Uploading and sharing videos on Facebook is a great way to connect with friends and family. However, before your videos can be viewed by others, Facebook needs to process and encode the video files. This encoding step allows the videos to stream smoothly across different devices and networks. But it also means there is a delay between when you upload a video and when it is available to view.
What factors affect Facebook video processing time?
There are several key factors that influence how long it takes Facebook to process videos:
- Video length – Longer videos take more time to process. Facebook recommends videos under 15 minutes for the fastest processing.
- Video resolution – Higher resolution videos require more processing to encode. 720p or 1080p will be slower than 480p or lower.
- Video file size – Larger video files mean more data for Facebook to process. Compressing videos to smaller file sizes speeds up processing.
- Number of videos uploading – More videos uploading to Facebook servers at once can slow down processing for each one.
- Time of day – Peak usage times usually result in slower processing speeds.
How long does basic video processing take?
As a general guideline for average videos:
- SD quality videos (480p): Processes in 10-20 minutes
- HD quality videos (720p): Processes in 20-40 minutes
- Full HD quality videos (1080p): Processes in 40-60 minutes
So for typical user uploads, expect the video to be ready in half an hour to an hour after uploading.
What about longer or higher resolution videos?
For videos longer than 15 minutes or with resolutions above 1080p, the processing time can increase significantly:
- 4K resolution video: Can take over 2 hours to process
- Videos longer than 20 minutes: Can take 2-4 hours to process
- Videos longer than 60 minutes: Can take 6-12 hours to process
Keep in mind these longer processing times apply to individual videos. Uploading many long or high resolution videos at once will result in even longer queues and delays.
Tips for faster Facebook video processing
Here are some tips to help speed up your Facebook video processing time:
- Compress videos to smaller file sizes before uploading.
- Use optimal resolutions – 480p or 720p when possible.
- Upload videos when Facebook usage is lower, like early morning.
- Stagger uploads instead of posting many videos at once.
- Use shorter video lengths (under 15 minutes).
- Avoid 4K or very high resolutions unless essential.
- Check video processing progress in Facebook Creator Studio.
How to check Facebook video processing progress
You can check on the status of your video processing in Facebook Creator Studio:
- Go to Creator Studio and select “Videos” from the menu.
- Select the video you want to check.
- Check the “Processing Status” field.
- Once it shows “Processed” your video is ready to view!
Facebook video processing statuses
Here are some common video processing statuses you may see and what they mean:
| Status | Definition |
|---|---|
| Uploaded | Video has finished uploading and is queued for encoding. |
| Processing | Video is currently being processed and encoded by Facebook. |
| Processed | Processing is complete and video is ready to view. |
| Processing Failed | Something went wrong and the video failed to process. You may need to re-upload. |
| Processing Aborted | Processing was intentionally canceled by Facebook, often due to lengthy processing time. |
Why “Video Unavailable” appears before processing finishes
Sometimes when trying to view a newly uploaded video, you may see “Video Unavailable” before processing has completed. This is to be expected.
Facebook needs time to fully process and encode the video before making it viewable. The “Unavailable” message is normal until encoding finishes.
Just wait for the video status to show “Processed” in Creator Studio before trying to view it. The encoding has to fully complete first.
Can you speed up processing for pending videos?
Unfortunately there is no way to manually speed up videos still pending in the processing queue. The encoding time depends on the factors like resolution and length as discussed above.
However, you can cancel uploads that are taking too long and try uploading again later when demand is lower. Just be aware any progress already made on that video will be lost.
Special requirements for Facebook Watch videos
Videos being uploaded directly to Facebook Watch for monetization have some additional requirements:
- Must be at least 90 seconds long
- Must have at least 720p resolution
- Should have captions added
Meeting these requirements ensures your videos meet minimum standards for quality. But it can also increase processing time due to the higher resolution and captions.
Tips for managing large video catalogs
For publishers with large Facebook video catalogs, here are some tips for easier management:
- Use Creator Studio to upload videos in bulk rather than natively on Facebook.
- Stagger your uploads over multiple days/times to avoid bottlenecks.
- Use video management software to simplify publishing workflows.
- Monitor video processing queues regularly to identify any issues.
- Set times for uploading rather than doing it manually to ensure consistency.
Third party encoding services
For very high volume video producers, using a third party encoding service can help process videos faster before uploading to Facebook.
Services like Amazon Elastic Transcoder, Encoding.com, and Mux.com offer automated encoding that can preprocess videos optimized for Facebook. This saves time compared to natively uploading to Facebook.
However these services come at an added cost for the encoding capabilities. For most businesses uploading occasionally, Facebook’s free encoding will be sufficient.
Conclusion
Facebook video processing times vary widely depending on the video’s resolution, length, and other factors. For typical uploads, expect wait times of half an hour to a few hours.
You can optimize Facebook video processing by compressing files, using lower resolutions, and staggering uploads. Monitor progress in Creator Studio to see when videos finish encoding.
While you can’t speed up pending videos, following Facebook’s recommended practices ensures your videos get processed as quickly as possible.