Video lessons
Upload a video to a lesson, follow it through upload and encoding, add many videos at once, embed a video hosted elsewhere, and manage the file afterwards.
A video lesson plays a video you uploaded to Zanfia; an external video lesson embeds one hosted somewhere else. When you finish, the lesson has a playable video, and you know what each processing state means.
Upload a video to a lesson
Add a video lesson
In the course editor (/courses/<productId>/lessons) choose Add → Video lesson, or + Lesson
→ Video lesson inside a module. The lesson opens on its Video tab.
Drop the file
Click or drop a file on Click or drop a video file here. Any video file is accepted and there is no per-file size cap; a file that is not a video is refused with "Only video files are supported." Instead of uploading you can pick an existing file under or import from: Media library, Another course, and Google Drive when it is offered.
Wait for upload and encoding
The video area shows the progress. You can keep editing the lesson and move to other lessons; the player appears on its own when encoding finishes.
Check the result
Under the player, the Info tab shows Status, Duration, Size and Resolutions. The other tabs, Chapters, Moments, Transcription and Captions, are described in Transcripts, chapters and moments.
Processing states
| What you see | Meaning | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing upload… | The upload is being set up. | Wait. |
| Uploading 42% | The file is being sent from your browser. Keep the tab open. | Wait. |
| Upload complete - encoding starting… | The file arrived. | You can leave the lesson. |
| Encoding video… | The video is being converted for streaming. "This can take several minutes." | Replace with a different file if you picked the wrong one. |
| Encoding in progress. This video is already playable. | A first quality is ready; higher qualities are still being prepared. | Play it. |
| The player, status Ready | The video is ready for clients. | Everything in the menu below. |
| Upload failed | The file did not reach Zanfia. | Try again. |
| Encoding failed | The file could not be processed. | Upload a new file, ideally a different export of the video. |
If a video seems stuck in encoding, open the ⋯ menu on the right of the lesson tabs and choose Refresh status.
Manage the video
The ⋯ menu on the right of the lesson tabs (available once a video is attached):
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Copy link for moment: … | Copies a link to the lesson that starts at the time where the player currently is. |
| Copy link to video | Copies a link to the lesson. |
| Download video | Downloads the Original file or one of the encoded qualities. |
| Refresh status | Re-checks the state of a video that is not ready yet. |
| Remove video | Detaches the video. The lesson keeps its title and content, and the file stays in your media library. |
The round arrow next to the menu is Refresh player.
Upload many videos at once
Add → Upload videos opens the bulk screen: "Drop a batch of video files. Each becomes a new lesson - uploads continue in the background." Choose where they go under Add to (an existing module or New module), then drop the files. Each file creates a draft lesson named after the file; the list under Uploads shows Preparing…, Uploaded, Upload failed or Cancelled per file, with Open lesson next to each. Click Done to return to the editor.
You can also open a module and use its Upload videos button, or simply drop video files onto the module's lesson list; they become lessons of that module.
Embed a video hosted elsewhere
Add an External video lesson and paste the address into Video link. The editor lists what it accepts: "Supported: Vimeo, Bunny Stream, Wistia, Facebook, SoundCloud, DailyMotion, Twitch, Streamable, Vidyard, Kaltura, Mixcloud." YouTube links play as well, although the list does not name them. The player appears under the field after you leave it.
To create several at once on an empty course, use Paste video links: paste YouTube, Vimeo or Loom addresses, one per line, and click Add. Each link becomes a lesson.
Good to know
Uploaded videos count toward your plan's storage. Videos from outside services do not, but they
have no transcript, so the AI tools, the AI quiz and the "Ask the course" tutor cannot use them.
If your plan includes 4K, turn on Generate video in up to 4K in Settings → Workspace
(/settings/workspace) under Video quality; it applies to new uploads.
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