Private Mode, exclusively for Vimeo Pro members and higher, allows you to prevent your profile page and all of your videos from appearing on vimeo.com.
In this article:
- Disclaimer about Private Mode
- Enable and disable Private Mode
- Share videos in Private Mode
- Use Showcases in Private Mode
- Deactivate Private Mode
Disclaimer about Private Mode
Entering Private Mode will remove all your activity on vimeo.com, forever. You should only use this account setting if you're certain you never want any of your viewers to access your videos on a vimeo.com web page. They will be able to watch videos exclusively on your website or within Vimeo portfolios or review pages. (Read below for more information on sharing videos in Private Mode.)
Specifically, Private Mode hides your profile page, locks all of your videos into the Private privacy setting, and prevents you from using groups or channels. Any messages, comments, likes, groups, or channels you created before entering Private Mode will also be removed. This action cannot be reversed.
If this sounds scary, consider adjusting your video privacy settings instead of using Private Mode.
Enable Private Mode
Basic and Vimeo Plus members need to upgrade to Vimeo Pro or higher to unlock Private Mode.
If you're a Pro, Business, or Premium member, you can activate Private Mode by following these steps:
- Navigate to the Account tab of your Account Settings.
- Scroll down to the Private Mode section and click the button that says Enable Private Mode.
- You’ll need to review all the changes that will be made to your account, then re-enter your account password to enable Private Mode. Note: All of your videos must still comply with our Terms of Service and Guidelines, even in Private Mode.
Share videos in Private Mode
In Private Mode, your videos will not be publicly visible on Vimeo.com and you're not able to use Groups or Channels. However, you can still use Vimeo to host, organize and share your videos in the following ways:
- Embed your videos on your website or other places around the web (You can even add domain-level privacy.)
- Showcase your videos in a beautiful Pro Portfolio
- Share videos with clients using Video Review Pages
Use Showcases in Private Mode
In Private Mode, you can still use showcases to organize your videos into different collections. However, only you will be able to access your own showcases. You cannot share showcases with other viewers in Private Mode or add to your team's showcases. Additionally, you won’t be able to optimize your collection using the SEO tool. This is because Google cannot index private showcases.
Disable Private Mode
To disable Private Mode, head back to the Account tab of your Account Settings and click the Disable Private Mode button. Remember, disabling Private Mode will not bring back any of your previous activity (comments, likes, messages, etc.).
If you choose to deactivate Private Mode, and you're still a Pro member or higher, the privacy settings of your videos will stay the same ("Hide this from Vimeo.com" or "Only people with a password can see this video"). If your account is lapsing to Basic, then any videos that are set to "Hide this from Vimeo.com" will update to "Private"