Why a Vimeo video has no Download button
Last updated
A Vimeo video offers a Download button when its owner has allowed downloads and you are on the video's own page on vimeo.com. Vimeo's help center lists three common reasons the button is missing: the owner turned downloads off, the owner's plan can't turn them on, or you are watching in an embedded player on another website. The first two can only be changed by the owner. The third you can fix yourself.
This page quotes Vimeo's help center as it read on October 6, 2026.
The three reasons Vimeo lists
| Reason | What Vimeo says | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| The owner turned downloads off | "If the video owner disabled downloads, you will not see the download button." | Ask the owner to turn downloads on, or to send you the file. Only they can change it. |
| The owner's plan can't turn downloads on | "Free and Basic members cannot enable video downloads. They also cannot download videos from their own account." | Ask the owner for the file another way. Only they can change their plan. |
| You are not on the video's own page | "Make sure you are watching from the video's page on vimeo.com. If you watch a video from the embedded player on a different website, you will not be able to download it." | Open the video on vimeo.com. If you only have the embed, ask whoever published it for the video's vimeo.com link. |
Source: Troubleshooting: I don't see a download button on a video, Vimeo help center.
Vimeo also says there is currently no way to make a video available for download from the embedded player (How to prevent viewers from downloading my videos).
A quick check
- Open the video on vimeo.com itself, not on a page that embeds it.
- Log in to your Vimeo account. Vimeo says: "You must be logged in to download a source file for a Public video."
- Look below the video player for the Download button (Vimeo's instructions).
- Still no button? Then the owner's settings or plan are the most likely reason, and only the owner can change them.
If you have checked all of this and you are sure the video should be downloadable, Vimeo says you can contact its support and include the link to the video and a note that you have checked the common reasons.
If you own the video
- Downloads need a paid plan. Vimeo says Free and Basic members can't enable downloads, and can't download videos from their own account.
- To allow or block downloads for one video: in your Library, open the video, select Share, and under Viewer permissions switch Downloads on or off (Vimeo's instructions).
- To change the default for future uploads: open the Upload Defaults page in your account settings and check or uncheck Download them under "What can people do with your videos?". You can also apply the change to existing videos there.
- To download your own video: open it in your Library, select the down arrow on the Share button, choose Download, then select the download icon next to the version you want (Vimeo's instructions).
If you are a viewer and downloads are off
- Ask the owner. Vimeo says: "Our members retain copyright ownership of their works and have the discretion to determine the extent of permissible usage." Ask for permission, or for the file itself.
- Check for a Creative Commons license. Vimeo says that if a video has one, "others can use that video according to the applicable license's terms and conditions", and that it's "always a good idea to contact the video's owner". Vimeo's article on this doesn't address downloading, so read the license and contact the owner if anything is unclear (Creative Commons videos on Vimeo).
- If you only want to watch it offline, Vimeo suggests adding videos to your offline playlists in the Vimeo app for iOS and Android. Vimeo's help page for the Android app says videos saved to the offline playlist "can only be played within the Vimeo app and cannot be exported or played in other apps" (Vimeo app for Android). That is a way to watch, not a way to get a file.
What this page doesn't cover
This page doesn't cover private, password-protected or paid videos, and it doesn't help you get around an owner's choice to turn downloads off. Vimeo's Terms of Service prohibit downloading content "except as expressly authorized by the Service or with our prior written permission" (Section 5.4, last updated July 8, 2024). Is it legal to download Vimeo videos? explains how the Terms, owners' choices and copyright fit together.
Vimeo Downloader is an independent tool operated by Ginyo Technologies Limited. It is not affiliated with Vimeo, Inc. Its online tool saves public videos you have the right to keep, and it doesn't give you permission the owner hasn't given. You are responsible for copyright law and for the terms of Vimeo and of the video's owner. If you already have the owner's permission or another right to keep a copy, How to download a Vimeo video shows the steps.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I download some Vimeo videos but not others?
Owners choose per video. Vimeo's help center says an owner can allow or disallow downloads for a particular video, or change the default for all existing videos and future uploads.
Can I download a video that is embedded on another website?
Vimeo says viewers can only download a video from its page on vimeo.com, and that there is currently no way to make videos available for download from the embedded player.
I'm the owner and I can't download my own video. Why?
Vimeo says downloads require a paid plan, and that Free and Basic members can't download videos from their own account. If you are on a paid plan and still can't, contact Vimeo support with the link to the video.
Can a third-party tool turn the button on?
No. The button belongs to Vimeo and the owner's settings. A third-party tool doesn't change them, and doesn't give you the owner's permission.