FARMUpload videos to PhoneFarm and prepare them for publishing
Add local videos or public video URLs to the PhoneFarm library, understand supported formats, check previews, and manage versions and partial uploads.
The PhoneFarm Videos library is where you collect the finished video files you want to publish. You can upload files from your computer or add a public video URL. Once an item is in the library, you can select it for supported publishing workflows.
Keep three stages separate: the source file on your computer, the asset saved in the PhoneFarm library, and the eventual post inside the social platform. A successful library upload completes the second stage. It does not by itself send a post to every phone or publish it.
Prepare a finished export
Open the video locally before uploading. Check the first frame, the ending, orientation, sound and any text that appears near the edges. Play a section with speech to confirm audio and video stay in sync. If the file cannot play correctly on your computer, uploading it will not repair it.
PhoneFarm's uploader accepts MP4, MOV, M4V and WebM. These are container formats: the file extension describes how media is packaged, while the video and audio codecs determine how it is encoded. An accepted extension does not guarantee that every downstream app will decode every export setting.
Use your editor's normal broadly compatible export for the intended platform and follow the size limit shown in the current uploader. If you need to reduce file size, export a smaller version from the source project and watch that export. Renaming a file from .mov to .mp4 does not convert its contents.
The asset quality checklist covers the creative review in more detail. The upload step should receive an approved asset rather than becoming the place where people decide which edit is final.
Give versions recognizable names
A name such as desk-lamp-demo-hook-a-v03.mp4 identifies a product, format, variation and version. It is much easier to distinguish than final-final-2.mp4 when several videos use the same opening image.
Keep the source master and export history outside the publishing library as part of your normal content workflow. The library is a distribution workspace; do not rely on it as your only archive of editable projects or original footage.
When a caption or creative changes, note which export it belongs to. An approved caption for version 2 may describe a feature that version 3 no longer shows. The asset and its publishing instructions should move together.
Upload from your computer
- Open Videos.
- Choose Add video.
- Under Upload from your computer, select a file or drag it into the upload area.
- Review the queued filename and size. Remove a wrong selection before continuing.
- Enter or check the available title and content fields, then select Add to library.
- Wait for the upload and library-save result. Open the saved asset and play its preview.
Selecting a file adds it to the browser's upload queue. It is not uploaded merely because its name is visible. The Add to library action starts the process of transferring and saving it.
For multiple files, the interface shows the number queued and changes the action to Add N videos to library. Upload progress identifies the current item. A batch can partially succeed, so inspect the result for each file before sending the whole batch again.
Add a public video URL
Use Public video URL when you already host a video at a directly accessible address. The field expects a video resource that PhoneFarm can retrieve. A webpage containing a video player is not necessarily the video file itself, and a link that works only after you sign into another service is not public access.
Check the link independently of your logged-in browser session. It should provide the intended video without a password, an account sign-in or a manual “request access” step. A temporary signed link also needs to remain usable for the workflow that will fetch it; an already expired link cannot be fixed by repeatedly retrying the same import.
Do not make private customer footage public just to satisfy this field. If a public URL is unsuitable for the material, use the supported local-file upload instead.
When local files are selected, the public URL input is disabled because the workflow will create URLs for those uploads. Clear the local selection first if you intend to use the URL path.
Inspect the saved library item
Look for the newly added item by its title and version. Play the preview from beginning to end for your first upload. Confirm these details:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Opening frame and first seconds | Prevents selecting a nearly identical but unapproved variation |
| Orientation and framing | Detects accidental sideways exports or unwanted borders |
| Sound | Catches missing audio, silence or an incorrect music track |
| Text and subtitles | Reveals cut-off words and outdated claims |
| Ending | Catches truncated exports, stray black frames or the wrong call to action |
| Filename or title | Connects the saved asset to the approved version |
If the library item exists but its preview fails, determine whether the transfer was incomplete or the file cannot decode. Compare it with the local source and follow upload troubleshooting. Do not immediately call it a publishing failure: the social app has not necessarily received anything yet.
What happens when you select the asset for publication
In the publishing controls, select the asset, destination platform and intended phone. The phone needs the app and a usable account session. The publishing workflow then prepares the selected content for the phone and attempts the requested app action.
This is why a healthy library preview is only one readiness check. A correct video can still be blocked by a stopped phone, a missing app or a login challenge. Conversely, a working phone cannot make a corrupt export playable.
For your first run, choose one video and one phone. Follow Publish your first TikTok post and inspect the result before distributing a larger selection.
Handle partial uploads without creating clutter
Suppose you select five videos and three appear successfully in the library while two fail. First identify which three succeeded. Retry only the missing files after addressing the error. Uploading all five again makes duplicates harder to distinguish and increases the chance of selecting the wrong item later.
If the browser closes after transferring a file but before you see confirmation, search the library for the asset before starting again. An interrupted confirmation does not prove the save failed.
When replacing a bad export, give the corrected version a new recognizable name and inspect it. Keep planned publishing selections aligned with that new version; adding a corrected asset does not guarantee that an already prepared job has changed its input.
Frequently asked questions
Does uploading publish the video?
No. It adds an asset to the shared library. Publication is a separate selected workflow with a destination platform and phone.
Does the file have to be stored on my computer?
You can upload a local file or use an accessible public video URL. Choose the route that fits where the approved asset is stored and how it can be retrieved.
Why does my video play locally but fail later?
The local player, browser preview and phone app can support different encodings. Check which stage fails, preserve the original export, and try a standard compatible re-export when decoding is the issue. The upload failure guide explains the diagnostic sequence.