1. Edpuzzle Help Center
  2. For Teachers
  3. Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

  • Issues with the Edpuzzle screen recorder extension

    Using the Edpuzzle screen recorder extension for Google Chrome should be a seamless process, but if you run into any trouble, it’s likely due to your device or browser permissions settings.

    Below you’ll find a list of possible errors and their solutions to help you navigate through any issue.

    Your camera and/or microphone are blocked.

    You may see a camera or microphone icon with a slash through it towards the top-right of your browser. Click that icon to allow Chrome to use your camera or microphone. Alternatively, you can click the three vertical dots at the top right of your browser and then go down the following path: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Camera/Microphone, and choose your preferred settings.

    If the problem persists, check your device settings to ensure Chrome has permission to access both your camera and microphone.

      • Find instructions to do this on a Mac here.
      • Find instructions to do this on a Windows PC here.

    “Sorry, something went wrong.” error when trying to record your desktop.

    Your device may be blocking Chrome’s ability to screen record your desktop and you need to allow Chrome permission to do so. This is specific to Macs only.

      • Find instructions to do this here.

    “Almost ready! You’ll be able to record your screen once the website has finished loading.” error when trying to record a browser tab or window.

    This may mean your internet connection is running slow. Try refreshing your page or checking your internet connection/speed. You can also try connecting via an ethernet cable instead of WiFi for a more stable connection.

    Another reason for this error is that the Edpuzzle extension doesn’t have access to the website you’re trying to record. To fix this: 

      1. Click the puzzle piece at the top right of your browser.
      2. Select “Manage Extensions” from the drop-down menu.
      3. Find Edpuzzle among your list of extensions and click the “Details” button.
      4. In the “Site access” section, use the drop-down to choose “On all sites” or add the specific site you want to record to the allowed list by clicking “Add a new page”.

    “Oops! The screen recording extension doesn’t work on this website” error.

    This error will occur on the simulation pages of the PhET Interactive Simulations website or websites of a similar function. Unfortunately, our screen recorder cannot record these pages at this time.

  • YouTube videos are blocked or restricted

    If you or your students are having trouble accessing YouTube videos through Edpuzzle, take a look at this list of common issues and their solutions.

    1. White screen, sad face, or “Connection was reset” 
    2. "This video is restricted. Please check the Google Workspace administrator"
    3. "Please try again later (Playback ID:XXXXXXX)"
    4. Other errors
    5. YouTube isn't an option at your school

    Issue 1: Your school is using a filter

    If you get a white screen, sad face, or a message that says “The connection was reset” when trying to watch a video, then your school needs to allow www.youtube.com for teachers and www.youtubeeducation.com and www.youtube-nocookie.com for students.

    Contact your IT admin, and share our article on How to allow YouTube at your school as well as our Spec Sheet with them.

    If this isn’t possible, you can assign the videos to watch at home, where your students will use their own internet connection.

    Issue 2: Restricted Mode

    If you get a message that says, “Video unavailable. This video is restricted. Please check the Google Workspace administrator and/or the administrator restrictions,” you’ll need to check the following:

      1. Make sure you approved the video on YouTube while logged in with your teacher account.
      2. Log into YouTube with your Google account and turn off Restricted Mode (at the bottom of your profile icon’s drop-down menu).
      3. Have your students log in to youtube.com using the email address associated with their school accounts before trying again to view their assignments. Double-check that they’re not logged in with their personal account.
      4. Share the Edpuzzle Spec Sheet with your IT admin to make sure there are no filter issues.

    If students are still unable to view the video after following the steps above, it could be because of their channel configurations on YouTube. To fix this, students will need to do the following:

      1. Visit https://www.youtube.com/account_advanced.
      2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the “DELETE CHANNEL” button. This should solve the issue!

    Issue 3: Playback ID error

    If you see a message that says, "Please try again later. (Playback ID:XXXXXXX)", this issue is almost always caused by ad blocker browser extensions like AdBlock, PoperBlocker, uBlock, etc. Either pause or disable it (go to your browser settings and then to Extensions) while you're using Edpuzzle to see if that fixes the issue.

    Issue 4: Other restrictions

    Occasionally, you may see a message that says, “This video contains content from [...]. It is restricted from playback on certain sites…” Unfortunately, this means that the video is restricted for third-party sites, so you won’t be able to view it on Edpuzzle.

    If you see the YouTube sad face and get a message that the content is unavailable, this could be because of copyright issues, geographic restrictions, or because the uploader removed the video. It’s not possible to view the video in these cases.

    Issue 5: If YouTube isn't an option at your school

    You can upload videos directly to Edpuzzle, so they won't be blocked, or try to find videos marked "Teacher upload" or Edpuzzle Originals to use for your assignments. Both teacher uploads and Edpuzzle Originals videos that have been uploaded directly to Edpuzzle so they aren't subject to the same filtering restrictions as YouTube.

    To find videos marked "Teacher upload":

      1. Search for your topic using the Edpuzzle search bar at the top of your page.
      2. Click the "Source" filter. 
      3. Choose "Teacher upload."
      4. Click the "Save" button to update your search. 

    You can also try flipping your class. This means that you assign the videos for students to watch at home and you get more time in the classroom. If you’re interested in learning more about this practice, check out our self-paced course Edpuzzle Flipped.

  • How to allow YouTube at your school

    We take students' privacy very seriously. That's why when students watch a video on Edpuzzle, they'll be streaming either from www.youtubeeducation.com, using the YouTube Player for Education, or www.youtube-nocookie.com, rather than streaming videos directly from www.youtube.com. You can learn more about the YouTube Player for Education here and about our partnership with YouTube here.

    To use YouTube within Edpuzzle at your school, you'll likely need to ask your IT admin for assistance. You can share our Spec Sheet with them as well as the instructions on how to configure your filters as explained below:

    Filter configuration for students

    This means that while viewing YouTube videos assigned through Edpuzzle, students will only be able to view those specific videos. They will not be able to search for videos directly on YouTube.

    Visit this test student page to make sure your filters are configured correctly.

    Filter configuration for teachers

    This way, teachers will be able to search for YouTube videos on Edpuzzle without issue.

    Visit this test teacher page to make sure your filters are configured correctly.

     

    Note: If you are having issues streaming YouTube videos inside of Edpuzzle with the correct allowed URLs, we recommend clearing the cookies and cache from your browser, then refreshing the page and trying again as this can help resolve small errors.

    If you have any additional questions about configuring your network filters, please email us at support@edpuzzle.com and we’ll be happy to help!

  • I can't find my verification email.

    Verifying your email address is an important security measure that ensures that the student progress data stored in your account is safe and allows Edpuzzle to comply with local and international security policies.

    If you've requested a verification email but haven't received it, try the following:

      1. Check the spam folder and quarantined folder for the email address you used to create your Edpuzzle account.
      2. Check your account settings to make sure you're using the correct email address: https://edpuzzle.com/profile 
      3. If your school uses two emails, one for logins and one for messaging, make sure you're using an email that can receive messages.
      4. Wait 30 minutes to an hour – sometimes the email takes a little longer to get to you.
      5. Have your school’s IT department allow our no-reply@edpuzzle.com email address and make sure that your network filter is aligned with our Spec Sheet to ensure they’re not blocking any applications or sites that Edpuzzle needs in order to function properly.

    If you've tried the steps above or your Edpuzzle account email is one that can't receive emails, you'll need to change your email to one that can. Check out our article on how to change your account email for more information. 

     

    Note: If you’ve connected a Google or Microsoft account to your Edpuzzle account, changing your account email will not affect that connected account.

  • I can't log in / sign up.

    To log in to Edpuzzle, you need to make sure that your browser allows cookies and pop-ups.

    Cookies store information directly on your web browser, and you need them to log in or sign up with Edpuzzle. Cookies are enabled by default for most browsers, but you’ll need to check to make sure.

    To make sure cookies are enabled, you need to check your browser's security settings. To do so, follow these steps for your browser:

    Also, make sure third-party cookies are enabled for accounts.google.com if you use Google Sign in.

    Edpuzzle uses pop-ups when interacting with other websites, like when you sign in with Google. To authorize pop-ups, follow the steps below for your browser:

    Sometimes, browser extensions can block some of our features. You can test how Edpuzzle should work without any extensions by following these steps:

    If everything worked using an incognito window or safe mode, we recommend that you test and disable your extensions to find out which one is causing the issue. Every browser allows you to disable and enable each extension individually:

    Finally, if you’re still experiencing issues logging in, we recommend clearing your browser’s cache to delete any old data that might be interfering. Follow these steps to do so:

    If your browser doesn’t appear on this list or you're still not able to sign in to Edpuzzle, just email us at support@edpuzzle.com and we'll look into the issue for you!

  • How do I recover a deleted student or class?

    Once a class has been deleted, or a student has been removed from a class, we cannot recover that data due to the security reasons listed in our Privacy Policy.

    We're truly sorry for the inconvenience this could cause, but student data privacy is our number one priority. 

    We appreciate your patience and commitment to the safety of your students' information! 

  • Issues with Google Sign-In, YouTube, audio notes, etc.

    Working with videos, audio, and third-party services like Google Classroom may be challenging on networks with strong content filters and strict cookies policies.

    That's why if you have technical issues – especially with YouTube videos, audio notes, Google Sign-In and Google Classroom – we recommend contacting your school's IT admin and sharing the Spec Sheet. If they have any questions, please have them reach out to support@edpuzzle.com.

  • How do I change my language settings?

    If you’re navigating the Edpuzzle website and wondering if the content might be available in another language, check the bottom of the page for the language selector tool!

    When you see this tool, simply click on the drop-down menu to select your preferred language from the options provided. This will automatically translate the page. 

    While logged into your Edpuzzle account, you can also update your language preferences from the Settings tab within your profile. Here’s how to do this:

      1. Click on the circular profile icon in the upper right-hand corner of your page and select your name from the drop-down menu.
      2. Click on the “Settings” tab.
      3. Under the “Language” section, use the drop-down menu to choose your preferred language. You can change this setting at any time.

    Edpuzzle is currently available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, and more. We are constantly working to expand the language options available!

  • Are there any copyright issues with Edpuzzle?

    Before uploading any content to Edpuzzle that could be protected by intellectual property rights, please make sure that you’re authorized to do so. EDPUZZLE HAS A ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY FOR COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS and may terminate any user's access to the service without notice for such infringements as explained in our Terms of Service.

    In this article, you'll find the following sections:

    I. What is copyright?

    II. The Limits of Copyright Protection: Fair Use

    III. Uploading Copyright-Protected Content to Edpuzzle and Best Practices to Avoid Violating Fair Use

    IV. How to Report Copyright Infringement

    V. Copyright & YouTube

    What is copyright?

    Copyright can be defined as a person's exclusive right to reproduce, publish or sell his or her original work of authorship, such as a literary, musical, dramatic, artistic, audiovisual or architectural work. It is important that such works are creative and available in a tangible form (i.e. stories written on paper or original paintings on canvas), whether published or unpublished, since no protection is granted to concepts, facts, ideas or processes.

    In order to protect the time, effort and creativity of the work's creator, copyright law gives creators certain exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce and distribute the work, to issue "derivative works" (i.e. other works based on the original work) and to perform or display the work publicly, among others. Likewise, the copyright owner also has the right to authorize others (or not) to exercise those rights.

    The Limits of Copyright Protection: Fair Use

    Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows individuals to use a portion of copyrighted material without the need to obtain explicit permission from the original copyright owner. Each country has its own laws, and fair use applicability may vary.

    In the United States, for example, works used for teaching purposes may be covered by fair use. Courts will determine whether there is fair use depending on the circumstances of each case. Therefore, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEEK LEGAL ADVICE BEFORE UPLOADING ANY POTENTIALLY COPYRIGHTED CONTENT TO THE INTERNET.

    In the United States, judges will look for the following four elements in determining whether fair use applies:

    1. Purpose or character of the use. Courts will determine whether the use is transformative or not, questioning whether your work adds a new meaning to the original, or if it’s simply a copy. A judge will also examine whether the content you created was made for commercial or educational use, the latter being more likely to be considered fair use than content made for commercial or for-profit purposes.
    2. Nature of the copyright-protected content. Usage of content based on facts has a greater chance of being covered by fair use than purely fictional works. Still, the "nature of the work" is the least significant part of the fair use doctrine and courts normally place a smaller emphasis on it compared to the other three factors.
    3. Amount of copyrighted content used. Borrowing smaller pieces from the original work is more likely to be considered fair use than using it in its entirety. Nevertheless, if the smaller portions of the work you use are considered the "heart" of the original work, fair use will most likely not apply.
    4. Impact of the use upon the potential market for the copyrighted work. If your content will have a negative effect on revenue or views from the original work, it will likely not be covered by fair use. Additionally, your content should not occupy the same market targeted by the original creator.

    Uploading Copyright-Protected Content to Edpuzzle and Best Practices to Avoid Violating Fair Use

    Many creators believe that by simply including phrases in their credits like "no infringement intended" or "credit to the original owner", fair use automatically applies. This is far from reality.

    Before uploading any content that may be protected by copyright as described in the previous sections (i.e. a book you’ve scanned) to Edpuzzle, make sure you have the right to do so, either because fair use applies or because you obtained explicit permission from the author.

    How can you ensure that the content you upload to Edpuzzle doesn’t violate copyright?

    1. Be original. Use your creativity to produce an entirely new, original video instead of simply copying what others have created.
    2. Refrain from making any profit off of content you do not own or do not have the right to share.
    3. Limit the amount of copyrighted material you add to your content. Instead, try recording and uploading your own videos or use the videos that your coworkers and fellow Edpuzzle teachers have shared.
    4. Empathize. If you choose to use someone else's protected work, put yourself in their situation and empathize. If you realize that your work is so similar to the original that it would steal views or revenue from the original owner, you should refrain from uploading your content.

    How to Report Copyright Infringement

    Our policy per our Terms of Service is to respond to notifications of alleged copyright infringement according to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Directive (EU) 2019/790 on Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market. If your copyright-protected work was posted on Edpuzzle without authorization, you may submit a copyright infringement notification. The fastest and simplest way to submit a copyright takedown notice is through the form attached to this article, which you will have to fill out, sign and email to us at copyright@edpuzzle.com.

    As the owner of intellectual property rights, be sure to consider whether fair use, fair dealing or a similar exception to copyright applies before you submit. These requests should only be sent in by the copyright owner or an agent authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

    Copyright & YouTube

    Edpuzzle streams videos from YouTube using their embed APIs, which means that we (you included) are in compliance with YouTube's terms of service. If a video is removed from YouTube for copyright infringement, it will also automatically be removed from Edpuzzle. 

    If we receive a copyright takedown notice from the original work's creator and we realize that the video has been embedded on Edpuzzle using YouTube's embed APIs, we will not only remove the content from our platform, but also advise creators to submit a copyright takedown notice to YouTube. If as a copyright owner you find yourself in this situation, please follow the following instructions provided by YouTube.

     

    Questions? You can find the contact information for our copyright agent here or email our support team at support@edpuzzle.com.   

  • I'm having issues uploading my videos.

    Currently, you can't upload videos from iPads due to an iOS issue between the communication of the gallery and the browser on iOS devices. We suggest using another device. You can go directly to edpuzzle.com from your laptop or desktop computer and upload videos from there!

    If you're having trouble with your browser, this could be due to your internet connection, temporary server issues or the size or format of the video.

    One important note is that videos cannot exceed 1GB.

    If you're following these rules and your connection seems to be working, but you're still having problems, feel free to contact us at support@edpuzzle.com with the original video file and we'll take a look. If the video is too large to be attached, please send us a Dropbox or Google Drive link. 

  • The "Prevent Skipping" feature isn't working.

    If you selected "Prevent Skipping" but it seems like your students are still able to skip parts of the video, don't worry!

    The student is probably using a smartphone or a tablet to watch the lesson. It's harder to track the students when they use these devices, which is why we have apps for iOS and Android. Make sure your students are using one of the following: 

      • iPhone and iPads: iOS App
      • Android Smartphone or Tablet: Android App
      • Laptops: Chrome, Firefox or Safari (latest versions)

    If they're using these correct devices and versions, progress should be tracked much more effectively. If you continue to have this problem, please let us know at support@edpuzzle.com and we'll take a look!

  • The video I uploaded is blurry or the sound is distorted.

    If the video is blurry, the sound is distorted or you're having an issue with the video or audio of a video you uploaded, it may due to a feature the Chrome browser has for computers without a graphical card.  

    If you're more tech-savvy, you can follow the instructions below, or send this article to your IT team so they can help. The feature can be disabled by doing the following:

      1. Go to this webpage: chrome://flags/ (Just copy and paste it into your browser as if it were a normal webpage.)
      2. You'll see a search bar at the top – click on it and search for "Hardware-accelerated video decode" (without the quotation marks).
      3. The option "Hardware-accelerated video decode" should appear with a blue "Enabled" tab on the right. Click on the blue tab and select "Disabled".
      4. It will then ask you to relaunch the browser to apply this change. Click the "Relaunch Now" button at the bottom.
      5. Done! Now please check if the video is working when using Chrome.

    Please note that this particular issue only applies to Chrome browsers.

    If this doesn't solve the issue, don't hesitate to contact us at support@edpuzzle.com and we'll be happy to help. When you write to us, please follow these steps:

      1. Visit chrome://gpu/ 
      2. You'll see lots of information here – don't worry. Click on "Copy Report to Clipboard."
      3. Send us what you just copied to the clipboard and let us know which device you use.
  • How do I allow access to my microphone? I can't record audio notes or voiceovers.

    In order to record audio for your video lesson, you need to enable your computer's microphone. If you have the microphone blocked by default and need to enable it, click on the link below for the browser you use.

    If you're still having trouble enabling your microphone, contact support@edpuzzle.com and we'll do our best to help!

  • I can't find my school on Edpuzzle.

    If you can't find your school when you're signing up for Edpuzzle, you can always enter your school name into our database!

    Just type in your school name in the "Choose your school" window and if no results come up, scroll down to the bottom of the dropdown menu and click on the "Add my school or organization" option. You'll be prompted to enter your school's city, and then you'll be all set!

    Your colleagues will easily be able to join this school so you can start collaborating.

  • Can I watch videos offline?

    Right now videos on Edpuzzle aren't available without an internet connection. An internet connection is necessary so that teachers can see their students' progress as they complete a video lesson. We track all the information on our servers so teachers can follow the activity of their students without any delay. 

    We also monitor users' internet speed to adjust video quality and ensure that users have the smoothest experience possible with their connection. 

    We'll explore the option of offline viewing in the future, but at the moment, make sure that your students are connected to the internet when they complete their assignments.

  • My students' progress isn't recording.

    To see your students' progress on a video, that video must be assigned to a class and your students must be using the proper type of device to watch it.

    It's possible to share a video without assigning it, but you won't be able to see students' progress. If you want to assign a video, embed it to an external site, and track progress, you can do so by following these steps:

      1. Assign a video lesson to a class.
      2. Select the class where the assignment is located from the list under “My Classes” on the left-hand side of your screen.
      3. Click on the assignment.
      4. When viewing the assignment, click the "Share Assignment" button towards the top of the page.
        For Google Classroom- and Microsoft Teams-integrated classes, simply click the ellipsis (...) at the top of the page and choose "Share Assignment" from the drop-down menu. If you use another integrated LMS, this feature is not available.
      5. A pop-up with appear and provide you with the assignment link and embed code. 
      6. Copy the embed code and paste it into your external site.

    Note: When students use these links or go to your external site, they'll be asked to log in to Edpuzzle so we can identify who is doing the assignment before they can watch the video and answer the questions. Students must have an Edpuzzle account for this option.

    Another reason that your students' progress might not be showing up is if they're not using the right tools. We usually recommend that students watch videos using:

      • iPhone and iPads:  iOS App
      • Android Smartphone or Tablet: Android App
      • Laptops and desktop computers: Chrome, Firefox, or Safari (latest versions)


    If you've assigned a video and your students are using the correct access method, but you still don't see their progress, email us at support@edpuzzle.com and we'll look into the issue!

  • Why can't I see my colleagues in the school channel?

    If your colleagues' content isn't showing up and their name seems to be missing from the list of teachers on your school channel, there could be a few different reasons why this is happening:

    They haven't verified their email address

    In order to view a colleague's content and folders in your shared school channel, they'll have to verify their email first. They can do this by logging into Edpuzzle and clicking "Resend Link" in the blue banner at the top of the screen. If they can't find the email, they may be looking in the wrong inbox, or it may have been sent to their spam folder. Check out our article on email verification for more details. 

    They're not registered at the same school

    If your colleague has verified their account, you might want to check which school they're registered at. Go to the "School" section of your profile and confirm that your schools are the same. You can reach this section by clicking on your circular profile icon in the upper right corner of the page, then selecting the "School" tab. Read our article on how you can change your school for more information.

    They don't have an Edpuzzle account

    Don't panic! This is totally fixable. Send them an invite using your referral link, and they'll even get bonus storage once they register and verify their account with it. As a bonus, check out our article on how you can refer your colleague and earn extra storage space at the same time. 

  • Students have joined the wrong class.

    When you assign an Edpuzzle lesson to multiple classes, we create different assignment links for each class. This means that when you share an assignment link, the URL will be unique for each class. If your student receives a link to an assignment for the wrong class, they could get added to that class instead of their own.

    To find the correct URL for each class you assigned the video lesson: 

      1. Select a class from the My Classes menu on the left-hand side of your page.
      2. Click on the assignment in question.
      3. When viewing the assignment, click the "Share Assignment" button towards the top of the page.
        For Google Classroom- and Microsoft Teams-integrated classes, simply click the ellipsis (...) at the top of the page and choose "Share Assignment" from the drop-down menu. If you use another integrated LMS, this feature is not available.
      4. A pop-up with appear and provide you with the assignment link and embed code. 
      5. Copy the link or embed code to and paste it wherever your students will see it.
      6. Do the same thing with each of your classes to find their unique assignment link.

    If you need to remove students from a class they shouldn't be in, check out this article.

  • My student created a teacher account by mistake.

    While it's not possible to turn a teacher account into a student account, if you have a student who accidentally created a teacher account, tell them to go to https://edpuzzle.com/logout and then sign up as a student.

    Edpuzzle allows you to have a teacher account and a student account with the same username/email, so this won't affect their ability to create a student account.

    If a student needs or wants to delete their teacher account, here's how to do so:

      1. Click the circular profile icon in the upper right-hand corner of their page.
      2. Select their name from the drop-down menu.
      3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Delete account" button.
      4. Read and check all the boxes in the pop-up window, then click the "Delete account" button to confirm the deletion.
  • How can I report inappropriate content?

    If you find content that shouldn't be on Edpuzzle, there are a few things that we need to check first before taking it down.

    If you found the video on the YouTube channel or another public channel:

    While we do filter out some videos in these channels, we can't completely control the content coming from these sites. Fortunately, the Edpuzzle video library is only available for teachers, and students will only see the videos that you assign them. This means that you as a teacher will be the filter for your students' content.

    If you found this video in the Edpuzzle library:

    Please contact us by emailing support@edpuzzle.com. Let us know the title of the video or the name of the teacher who created it. We'll review the video and remove it if it violates our Terms of Use.