# Import a video from a link

Paste a link to a public video or a video file, or pick one from a cloud drive, and Snipri fetches it for you. Which links work and the limits that apply.

- Page: https://www.snipri.com/docs/import-a-video-from-a-link
- By [Cihan Düzgören](https://www.snipri.com/about) · November 2, 2026 · 2 min read
- Section: Add a video, in [the Snipri docs](https://www.snipri.com/docs)

A link saves you the upload: Snipri fetches the video itself, so nothing passes through your browser and you can start the job straight away.

## Paste a link

Paste the link into the field that says **Paste a video link** in the Studio. Two kinds work: a link to a public page that plays one video, and a link straight to a video file, such as a shared file that downloads when you open it. A link that needs you to sign in, or that has expired, gives Snipri nothing to fetch.

A YouTube link has to point at one public video or Short: not a playlist or a channel, and not a private, members-only or live video.

Import only videos you own or have permission to use.

## Pick from a cloud drive

Dropbox and Google Drive open their own file picker in the Studio. Choose the video there and Snipri fetches it from them; it never passes through your browser.

## What a fetched video can be

A video from a link, Dropbox or Google Drive can run up to 1 hour on every plan. A link to a video page is fetched at up to 720p; a link straight to a video file keeps the file's own resolution.

A video from a link or a cloud drive is read in full, so the Video card has no part to drag. To clip only part of a recording, or one longer than a fetched video can be, upload the file instead.

Private videos, members-only videos and live streams can't be fetched. A live stream has no finished file to cut from until it is published as a normal video.

## When a link fails

The Studio names what went wrong: the link may need a sign-in, the host may be limiting downloads for a while, or the page may have no video Snipri can read. A failed import is never counted. [Why a job failed, and what to do](https://www.snipri.com/docs/why-a-job-failed) lists every message with its fix.

Previous guide: [Upload a video file](https://www.snipri.com/docs/upload-a-video)

Next guide: [Clip a video longer than your plan covers](https://www.snipri.com/docs/clip-a-long-video)

Still stuck? Write to [hello@snipri.com](mailto:hello@snipri.com) with the name of the video and what the screen said.