You upload a video to Google Drive, send the link, and the reply comes back: it won't play. Instead of a picture there is a grey box saying 'We're processing this video. Please check back later.' Or 'Video is still processing. Try again later.' Or, an hour later, still the same thing. Sometimes the preview gives up entirely and says 'Couldn't preview file'.
The good news is that none of these mean the upload failed. Once the progress bar finishes, the file is in your Drive. What is not ready yet is the version Drive streams in its own player. Drive prepares that separately, and until it is done, the player has nothing to show. That is why the most reliable fix for most of these messages is not to watch the video in Drive at all, but to download it.
Read the message first: each one means something different
Google's help page for videos lists the messages you can get when you upload or watch a video. The exact wording varies a little between the web, the apps and the shared-link preview, but they fall into these groups.
- 'Video is still processing. Try again later.' or 'We're processing this video. Please check back later.': the playable version isn't ready. Google says large files may take a while. See the next two sections.
- 'This video is currently unavailable.': Google's description is that the video is not ready to be played and you should try again in a few minutes.
- 'Video is unplayable.': Google says the video may be corrupted or uploaded in a format that won't work, and suggests uploading it again or in a different format.
- 'Playback limits': you've hit the limit for viewers who aren't signed in. Signing in to a Google Account lets the video play.
- 'Couldn't preview file': the preview failed to load. Google's help doesn't document this message, so work through the browser and format checks below, and download the file if they don't help.
What decides how long processing takes
Google doesn't publish a processing time, so be wary of anyone quoting a precise number of minutes. What its help pages do say points to a few things that matter.
- Size. Google's own explanation for the processing message is that if the file is large, it may take a while. A long 4K recording from a phone or camera is the classic case.
- Format. Drive lists the formats it supports: WebM, MPEG4, 3GPP and MOV (with h264 or MPEG4 video and AAC audio), AVI, MPEGPS, WMV, FLV, MTS and OGG. Google also says not all video types may work on all devices, and that if your format is unusual, you need to convert it.
- Resolution. You can upload video of any resolution, but Google says the maximum playback resolution in Drive is 1920 x 1080. A higher-resolution file still uploads and downloads at full quality; Drive just won't play it back above 1080p.
- Very small files. Google says the minimum size for playback in Drive is 4 KB, so a file below that will never play in the player.
- Your connection. Google notes that internet quality and speed may affect playback quality, and that a slow or bad connection can cause uploads to fail.
Why it plays for you but not for them
This one confuses a lot of people. You upload a video, click it, and it plays perfectly. You send the link, and the other person sees the processing message.
That is Drive's instant playback. Google says you can watch a video right after uploading it, but only in the same browser session you uploaded it from, and that while you enjoy instant playback, the video might still be processing so that it can be viewed on other devices or by people you shared it with. So you seeing it play is not proof it is ready for anyone else. Open the link in a private or incognito window, or on your phone, to see what they see.
Stuck for hours: what to try
If a video has been processing for a long time and a short wait hasn't helped, these are the steps Google's help suggests for video problems, in a sensible order.
- Check third-party cookies. Google says that to play videos in Drive, you need to turn on third-party cookies. If you block them, the player can fail even on a finished video.
- Try an incognito window. Google suggests this because it can bypass issues caused by cookies or extensions.
- Use a different browser, or clear the cache and cookies in your current one, and turn off browser extensions for a moment.
- Update your browser or the Drive app, and sign out of your Google Account and back in.
- Upload the video again. For 'Video is unplayable', Google's advice is to upload it again or in a different format. If the original was an unusual format, converting it to one on the supported list, such as an MP4 with h264 video and AAC audio, gives Drive the easiest file to work with.
- On a phone, Google suggests uploading videos over Wi-Fi for the best upload speed, and notes that in the Drive app you can watch a video as soon as the 'Ready to watch' message shows, even if it is still processing.
The workaround that always works: download it
Processing only affects Drive's player. The original file is sitting in your Drive, complete, and downloading it skips the player entirely. This is often quicker than waiting, especially for someone who just needs the file on their own device.
To download it, go to drive.google.com, right-click the video and choose 'Download'. The person you shared it with can do the same from the link, because Google's sharing table says viewers and commenters can download by default, and the owner can control it.
- If the download button is missing, the owner has turned off downloading for viewers. Google's help says the owner may have disabled options to print, download or copy for people with only comment or view access.
- If a download fails with no clear error, Google says blocking third-party cookies in Chrome prevents downloading through Google Drive. Allow them for drive.google.com and try again.
- If you get 'Too many users have viewed or downloaded this file recently', Google says it happens when a file gets heavy traffic over a short period, and typically resets within 24 hours. Signed-in viewers can choose 'Make a copy' from 'Shared with me' and download their copy from 'My Drive' instead.
Sharing a video so other people can actually watch it
A lot of 'it won't play' messages are really sharing problems. Before you send the link, set it up so the other person can open it without asking you for access.
- On drive.google.com, right-click the video and choose 'Share', then 'Share' again.
- Under 'General access', click the down arrow and choose 'Anyone with the link'. Google says anyone who has the link can then use the file without signing in to a Google Account. Only do this for videos you are happy to be forwarded.
- Set the role to 'Viewer', click 'Copy link', then 'Done'.
- Leave downloading on for viewers unless you have a reason to stop it. It is their fallback when the player is still processing.
- Remember that viewers who aren't signed in can hit 'Playback limits'. If that happens, they can sign in to a Google Account, or download the video instead.
- If you are on a work or school account, Google warns you might not be able to share files outside your organization. Your admin decides that, not you.
- To point someone at a particular moment, open the video, go to that time, click the down arrow beside 'Share' and choose 'Copy link to this time'.
Prevent it next time
Upload well before you need to send the link, so Drive has time to finish processing. Use a common format from Google's supported list rather than an unusual one. Test the link in a private window before you send it, because what you see in your own browser can be instant playback rather than the finished version. And tell people up front that downloading the file is fine if the player isn't ready yet.
When you just need to hand a video over
If the goal is to get a video file to someone rather than stream it, OneSol Send (onesol.io/send) uploads up to 5 GB per transfer and gives you one link; the recipient downloads it without an account, and you only need a free OneSol account to send. Files delete themselves after 24 hours, so it suits a one-off handover, not long-term storage, which is what Drive is for.