Use this guide when a video unit doesn’t upload, stays in a “waiting” state, doesn’t play, or doesn’t complete.
Before you start
- Confirm the issue affects more than one browser/device.
- View the unit as an Administrator user.
Quick checks
-
Check the EncodeMagic (EM) status. Go to System settings
→ Integrations → EncodeMagic. Make
sure
it’s enabled. If you’re on an on-premise/local installation,
convert to a web-friendly format (e.g., mp4)
before uploading.
Note: Password-protected files aren’t converted. -
Confirm a supported format & size
- Typical inputs (converted to web-friendly output): MOV, SWF, AVI, WMV, WEBM → MP4; WAV, AAC, OGG → MP3.
- If you host eFront locally, upload already-converted MP4 videos.
- Expect a short “waiting” phase. After upload, the unit shows waiting while EncodeMagic transcodes; then it becomes playable. This usually takes a few minutes.
Fix “plays but won’t complete”
- Use a completion rule that matches the video
- Edit the unit → How to complete it → choose After video ends.
- Optionally activate the Disable video fast-forward to prevent skipping.
- Add captions/descriptions (optional but recommended)
- Upload a .VTT file for Captions; use Description to add audio descriptions. Learners toggle CC / AD during playback.
Alternative ways to add video
- Embed URL (YouTube/Vimeo/web page). Paste the URL when creating a URL unit (video needs to be public). Video links embed directly; standard web links can be embedded or parsed into the unit.
- Upload the video file to the course lesson files (1) and then use it in a unit (2).
When to escalate
- The unit remains waiting for more than 30 minutes while other uploads work.
- File is supported and within limits, EncodeMagic is enabled, but playback still fails.
Collect: course name, unit name, file type/size, when it last worked, and a short screen recording of the failure and contact our support team as described here.