Streamable Privacy Settings, Explained

Most people upload a Streamable clip, copy the link and never open the privacy menu. That is fine for a funny highlight, but it is a poor choice for a customer recording, an unreleased design or a video of someone who has not agreed to be online. This guide explains each setting in Streamable's privacy menu, what it protects against, and what it does not.

The three video privacy levels

According to Streamable's help centre, you set privacy for an individual video from the More menu under the video, then Privacy. There are three choices:

What "Link Only" really means

The name describes the mechanism well: the URL is the only thing standing between a viewer and the video. A stranger is unlikely to stumble on a short code by chance, but that is luck rather than security. But the protection ends the moment a link is shared. In practice that means:

• If you post the link in a public forum, a public chat server or a social feed, it is public.
• If someone you sent it to forwards it, the next person can watch it too, and you will not know.
• Search engines and link-preview tools can discover URLs that appear on public pages.
• Anyone watching can usually record their screen, whatever the host's settings say.

Use Link Only when you are comfortable with the clip being seen by anyone who ends up with the link.

Password Protected: a useful middle ground

A password adds a second factor to the URL. It is a good fit when you want a clip to reach a handful of known people without creating accounts for them. A few practical tips make it more effective:

• Send the password through a different channel than the link (the link by email, the password by chat, for example).
• Use a unique password rather than one you use elsewhere. It is a sharing code, not an account credential.
• Remember it protects against casual viewing, not against a determined recipient who shares both pieces or records the screen.

Only Me: private storage

Only Me makes the clip visible to the signed-in uploader and nobody else. It is useful as a staging area while you check an upload, or when you want an off-site copy that is not shareable. Switching a video from Link Only to Only Me also breaks every existing link to it, which is worth remembering before you change a clip that is embedded somewhere.

Account-wide privacy and security settings

Beyond per-video choices, Streamable's help centre lists several account-level options under My Account > Privacy & Security:

• Domain Privacy. Restricts embedding to a list of domains you specify. There is also a switch that stops your videos from playing on Streamable.com itself, so they only work on your approved sites. This is the setting to use when you host videos for your own website.
• Disable video sharing. Removes the options to copy the URL and the embed code from the player's right-click menu. It reduces casual re-sharing but does not stop someone who already has the link.
• Enable video downloading. Lets viewers download the video from the player on the video page. Turn it on if you want people to be able to keep your clip; leave it off if you do not.

If you embed Streamable videos in your own pages, note that domain privacy can cause an embed to appear blank when it is used on a domain that is not on your list. That is expected behaviour rather than a bug; see how to embed and share Streamable videos for troubleshooting.

Choosing the right level: a quick decision guide

1. Would I be fine with a stranger watching this? If yes, Link Only is enough.
2. Is it meant for a specific, small audience? Use Password Protected, and share the password separately.
3. Does it contain personal data, a customer's screen, or someone's face or voice? Prefer Password Protected or Only Me, and consider whether Streamable is the right place at all. A host with proper access controls may be a better fit; see our host-selection checklist.
4. Is it a draft? Use Only Me until it is ready.
5. Do I want people to keep a copy? Enable video downloading, or send the file directly.

How privacy settings relate to downloaders

A tool like Streamable Downloader reads the same public information any visitor's browser can read, then saves the MP4 that Streamable serves. It does not log in, bypass passwords or look behind privacy settings. That is why it reports "cannot be downloaded" for private videos. If a clip is set to Password Protected or Only Me, the owner has decided it should not be freely copied, and that decision should be respected. If you own the clip, the right route is to download it while signed in to your own account or to use your original file.

If you are the owner and want to stop people downloading your public clips, remember that anything that can be played in a browser can be recorded. Privacy settings reduce exposure; they do not make a public video un-copyable. For clips that really must not leave a small group, use Password Protected or Only Me, or send the file through a channel with proper access control.

Respecting other people's privacy

Privacy is not only about settings. If your clip shows other people (a recorded call, a workplace screen, a child, a stranger in public), think about whether they would expect it to be shared and whether you have their agreement. In many places, recording or publishing people without consent can create legal obligations beyond copyright. When in doubt, blur, crop or ask.

Quick answers

Source for the setting names and behaviour described here: Streamable help centre, "Privacy". Checked 19 October 2026. Streamable may change its menus, so compare with your own account.