If your account is using more video bandwidth than is included in your plan, there are steps you can take to bring usage back down.
About Video Bandwidth Usage
Bandwidth refers to the amount of data used when your customers watch your course videos on Thinkific. As your videos receive more views and longer watch times, your bandwidth usage increases.
Each Thinkific plan includes a monthly bandwidth limit. Learn more about these limits and how to check your current usage: Understanding Video Bandwidth Limits
How to Reduce Your Bandwidth
The best place to start reducing your bandwidth is by reviewing the content on your site that uses the most bandwidth. In many cases, this will be video content, especially content with high view volume or long run times. Learn more about various methods of reducing your bandwidth below.
Use Video Engagement Reporting to Identify High-Bandwidth Content
If you're not sure where to start, Video Engagement Reporting can help you pinpoint which videos are driving the most usage so you can focus your efforts effectively.
Bandwidth usage is primarily driven by playtime - the more a video is watched, and the higher its resolution, the more bandwidth it consumes. While there isn't currently a per-video bandwidth breakdown available, you can use video engagement data as a proxy to identify your highest-impact content.
Learn more about this dashboard, where to access it, and what analytics are available: Video Engagement Reporting
What to look for:
- Hours watched: This is the clearest signal for bandwidth impact as videos with the highest total hours watched are consuming the most bandwidth.
- Plays: A high play count on a long video is a strong indicator of significant bandwidth usage.
- Average engagement: If learners are consistently watching a high percentage of a long video, that content will be a consistent bandwidth driver.
Once you've identified your highest-usage videos, you can take targeted action, such as shortening these videos, reducing their resolution before re-uploading, or reviewing enrollment access for courses where they appear.
For a deeper look, you can also export your video analytics or click into an individual video's video details view to see engagement and drop-off patterns over the course of the video. Learn more about this here: How to Export Video Analytics
Reduce the size and length of your video content
If you have long videos or large media files, consider replacing them with shorter, more focused versions where appropriate. This can help reduce the amount of bandwidth used when customers watch your content.
Learn more about managing your videos here: Video Library: Upload and Manage Videos
Re-upload videos at a lower resolution
If you've uploaded videos at a higher resolution such as 4K (2160p), re-uploading them at a lower resolution can meaningfully reduce bandwidth consumption without a noticeable drop in quality for most learners.
For most course content, 1080p (1920 x 1080) at 5,625 kbps is the sweet spot: it's the most common resolution for web video and delivers great quality at a fraction of the file size of 4K.
You can adjust the resolution and bitrate when exporting from your video editing software before re-uploading to your Video Library.
For our recommended export settings, including codec, frame rate, and audio specs, see: Recommended Specs for Exporting Videos
Audit Duplicated or Outdated Materials
Check for duplicate uploads, outdated course content, or archived materials that may still be available on your site and contributing to usage.
Unenroll Students or Set Expiry Dates
If students no longer need access to specific courses or content, unenrolling them can help reduce ongoing bandwidth usage, especially for content that continues to be viewed over time. You can also set expiry dates on your enrollments to automate this.
Learn more about how to unenroll students: How to Unenroll Students and Process Refunds
Limit Access to Courses
If certain content does not need to remain available indefinitely, consider limiting access to help manage ongoing usage. This may include:
- Setting enrollment durations so access expires after a defined period: How to Set an Enrollment Duration
- Changing free courses to paid courses if that better reflects how the content is being used and helps limit broad ongoing access: Set Your Product Pricing (Guide)
Monitor Your Usage Regularly
Keep an eye on your bandwidth usage so you can see whether the changes you make are bringing your account back within the amount included in your plan.
If your account has entered this process, you will have an opportunity to reduce your usage before any change is enforced. We review bandwidth usage on a monthly basis. If your account remains above the bandwidth included in your plan for two consecutive months, your account may then move to the next required step, such as a plan change or restricted state. If your usage drops back within your included bandwidth, you may be able to stay on your current plan.
Set yourself up for growth, without interruptions
For businesses with consistently high usage driven by active video consumption, moving to a higher plan tier may be the best long term solution to support continued growth without interruption.