Files or videos not loading on my website
If images, videos, PDFs, or other files are not loading on your website, the cause is usually one of a few simple things. This guide walks through them and tells you what to include when you open a ticket.
The common causes
- Hotlink protection. If hotlink protection is enabled, files can be blocked when they are loaded from another website, an email, or a direct link instead of from your own pages: Hotlink Protection
- The file is missing or in the wrong place. After a migration, an update, or a cleanup, files sometimes end up missing or moved. Check whether the file still exists using File Manager: File Manager
- Wrong file permissions. If a file has locked-down permissions, the web server cannot read it and the browser gets an error instead of the file.
- The file is very large. Huge images, videos, or documents can time out or refuse to play on normal hosting: Why is my website slow? A checklist before you ask us
- A broken link. The page may be pointing at an old or mistyped URL, including one with the wrong domain or an extra space.
- The file type is not supported. Some browsers will not play certain video or audio formats. MP4 video and MP3 audio are the safest choices.
Quick checks you can do yourself
- Open the file URL directly in a browser. If it loads, the file exists and the problem is how the page links to it.
- Look for the file in File Manager. If it is not where the page expects it, that is the problem.
- Check the file size. Files over a few hundred megabytes are too large for normal web hosting.
- Try loading the page on a different device and network. If it works there, the issue may be local caching.
- If it is a video, check the format. If it plays on your computer but not in the browser, the format is likely the issue.
About video on your website
Video is the most common "not loading" complaint. Hosting video files on a normal website plan makes them slow, buffers constantly, and counts against your bandwidth. Services like YouTube or Vimeo handle the streaming for you and make the experience better for your visitors: Why is my website slow? A checklist before you ask us
What to include when you open a ticket
- The exact URL of the page and the file that is not loading
- Whether it is one file or many, and which types (images, videos, PDFs)
- Whether it works for some people or on some devices
- When it started, and whether anything changed just before (migration, update, password change)
- A screenshot of the error or the blank area
How we help
We check the file permissions, hotlink settings, disk usage, and server logs for the exact file, and confirm whether the problem is on our side or in the page itself. If your site has outgrown normal hosting, we will explain your options including where to move large media.
