It still says "Optimizing"

What the badge actually means, how long it should run, and the one situation where you should do something about it.

An Optimizing badge does not mean your video is stuck, and it never blocks anyone: the clip is already watchable and shareable within seconds of upload. The badge means the sharpest quality levels are still being prepared in the background. A short clip clears in a couple of minutes; a long video or a big batch can take fifteen to thirty.

What you're seeing

A pulsing Optimizing badge on a clip, sometimes with a percentage, or Queued if a large batch is still working through. The video plays when you click it.

Screenshot: optimizing-badge-1
Optimizing runs in the background; the clip is already watchable and shareable.

Why it happens

Every upload is made playable within seconds, then HoldFast keeps working to prepare the full range of quality levels so the clip streams smoothly on everything from a phone on cellular data to a 4K display. The badge tracks that background work and nothing else. Viewers who open your link in the meantime get the best quality that is ready at that moment.

Fix it

Usually: nothing. Watch it, comment on it, send the link, all while the badge runs.

• A short clip should clear to Ready within a few minutes.
• A long video, or a batch of dozens of files, can take fifteen to thirty minutes, with Queued files starting as earlier ones finish.
• Worry only when a single clip has shown Optimizing for over an hour with no movement. Refresh the page first. If the clip has flipped to an error badge, open its three-dot menu and choose the retry option that appears there. Expected result: the badge restarts and then clears normally.

Still stuck

If a retry does not clear it, contact us from the help button in the bottom-right corner of HoldFast (the Support tab) with the clip's file name. We can see the processing history for every file and restart it from our side.