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Custom Metadata

Create custom metadata fields for your content.

Written by Katie

Custom metadata lets you attach structured, consistent information to your videos using typed fields across your whole account. Where tags are flat and free-typed, custom metadata fields have a set type and fixed options, so your data stays reliable as your library grows.

Note

Custom metadata is available on Premium, Premium Advantage, and Enterprise plans. It's for internal organization only and is never visible to viewers — it doesn't appear on share pages, embeds, or oEmbed.

Field types

Each field has a type that controls what kind of value it holds. You choose the type when you create the field, and you can't change it later.

  • Text: free-form text of any length

  • Short text: a single line, up to 255 characters

  • Number: a numeric value, like a count or score

  • Date: a calendar date

  • Boolean: True or False

  • Single-select: one choice from a fixed list of options

  • Multi-select: any number of choices from a fixed list of options

Tip

If you can list the possible values ahead of time, like regions or departments, use a select field. Select values stay consistent and are easier to filter than free text.

Create and manage fields

  1. Go to Account Settings and open Custom Metadata.

  2. Click "New field".

  3. Enter a "Display label". Wistia suggests a "Key" from it, which you can change before you save.

  4. Choose a "Field type". For select fields, add your options.

  5. Optionally, set a "Default value" (see below).

  6. Click "Save".

You can rename a field's display label at any time. The key is permanent once you save the field, so filters, saved views, and integrations keep working after a rename.

Note

Only Account Owners and Managers can create, edit, and archive fields.

Set a default or backfill existing media

A "Default value" is applied to every new video added to your account. To apply it to existing videos, check "Also backfill this value on all existing media." The backfill runs in the background, and videos that already have a value for that field keep it.

Note

Multi-select fields can't have a default. Backfill isn't available for accounts with more than 5,000 media.

Edit an existing custom field

You can view and manage all existing fields from the Custom Metadata page in your account settings. Click "Edit" next to any field to open its details.

Once you've created a custom field, you cannot change its key or field type. Renaming or removing a select option shows how many videos use it before you confirm.

Archive custom fields

To archive a custom field, click "Archive" next to it on the Custom Metadata page.

Archiving a field hides it from forms and filters but keeps its values. Archived fields are never deleted. Turn on "Show archived" to find and restore them at any time.
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Set values on a video

Anyone who can edit a video can set its custom metadata.

  1. Open the video's media page and go to the Info panel.

  2. Click a field's value to edit it. For select and Boolean fields, pick from the menu, or choose "Clear" to remove the value.

  3. Fields without a value are hidden. Click "Show N empty fields" to see and fill them in.

Every field is optional. A Multi-select field shows each choice as its own pill, plus a pill to add another.

Tip

Account Owners and Managers can click "Manage fields" in the Info panel to open the Custom Metadata settings in a new tab.

Filter your library by metadata

You can use custom metadata to filter media in your Video Library. In the "All media" tab, click "More filters". In the dropdown menu, hover over "Custom metadata" and choose a field. Pick the values you want, or set a range for Number and Date fields.

Note

Text fields can't be used as filters. To filter on a short label, use a Short text field.

Manage custom metadata with Ask Wistia

You can also work with custom metadata by chatting with Ask Wistia. It can help you:

  • Set up a new field and coach you on which type fits your use case

  • Update the options on an existing field

  • Audit coverage (e.g., which videos in a folder are missing a field)

  • Apply a field's value across all videos in a folder

  • Suggest how your existing tags could map to custom metadata fields

Limits

Custom metadata supports:

  • Up to 30 active fields per account

  • Up to 200 options per select field

  • One value per field on each video

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