There are a few different reasons why a video might no longer be available on WhatsApp:
- The sender deleted the video
- The video file was too large
- Your connection was interrupted while downloading the video
- The video was removed for copyright reasons
Let’s explore each of these possibilities in more detail.
The sender deleted the video
One of the most common reasons a video is no longer available on WhatsApp is because the sender deleted it from their phone.
When a user sends a video on WhatsApp, it is uploaded from their device to WhatsApp’s servers. The video file itself is not sent directly to the recipient’s device. Instead, WhatsApp stores the video on its servers and sends a link to the recipient.
So if the sender deletes the video from their phone after sending it, the video will no longer be available on WhatsApp’s servers and recipients will see an error message that the video is unavailable when trying to download it.
The sender may delete the video for any number of reasons – to save storage space, because they no longer want the video shared, or by accident.
But regardless of the reason, once the video is deleted on the sender’s device, there is no way for recipients to retrieve it or view it again on WhatsApp. The link will simply lead to an error message.
Examples of “Video Unavailable” error messages
When a video has been deleted by the sender, WhatsApp displays various error messages to indicate the video can no longer be downloaded, such as:
- “This video is no longer available”
- “Can’t play video. This media file does not exist on WhatsApp’s servers.”
- “Sorry, this media cannot be played”
So if you receive any message like this, it likely means the sender removed the video themselves after sending it. There is no way to recover or view the video again unless the sender re-sends it.
The video file was too large
Another possibility is that the video file size exceeded WhatsApp’s file size limit for videos.
WhatsApp currently allows videos up to 16MB to be sent through its servers. If a video is larger than 16MB, it will fail to upload and cannot be sent.
In this case, the sender may still have the video on their phone but WhatsApp refused to accept and process the file due to its large size.
WhatsApp video size limits
| Video Type | Maximum File Size |
|---|---|
| MP4/MOV | 16MB |
| 3GP | 16MB |
As you can see from the table, no matter what video format is used, any videos over 16MB cannot be sent on WhatsApp.
So if you try to send a very large, high-quality video, WhatsApp will block uploading it and you’ll get an error that the video is unavailable.
To fix this, the video would need to be compressed, resized, or split into smaller parts to reduce the file size under 16MB before sending.
Your connection was interrupted while downloading
If you have a slow or unstable internet connection, that can also cause videos to fail to download correctly on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp will try downloading the video file to your device once you tap on it to play it. This requires downloading the entire video file from WhatsApp’s servers.
If your internet connection drops out, loses connectivity, or you switch networks while the video is downloading, it can interrupt the file transfer.
This will lead to only a partial video file being saved on your device. Since the full video was not properly downloaded, it results in the “video unavailable” error.
So this is not an issue with the video itself. The sender did not delete it, and the file size was not too large.
The problem is on your end – your connection temporarily cut out or changed during the download process.
Ways to troubleshoot interrupted video downloads
- Switch to a stronger WiFi or cellular data connection
- Move closer to your wireless router if on WiFi
- Disable battery saver mode which can limit background downloads
- Clear cached data for WhatsApp to delete any partially downloaded files
- Ask the sender to resend the video file
Following one of these troubleshooting tips usually resolves the issue if it is caused by an interrupted download.
The video was removed for copyright reasons
The final reason a video may be unavailable on WhatsApp is if it was removed for copyright violations.
WhatsApp has automatic systems in place to detect and delete videos that infringe on copyrights. This includes unauthorized uploads of movies, TV shows, sports events, music videos, and other copyrighted material.
If WhatsApp’s copyright detection algorithms identify a video being shared without authorization from the rights holder, they will promptly delete it from their servers.
Types of videos most likely to be removed for copyright reasons
- Movies and TV shows
- Live sports broadcasts
- Music videos
- News reports from major networks
- Clips from comedy shows or talk shows
- Videos with copyrighted audio tracks
Basically any professional video content that is not your own original work could potentially be removed for copyright infringement if shared on WhatsApp.
So if you suddenly find a video you shared is now displayingunavailable, copyright takedown is likely the reason.
How to avoid having videos removed for copyright issues
To prevent videos you share on WhatsApp from being deleted for copyright violations, follow these guidelines:
- Only share videos you created yourself or have explicit permission to distribute
- Do not re-upload videos from other apps or websites like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- Avoid sharing full movies, TV episodes, music videos, or substantial clips from them
- If sharing news clips or other third-party videos, limit length to under 30 seconds
- Never share videos downloaded illegally from torrents, piracy sites, etc.
As a rule of thumb, only share original videos you recorded or videos you have licensed properly. This will prevent DMCA takedowns resulting in videos becoming unavailable.
How to recover and view unavailable videos
If a video you previously received on WhatsApp is now displaying as unavailable, there are very limited options to view it again:
- Ask the sender to resend it – This works if they still have the video file on their device
- Check your phone’s local storage – If your phone fully downloaded the video before it was deleted, a copy may still be in your local WhatsApp media storage or gallery
- Try a file recovery app – If you acted quickly, recovery software can sometimes find residual traces of a video even after deletion
Beyond that, there is unfortunately no way to retrieve a video if it is gone from WhatsApp’s servers and the sender’s phone.
The content is likely lost for good unless you had saved a copy before it was taken down.
Preventing unavailable videos in the future
To avoid losing access to WhatsApp videos you want to keep, make sure to:
- Save copies of important videos to your camera roll or cloud storage
- Enable auto-download in WhatsApp settings so videos save to your device before viewing
- Frequently back up your WhatsApp media to iTunes or Google Drive
- Use a third-party app like WatsApp that backups all your WhatsApp media files
With proper backups in place, you have copies of your WhatsApp videos that cannot be lost if they are later deleted or removed.
Conclusion
Videos fail to load on WhatsApp for a number of reasons – deletion by the sender, oversized file, download interruption, or copyright removal.
In most cases, the video becomes permanently unavailable and cannot be retrieved unless the sender still has a copy.
To ensure you do not lose important media, get in the habit of backing up your WhatsApp videos and verifying downloads complete successfully. With the right precautions, you can have peace of mind your WhatsApp video collection will remain safe and accessible even if files are removed from WhatsApp’s servers.