The first step to getting started with Wistia is to upload your content, so let’s do it!

All content in Wistia must be uploaded inside a folder or a Channel (learn all about Channels here. Folders work just like folders on your computer — they’re great for organizing and managing your stuff.

To create a new folder, click “New” from the Content Library. Then, select “folder” in the dropdown menu.

Once you are in your new folder, you can give it a title by clicking the pencil icon above the title bar (by default it’s called "Untitled folder").

To see more on folders, head to the file management help page.

You can also create a folder after you’ve selected a media to upload.

Now we’re ready to upload a media.

On the Content Library page, click “New” and then select “Upload Media.”

Select a file from your computer to upload. Then, select the appropriate folder or Channel, or click “Create new folder.”

Once selected, click “Upload 1 media.”

From a folder page, you can either drag and drop media directly onto the page, or select the “Add” dropdown menu to upload or add from Wistia (you can move or copy media from any folder or Channel in your account!). You can also choose to import from Zoom, or record a new video.

From here, choose the file you’d like to upload.

Once a file has been chosen, the progress bar displays where you are in the uploading process.

Feel free to leave your Folder or Channel while your uploads are in progress and go about your business in Wistia doing other things! Upload progress will be tracked in the Activity Tray in the top right menu and will show upload percentages of your files that are in progress. This tray will also let you know if the upload is completed or if it has failed.

If you are having trouble with uploads completing, please try our backup uploader. One downside - no progress bar. You can also take a peek at our upload troubleshooting guide to get things fixed right up.

Once your media is uploaded, it’s time to customize.

Wistia accepts all kind of file types. You can check out the full list here. This page also includes some helpful tips for encoding (or what we call exporting) your media prior to upload to make the process super smooth.

But just for kicks, our recommended upload settings for video are:

And for audio:

If you’re looking for more specific information on how to export from certain video editors, check out our exporting guide.

Do you hate clicking through so many menus, just to upload your files? Want to make your Wistia experience even easier? Oh, do I have a surprise for you.

Drag that media file into your browser and let the magic happen. Wistia supports Drag and Drop media uploads. Say what?

If you’re having trouble with uploads completing, try our Backup Uploader instead! (Heads up, this upload process doesn’t show a progress bar.)

The Backup Uploader can be accessed by adding ?backup_uploader to a folder URL.

So from a folder URL like https://support.wistia.com/folders/qdybaq78y0, you’d navigate to https://support.wistia.com/folders/qdybaq78y0?backup_uploader to get to the backup uploader. It’s like a secret clubhouse.

From there just select Upload and you’re sitting pretty.