After a recording, a host’s or guest’s file(s) may appear to be stuck at ‘99% uploaded’.
In this article:
Note: The steps below are for the computer browser
Issue
What does a stuck ‘99% Uploaded’ file mean?
After a recording, when an audio (MP3, WAV) or video (MOV) file shows as stuck/unmoving at ‘99% uploaded’ for several minutes this means the file may have stalled while uploading to our servers.
On the Recording Page, the host sees ‘99% Uploaded’ on one or more files on their user track or guest's user track, depending on which participant this happened to.
Causes
What causes files to be stuck at ‘99% Uploaded’?
Files stuck at ‘99% Uploaded’ are usually caused when something interrupts the file upload.
This most frequently happens when:
Host or guest has a slow or unstable internet connection.
Host or guest experiences a temporary disruption to the internet connection such as a disconnection or outage.
The guest leaves the Recording Page before getting the confirmation popup that their files have fully uploaded.
Less frequently, this might happen when:
Host or guest is doing the recording from a network that has strict security settings (e.g. a company, university, hotel) that blocks the upload.
Troubleshooting for Guest Files
Important Points
File stuck at ‘99% uploaded’ can be troubleshooted if the guest did not use an incognito or private browser window to record.
The guest should not clear their browser’s cache or cookies.
Troubleshooting steps are for if the upload progress is stuck/not moving at '99% Uploaded’. If the upload progress is moving, but slowly, it is recommended to wait for the upload to finish.
Troubleshooting Steps If Guest Is On The Recording Page
If the guest is still on the recording page (indicated by a green dot next to their name):
The host makes sure they have stopped the recording.
The guest refreshes their page.
The guest immediately returns to the Recording Page by clicking the Join button in the green room.
If the upload resumes, the guest stays on the page until they see their file(s) turn solid gray with download arrows.
If the file(s) changes to ‘Error: Unfinalized Track’ the guest does troubleshooting steps for unfinalized tracks.
Troubleshooting Steps If Guest Is Not On The Recording Page
If the guest is not on the recording page (indicated by a red dot and ‘Offline’ tag next to their name):
The host makes sure they have stopped the recording.
The host refreshes their page (and will most likely see the guest’s file(s) turn to ‘Error: Unfinalized Track’.)
The host contacts the guest to have them do troubleshooting steps for unfinalized tracks.
Troubleshooting for Host Files
Important Points
File stuck at ‘99% uploaded’ can be troubleshooted if you did not use an incognito or private browser window to record.
You should not clear your browser’s cache or cookies.
Troubleshooting steps are for if the upload progress is stuck/not moving at ‘99% Uploaded’. If the upload progress is moving, but slowly, it is recommended to wait for the upload to finish.
Troubleshooting Steps
Make sure you have stopped the recording.
Refresh your page.
If the upload resumes, stay on the page until you see your file(s) turn solid gray with download arrows.
If the file(s) changes to ‘Error: Unfinalized Track’ do troubleshooting steps for unfinalized tracks.
Related Questions
I/my guest are still on the recording page. I see the upload progress moving, but it is very slow. Why is it taking so long for the file(s) to upload?
When a participant’s file(s) takes a long time to upload, this may be because:
A long session was recorded.
With all other factors being equal, generally the longer the recording time, the larger the file sizes, and therefore the longer it takes the files to upload. In particular, video (MOV) files are the largest files and therefore usually take the longest to upload.
The participant’s internet upload speed is lower than the system requirements.
A participant’s upload speed is an important factor in how long it takes their file to upload. Of note, many internet providers offer internet plans that greatly prioritize the download speed over the upload speed and therefore the upload speed can be 5 to 10 times slower than the download speed. Before recording, participants can check their upload speed by doing a speed test. Also, this article from CNET is a good overview of upload speeds and ways you can try to improve yours.
The participant’s internet connection is unstable.
Internet connections that frequently disconnect/drop can slow the upload or even cause it to stall/get stuck.
Why do I need my guest’s help to troubleshoot for their file(s)?
The guest needs to do troubleshooting steps themself because how Zencastr records, stores, and uploads files for the highest-quality audio and video means that the local backups of the files are on the guest’s computer in their local browser storage.
An option that does not require guests’ help is to recover and download the internet-quality backups within 30 days of the recording date. Note, with this option you are recovering the audio (and video) that was streamed over the internet during the VoIP call, so the quality is not going to be as high as the local recording files.
When I/my guest try to refresh the page, the file starts uploading again but then just gets stuck at some ‘uploaded' percent. What can I do?
First, make sure you or your guest are doing troubleshooting from the same computer and browser that you used to record. If you/your guest are using the same computer and browser you used to record and still have this issue, you may be on an internet connection that is slow/doesn’t meet the system requirements or is unstable which is resulting in the upload not completing. If possible, you/your guest can try switching to a stronger internet connection, e.g. changing from a Wi-Fi network to a wired connection.
If it is not possible to switch internet connections, you/your guest can try the ‘Recover Backup’ option of troubleshooting unfinalized tracks instead. If you/your guest try ‘Recover Backup’ and it is not successful, you can recover and download the internet-quality backups instead if it is within 30 days of the recording date and the recording had two or more people.