Check the official Download button first
Vimeo lets creators decide whether viewers may download their videos. If you see a Download button below the player, use it — you'll get the creator's original file, and you know they're happy for you to have it. Zovan is useful when you want a public video for offline viewing and no button is shown.
What can be downloaded
- Works: public Vimeo videos that play for anyone without a password.
- Doesn't work: private videos, password-protected videos, Vimeo OTT / On Demand purchases and rentals, and videos that the owner restricted to embedding on a specific website.
Paid and private content is protected for good reason. Zovan doesn't try to get around passwords, purchases or embed restrictions.
Resolution and file size
Vimeo is popular with filmmakers, so many videos are available in 1080p, 2K or 4K. Higher resolutions look better on large screens but are much bigger: a 10-minute 4K video can easily be over 1 GB. For watching on a phone, 720p is usually plenty. The size of each option is shown before you download.
Good uses for offline Vimeo videos
Teachers saving a short film to show in a classroom with poor Wi-Fi, students keeping a lecture for a long commute, or travellers loading talks for a flight — that's what offline copies are for. Keep the creator's name with the file, and ask permission before showing it publicly or using it in a project.
Downloading on a computer
On Windows, Mac or Linux the steps are the same: open the Vimeo video page in your browser, copy the address from the address bar, paste it into Zovan and press Fetch. Files go to your Downloads folder — press Ctrl+J (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+Shift+J (Mac) in Chrome or Edge to see them. Any modern player opens the MP4; if one doesn't, the free VLC player plays everything.
Videos embedded on other websites
Many companies and schools embed Vimeo videos on their own sites. If the owner set the video to "only play on our website", it won't work through a direct Vimeo link — that's the owner's choice to protect it. For public embeds, right-clicking the player sometimes shows Copy video URL, which gives you the vimeo.com/… link to paste here.