
Export your Vimeo originals
before the plan lapses.
Vimeo keeps source files only while a paid membership does. The order of a clean exit: find which films still have a source, pull or move them while the plan is live, verify what came back, copy the rest by hand, cancel last.
Video hosting for filmmakers · 5 GB free · Paid plans from USD 9/month
By uncompressed.io · Updated September 2026
The deadline
Source files live as long as
the plan does.
Source-file storage on Vimeo is a paid-plan opt-in, and the help center is plain about the other half of the deal: you must maintain the membership, or the files “may be deleted and may not be recoverable.” The Terms make archiving your responsibility.
60 days
Lapse to Basic
Source files deleted after a lapse to Basic, a membership no longer sold. No figure is published for a lapse to Free.
1 GB
The free cap
Above it, videos are restricted, newest first: no playback, editing or download; embeds and shared links stop.
30 days
Recently deleted
The recovery window for a deleted video. Deleting a restricted video is permanent.
24 hours
API download links
Expiring links, on Standard and above. Files links do not expire.
The day a paid plan ends, the account reverts to a free membership or is deleted, at Vimeo’s option; if it survives, the 1 GB cap applies, and the stored sources have no published survival window. Your own drives still hold the cleanest copies: reconnect the project drive first and treat Vimeo as the second source. The wider migration is in Leaving Vimeo; this page is the part you do first.
The rules, as written
What happens, when,
and where Vimeo says it.
Every row comes from Vimeo’s help center or Terms of Service, fetched 2 September 2026. Where Vimeo gives no timing, the cell says so.
Basic is a legacy membership no longer offered to new customers; the 60-day figure is not extended to Free here. Terms last updated 8 July 2024.
The checklist
Eight boxes, in order.
Cancel is number eight.
Work through it while the plan is live. If the renewal date is closer than the list is long, one more month is cheaper than one lost master.
Inventory the library
Film by film, note which still have a source file and which only have Vimeo's re-encode. Source storage is off by default, and API uploads from before September 2016 have no downloadable source.
Confirm the source-file setting
Check the box next to Keep source video files so nothing new is discarded while you work. Ticking it does not restore files already removed.
Download from the video page
Share, then Download, then pick a version; take the source when it is offered. One video at a time, logged in: Vimeo has no bulk download. On Starter this is the only door.
Or move the catalogue here
A usable file explicitly identified by Vimeo as the source is selected first. Otherwise, the importer selects the largest available file and labels it as a Vimeo rendition or an unconfirmed source. A paid plan alone does not guarantee that Vimeo retained the original. Keep the import tab open while it runs. Files above the 3 GB one-pass threshold use chunks; completed chunks can resume while the same selected Vimeo file remains available. A changed or missing file, or an older unfinished job, can require a restart.
Verify what you got
Check the selected source label and playback. Compare with your saved master; matching resolution and size alone do not prove it is the original. Use a full-file checksum when exact identity matters.
Copy the rest by hand
Check the imported title, description and poster. Save showcases, captions, comments and analytics separately; these do not transfer with the video file.
Back up in two places
Put a second copy of every source on a different drive or in a different place. The Vimeo copy is about to stop being a copy.
Only then, let the plan lapse
Keep the paid account active until every imported film is verified and the links and embeds that matter are replaced. Then cancel or downgrade, after checking the restrictions that will apply.
Vimeo rates rechecked 7 September 2026: its public page lists $12, $25 and $75 per seat per month. Confirm the selected billing term and full account total; these are not verified month-to-month or annual account totals. Every plan allows 300 GB and 24 hours per file. The API gate also covers Pro, Business, Premium and Enterprise.
API access and retained originals are separate checks. An eligible plan can expose download files without retaining your source. The importer prefers a usable source when Vimeo identifies one; otherwise it shows the available fallback. Upgrading a plan does not restore originals already removed. Test what is actually available before changing your subscription.
The honest part
A re-encode is a playback copy,
not a master.
Every upload to Vimeo is transcoded onto a fixed ladder of playback files, and the ladder has a ceiling. The source is the export you uploaded; the versions offered for download are the ladder. When the source is gone, the top rung is all that is left.
7 Mbps
1080p, H.264
Maximum, at 60 fps.
12 Mbps
2K, H.264
Maximum.
22 Mbps
4K, H.264
Maximum; the top of the published H.264 ladder.
16 Mbps
4K, HEVC
Maximum.
Vimeo states that the bitrates listed for each resolution are maximums. A master exported above the 4K rung has been compressed a second time, on a ladder you did not choose, and the discarded detail does not come back. That is a re-encode: a playback copy, sized to stream anywhere, not a file to grade, re-cut or archive from. If your export was a modest H.264 under the ceiling, the re-encode is close to what you sent; you still want the source, because a copy of a copy is never better than the original. The mechanism is in video bitrate, explained; the side-by-side with what streams here is uncompressed.io vs Vimeo.
The move
Connect once, move the catalogue,
then cancel on your own schedule.
The importer exists so the checklist does not turn into a weekend. Connect your Vimeo account once; the library appears; select all, or tick the films you want. Files move server to server, never through your connection, nothing re-encoded; the mechanics are in moving Vimeo videos without re-uploading. What lands here streams as the exact bytes stored: H.264, HEVC and AV1 play in the browser; ProRes 422, ProRes 4444 and DNxHR are hosted for client download, not streamed. No per-view charges, with views, uploads and viewers unlimited on every plan; sizes are on the pricing page, and a finished project can go cold on any paid plan, as the hot versus cold guide explains. The free tier gives you 5 GB for one real film first.
When to keep paying Vimeo, for now
Vimeo prices depend on the selected billing term and team seats. Check current Vimeo pricing and allowances before choosing or changing a subscription.
Questions
Frequently asked
Does canceling my Vimeo plan delete my videos?
Vimeo's Terms say the account will, at Vimeo's option, revert to a free membership or be deleted, and that content may be deleted to fit the new status. On Free, everything above the 1 GB cap is restricted rather than deleted, newest uploads first. Stored source files are the exception: they may be deleted and may not be recoverable.
How long do I have after the plan lapses?
For a lapse to Free, Vimeo publishes no window: source files may be deleted and may not be recoverable. The one published figure, 60 days, applies to a lapse to the legacy Basic membership, which new customers cannot get. Plan around the last paid day, not around an unwritten grace period.
What if the source file was never kept?
Then Vimeo holds only its re-encodes. Source storage is off by default, ticking the box now does not restore removed files, and API uploads from before September 2016 have no downloadable source. Your project folder is the master. If API downloads are available, the importer can use a labelled fallback. Importing a rendition cannot recover detail already removed from it.
How do I tell a source file from a re-encode?
Check the explicit source label, then compare the download with your saved export. Codec, resolution, frame rate and size are clues, not proof. Matching full-file checksums can verify an exact copy when you have both files.
Will the importer bring my titles, captions, showcases and comments?
The importer uses the video title and available description and attempts to copy its poster. It does not transfer Vimeo captions, showcases, comments, analytics or existing URLs. Save those separately and check imported titles and descriptions, which have length limits.
Do I need to keep the Vimeo account after moving?
Keep it until nothing points at it, if Vimeo leaves it standing as a free membership. Embeds and shared links for restricted videos stop working on Free, newest uploads first, so a large library will not survive as a redirect stub. Deleting a restricted video is permanent; a deleted video is recoverable for 30 days only.
Move one film first. Verify it before moving the rest.
Connect Vimeo once and the files move server to server, source files only when retained and exposed by Vimeo, nothing re-encoded. No per-view charges here; views, uploads and viewers are unlimited on every plan. Plans include storage, team seats and caption-generation allowances. Paid storage and team-seat add-ons are available.
Sources
- 1.Store your source files on Vimeo, Vimeo Help Center (fetched 2 September 2026; paid plans only, off by default, must maintain the membership, deletion on lapse, no source for API uploads before September 2016)
- 2.Vimeo Help Center, article 12425416995857: source files after a paid membership lapses to Basic (fetched 2 September 2026; source files deleted after 60 days and cannot be recovered)
- 3.Vimeo Help Center, article 29641523095057: downloading videos from the video page (fetched 2 September 2026; Share, then Download, pick a version; requires a paid plan; no bulk download)
- 4.Vimeo Help Center, article 12426502581265: downloading a source file (fetched 2 September 2026; logged in to download the source of a Public video; bulk downloading not supported)
- 5.Vimeo Help Center, article 12427806914577: downloading videos through the API (fetched 2 September 2026; Standard, Advanced, Pro, Business, Premium or Enterprise; download links valid for 24 hours; files links do not expire)
- 6.Vimeo API reference: the video file object (fetched 2 September 2026; the quality value source is the video's source file)
- 7.Vimeo Help Center, article 12425417275665: what happens when a paid plan ends (fetched 2 September 2026; 1 GB free cap, restriction order and effects, privacy switch to Private, archive restore on upgrade within a year)
- 8.Vimeo Terms of Service, section 4.4 (fetched 2 September 2026; updated 8 July 2024; revert or delete at Vimeo's option, content may be deleted, you are responsible for archiving)
- 9.Vimeo Help Center, article 12426180897297: deleted videos (fetched 2 September 2026; videos deleted after a cancel, downgrade or lapse; 30-day recovery for recently deleted videos)
- 10.Vimeo plans and prices, vimeo.com/upgrade-plan (fetched 2 September 2026; US dollar prices, storage per plan, 300 GB and 24 hours per file on every plan)
- 11.Guidelines for determining playback resolution, Vimeo Help Center (fetched 2 September 2026; maximum H.264 and HEVC bitrates per rung)
- 12.uncompressed.io pricing and plans (fetched 2 September 2026; free tier with 5 GB and one film at a time; storage and team-seat allowances; cold storage included on every paid plan, with packs beyond the pool)