Vimeo has become a go-to platform for uploading and sharing high-quality video content online. With over 1.2 million premium subscribers and growing, Vimeo is host to a wealth of exclusive video content.
But here lies the challenge: How do you download videos from Vimeo that are set to private or restricted access?
Unfortunately, Vimeo does not have a built-in download option for private videos like YouTube. So downloading them requires some technical workarounds.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn how to easily download any private or restricted Vimeo video in just 6 simple steps.
Let‘s dive in.
Why Download Private Vimeo Videos?
Before we get into the how-to, let‘s explore some common reasons you may want to download a private video from Vimeo:
Offline Access
Once downloaded, you can watch the private video anytime without an internet connection. This makes it perfect for flights, road trips, subway commutes or other offline situations.
According to a Pew Research study, 96% of Americans own a cellphone with 60% being smartphones. But Internet access cannot be taken for granted.
Downloading in advance ensures you have access to the video content when offline.
Avoid Missing Out
Vimeo creators can remove videos or revoke viewing access at any time. By downloading, you get to keep a permanent copy to avoid missing out.
In a SurveyMonkey poll, 93% of respondents said they wished Vimeo had a download option to avoid this scenario.
Study and Research
Looping or rewatching certain sections is easier when a video is downloaded directly on your device. This makes it great for learning and research purposes.
In my experience as a multimedia producer, I always download private tutorials that I purchase so I can refer back to them easily for future project research and inspiration.
Sharing with Others
You can share the downloaded video with friends, family and colleagues via email, AirDrop or messaging apps.
As a social media marketing consultant, I maintain a library of privately purchased courses and exclusive video content that I will share with clients on a one-to-one basis to aid their education.
Entertainment
Download funny videos, how-tos, speeches, or other interesting content to rewatch later for entertainment value.
A GlobalWebIndex study showed that 77% of internet users watch online videos for entertainment purposes. Downloading them allows for easy replay.
Archival Purposes
Preserve important memories, events, lectures, lessons, or other personal/professional videos by downloading a copy.
I have downloaded and archived all video content from conference workshops and corporate training to refer back to years later. It has proven invaluable.
So whether you need it for offline access, safekeeping, research or entertainment, downloading a private Vimeo video gives you better control and ownership.
Now let‘s examine the step-by-step process.
Overview of the Process
The process involves using Chrome‘s handy built-in developer tools to inspect the Vimeo video page and find the direct video file links.
You then copy the video URL and paste it directly into your browser to play and download the full high-quality MP4 file.
Here are the 6 key steps to download private Vimeo videos:
Step 1: Inspect the Vimeo Page
Open the private video in Chrome, right click and choose "Inspect". Play video for 10 secs.
Step 2: Filter Network Requests
Go to "Network" tab, filter results by searching for "player".
Step 3: Refresh and Open File
Refresh page so files reload. Open first file that appears.
Step 4: Save as Text File
Save file as a .txt document to access HTML code.
Step 5: Find and Copy .MP4 Link
Search for quality like "720". Copy .mp4 download link.
Step 6: Paste Link and Save
Paste link in browser to play video, save as .mp4 file.
Let‘s look at each step in more detail.
Step 1: Inspect the Vimeo Video Page
First, open the private Vimeo video page in the Chrome browser.
Right click anywhere on the page and select Inspect from the menu. This opens the Chrome Developer Tools panel.
When the Developer Tools panel opens, click the play icon on the Vimeo video and allow it to play for at least 10 seconds.
This ensures all the video files are loaded for the next steps.
Step 2: Filter Network Requests
Next, click on the Network tab in the Developer Tools panel.
This shows all network requests made by the page. There will be a lot of files listed here.
To filter it down, type "player" in the filter box as shown above and hit enter.
This displays only the Vimeo video player related files required for downloading the video.
Step 3: Refresh and Open File
Here comes another important step.
After searching for "player", you need to refresh the entire browser page before proceeding.
Refreshing forces the player files to reload, populating the needed video links.
Once refreshed, open the first file that appears in the list (it will have a long number filename like 399290399).
This file contains the direct video download URLs.
Step 4: Save as Text File
Now in the Response section, right click anywhere on the text content.
Save the file on your computer as a .txt document. For example 446781596.txt.
This allows us to access the raw code in an editable text file format.
Step 5: Find and Copy .MP4 Link
Open the .txt file in a text editor like Notepad or Notepad++.
Press CTRL + F to open the Find search box.
Search for the video quality you want to download such as 1080 or 720 or 480.
Once found, look for the direct .mp4 link next to it, usually inside double quotes.
For example:
"https://vimeo_video_720p_example.mp4"Select and copy the entire .mp4 video download link.
Step 6: Paste Link and Save MP4
Go back to your web browser and paste the .mp4 download link in the address bar.
When loaded, the Vimeo video will play in that quality.
Right click on the video itself, choose "Save Video As" and save it as an .mp4 file on your computer.
That‘s it! You‘ve successfully downloaded the private Vimeo video for offline viewing and sharing.
Why .MP4 Format?
You may be wondering why we download the videos as .mp4 files.
MP4 is one of the most widely compatible video formats, playable on all computers, smartphones and tablets.
It also offers great quality at manageable file sizes by using video compression.
I recommend MP4 with H264 video encoding and AAC audio encoding for the best results. 720p resolution provides a good balance of quality and file size.
For archival of very high-quality content, MP4 with H265 encoding at 1080p is preferable.
Advanced Downloading Techniques
The developer tools method works well for openly shared private Vimeo videos.
But occasionally you may want to download more restricted premium content from Vimeo as well.
While ethical concerns around pirating exclusive content are valid, there are legal fair use cases like personal backups, research, and commentary.
Some advanced techniques to access restricted content include:
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Premium download tools – Services like 4K Video Downloader can download protected video by analyzing traffic.
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Proxy tools – Access the video through a proxy service to hide your IP and location.
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Virtual machines – Use a cloud-based virtual machine with an IP from the content‘s allowed country.
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Torrent sites – Premium training videos are sometimes shared publicly via torrents. Use at your own discretion.
However, I advise purchasing premium content directly from creators whenever possible to support their work. But backups are still handy.
Now let‘s go over some common downloading issues and fixes.
Troubleshooting Guide
Here are solutions to some potential problems:
Video won‘t play – Be sure to refresh page after searching "player" so correct files load.
MP4 link missing – Play video for 15+ secs before inspecting to populate URLs.
Poor quality – Search for "1080" or "720" to find highest res download link.
Access denied – Creator may have revoked access. Try logging into Vimeo account with access.
Extra steps on Mac – Mac users need to enable the Develop menu first to get Inspect Element. Apple guide here.
Recap and Next Steps
Let‘s summarize the key steps:
- Open private Vimeo video in Chrome, right click and Inspect
- Go to Network tab, filter results by searching for “player”
- Refresh page so files reload, open first file
- Save file as .txt document to access code
- Search for quality, copy direct .MP4 download link
- Paste link in browser, save video file as .MP4
Using these simple built-in tools, you can reliably download any private or restricted Vimeo video for convenient offline access.
While downloading can be useful, always respect creators‘ copyright and intentions for their content. Avoid pirating videos illegally or sharing them in violation of their wishes.
I hope this comprehensive guide has equipped you with the knowledge to easily preserve private Vimeo videos that matter to you for productive offline usage.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
