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If you’re wondering, ‘Why my video is not uploading on YouTube?’, you’re not the only one with this question. Many YouTube creators face this issue where their video gets stuck at 0% or 100% and never gets uploaded. YouTube enforces certain guidelines that must be followed while uploading videos. This can happen because of an unstable network, YouTube server crash, or because the video is too large in size. This guide will cover the basics of how YouTube uploads work, common reasons for the video not uploading on YouTube issue, and the best ways to fix this problem.
In the following sections, we will be sharing common factors around the issue of videos not getting uploaded to YouTube alongside practical solutions to tackle them.
Why is video not uploading on YouTube? Top causes explained
Uploading time for videos on YouTube can vary depending upon several factors. It can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. If, even after a long time you video upload is stuck, then these can be the potential reasons:
- Poor Internet connection: An unstable high-speed Internet connection can cause a problem like frozen or hung videos and video upload issues.
- Oversized video file: A basic account on YouTube allows videos of up to 2 Gigabytes to be uploaded. If the size exceeds the limit, the video will not be able to get uploaded.
- YouTube server down: YouTube’s server could be down at the time of uploading, which is why the video isn’t getting uploaded.
- Browser cache issues: Accumulated cache and cookies can interrupt the video upload process.
- Unsupported video format resolution: There are some formats that comply with YouTube’s guidelines like MP4, MOV, AVI, etc. Any other format that’s not supported will not get uploaded on YouTube.
- Corrupted video file: If the video file trying to be uploaded is corrupted, it will not upload.
- Trying to upload at the wrong time: During the day, there are certain time intervals when the traffic is heavy, meaning a lot of users are browsing at the same time. If, during that time, you try to upload a video to YouTube, the probability is high that you might face some issues.
- A router/amplifier having too many connected devices: The more devices connected with a router or an amplifier, the chances of video getting uploaded to YouTube decreases.
How to identify where upload is failing?
If you’re unsure of the reason for the uploading issue, then don’t try random fixes. First, understand exactly what message is appearing, and then see how to fix it.
| Error | Reason | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Upload stops at 0% | Unstable internet connection, issue with the browser | Check internet connection and clear browser cache and cookies |
| Upload stops at 50% | Upload got interrupted in between | Try uploading the video file again |
| Upload gets stuck at 100% | Unsupported video codec or resolution, corrupt video metadata | Check video resolution and format, and re-encode the video |
| Upload finished but stuck at processing | YouTube server outage, file size restrictions | Wait for a while or check export settings of YouTube |
| Upload button not working | Browser or permission issue | Try uploading the video on another browser |
| Processing abandoned message is displaying | Corrupt video file | Repair the corrupt video file |
| Video uploaded successfully but won’t play | Video file corruption, error encoding the video file | Export video file again, repair the video file |
Ways to fix videos not uploading to YouTube issue
We’ll address several methods to fix the YouTube not uploading full video error, from the most basic fixes to advanced ways, to troubleshoot this error.
Quick things to check before trying to fix video not uploading on YouTube error:
- Internet connection is stable.
- Video file is of appropriate size.
- Clear accumulated browser cache and cookies.
- Check that YouTube’s servers aren’t down.
Method 1. Check internet connection
An unstable internet connection is one of the most common reasons why you might face the video not uploading on YouTube error. The device from which the video will be uploaded needs to have strong Internet bandwidth, whether via coaxial cable or an intact connection with the router. If the internet connection drops or becomes unstable during video upload, then it halts the process altogether.
Method 2. Use appropriate video format and codecs
Another reason why video fails to upload on YouTube is because it has the wrong codecs and format. Even though YouTube supports major video formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, the video can still face issues because of unsupported codecs. We’ve given the recommended YouTube video import settings in the table below.
| Setting | What YouTube recommends |
|---|---|
| Video container | MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV |
| Video codec | H.264 |
| Audio codec | AAC-LC |
| Video time limit | Unverified accounts: up to 15 minutes Verified accounts: up to 12 hours |
| Resolution | Original video resolution |
| Video file size | Up to 256 GB |
| Frame rate | Original video frame rate or 24, 30, 60 fps |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 (standard video ratio) |
| Audio sample rate | 48 kHz |
| Thumbnail format | JPG, PNG, BMP |
| Thumbnail resolution | Maximum 720p |
Method 3. Clear accumulated cache and cookies
Browsers store cookies and cache to remember your browsing preferences and load websites faster. But as they get accumulated over time, they can get corrupted and cause problems with browsing. This is one of the many reasons why users face the video not uploading on YouTube problem. Follow the steps to clear cache:
- Click on the three dots at the top right corner of the browser window and select History.
- Then in the new tab, click on Clear browsing data.
- Tick all the data that you want to delete and finally click on Clear data.
Method 4. Repair corrupt video file
If the YouTube uploading problem is still not going away, then maybe the issue is with the video file itself. You’ll have to repair the corrupt video file before trying to upload it on your YouTube channel again. In these situations, VLC usually helps to repair a corrupt video file. But if the damage is within the video stream itself, then you might need to take the help of a dedicated Video Repair software. Kernel Video Repair is a practical option to repair all your corrupted video files and recover them in their original quality, before uploading it on YouTube.
Conclusion
From the start to this point, you have learned about which variables lead to the video not uploading on YouTube error, and how to avoid such a scenario. If you follow all the tips for uploading the video on YouTube, then a healthy file will surely get uploaded. But there is a condition: if your video is corrupt, then it won’t get uploaded until you repair it. So, you must verify that you’re only uploading healthy videos to your channel.
People also ask
A. If your video gets stuck at 100% repeatedly, then YouTube is having trouble processing the video file. It can either happen because of unsupported codecs or because the video metadata is corrupted.
A. Processing abandoned error happens when YouTube is unable to process the uploaded video file because it’s either corrupted or damaged.
A. When a user uploads a video on YouTube, first it goes to YouTube’s servers to check if the video file is compatible or not. Then, the video is processed in different resolutions, optimized for playback, and then finally published on the channel as per the selected visibility settings.
