The import looks stuck or a video failed

Why a transfer slot, a slow large file, and a routed-through-your-Mac video are all normal, and what to do when a video genuinely fails.

What you're seeing

An import that seems to have stopped, a video sitting on the same status for a while, or one or more videos collected under Needs attention with a Retry button.

Screenshot: importer-needs-attention
Failures collect under Needs attention, apart from the rest of the queue, each with a Retry.

Why it happens

Most of what looks like a problem is normal pacing:

• Waiting for a transfer slot means the video is queued behind others. The app moves a set number at a time on purpose, so the rest wait their turn.
• Transferring from Vimeo on a large file takes minutes, not seconds. A big master moves at the speed of the connection between Vimeo and HoldFast.
• A video with no direct download from Vimeo routes through your Mac instead. That path is slower, and the progress line shows a laptop icon rather than a cloud.

Genuine failures happen too: an expired Vimeo sign-in, a video whose privacy or source changed, or a transient network hiccup. Those land in Needs attention rather than stalling the whole queue.

Fix it

Work from the calm explanation to the active one:

• Looks stuck but is not. Leave it. Waiting slots and large transfers clear on their own, and the overall bar keeps creeping up. You can close the app and come back; the queue resumes.
• A video failed. Open Needs attention and choose Retry on that item, or Retry all on the group header. A transient network error usually clears on the second try.
• Many failed at once. This often means your Vimeo sign-in expired. Reconnect Vimeo, then retry the group.
• One video will not move no matter what. It may have no direct download and be too large to route through your Mac, or its source may have changed on Vimeo. Retrying will not change that, and the app tells you when a video cannot come across.

Still stuck

If a video keeps failing and none of the above fits, use Report an issue in the top bar and include diagnostics. Support can see more detail on our side than the app shows. For the storage side of a stalled move (an import that paused because you ran out of room), see See what is using your storage.