Why inactive videos get deleted and how to avoid it
Updated: November 6, 2026
Hosting videos costs storage and money even when nobody watches them. To keep offering free accounts, Dembed automatically deletes videos on those accounts that have gone a while without activity. Here’s how it works, so you don’t lose anything you want to keep.
The rule
On free accounts, a video that goes through the inactivity period without a single play or download is deleted automatically, along with its files and stats.
The exact period is set by the platform and appears in the Privacy Policy (the “How long we keep data” section) and in the cleanup notice you receive in your dashboard.
What counts as activity
- Every play by the public, on dembed.cc, on the direct link or in a player embedded on any website.
- Every download by the public, if you have downloads enabled.
- Your own plays while signed in and your dashboard preview don’t count.
Which videos aren’t deleted
- Premium users’ videos: they aren’t deleted for inactivity while the subscription is active.
- Videos with recent activity: every play or download restarts the clock.
- Videos blocked after a report, which are kept in case they need reviewing or handing to the authorities.
How not to lose anything
- 1Always keep your originals: on your computer, an external drive or your personal cloud.
- 2If you no longer have a video’s original, download it from your dashboard (original file or any quality).
- 3Share or embed the videos you want to keep: as long as they’re watched, they stay active.
- 4If you need to keep videos that are rarely watched (archives, class material, backups), Premium keeps them always.
If your Premium ends
Your videos are kept, but free-account rules apply again: from then on, those without activity within the period can be deleted.
Frequently asked questions
You get the general inactive-video cleanup notice in your dashboard. That’s why it’s worth keeping the originals of everything you want to keep.