How long will it take to upload?

Enter the size of a file or a project folder and your upload speed, and this calculator gives the time in hours and minutes. It also shows the same transfer at other speeds, and says when sending proxies or syncing overnight is the better plan for remote editors.

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Quick answer

Time = size in bits divided by the speed you can actually use. Convert the size to bits (1 byte is 8 bits), then divide by your upload speed in megabits per second, after taking off some overhead. For example, 1 TB at 100 Mbps with 10% overhead takes about 24 hours and 41 minutes. Advertised speeds are usually the best case, so measure yours.

What you are sending

Advertised speeds are a best case. Test yours, ideally to the place you are sending to.

Real-world assumptions
Protocol overhead

Other people and devices on the same connection take some.

Proxies are small editing copies of the footage.

Estimated upload time

35 h 16 min

500.00 GB at 35.0 Mbps advertised, about 31.5 Mbps usable (3.94 MB/s).

  • More than one night. Send it in batches over several nights, or send proxies first.
  • Proxies at about 10% of the size would take roughly 3 h 32 min here. Editors can start cutting on those while the full files follow.
  • That is about 4 overnight windows of 10 hours each, if the transfer can resume where it stopped.

The arithmetic, step by step

  1. 1. Size in bits: 500.00 GB

    500.0 GB x 1,000,000,000 bytes x 8 bits = 4,000,000,000,000 bits

  2. 2. Speed you can use: 31.50 Mbps (3.94 MB/s)

    35.0 Mbps x (100% minus 10% overhead) x 100% share = 31.50 Mbps

  3. 3. Time: 35 h 16 min

    4,000,000,000,000 bits / (31.50 x 1,000,000 bits per second) = 126,984 seconds

The same transfer at other speeds

Same size, same overhead and share. The proxy column is about 10% of the size. An overnight window is 10 hours.

Transfer time at different upload speeds
Upload speedUsableFull sizeProxies
5 Mbps0.56 MB/s10 days 6 h24 h 41 min
10 Mbps1.13 MB/s5 days 3 h12 h 21 min
20 Mbps2.25 MB/s2 days 13 h6 h 10 min
35 Mbps (yours)3.94 MB/s35 h 16 min3 h 32 min
50 Mbps5.63 MB/s24 h 41 min2 h 28 min
100 Mbps11.25 MB/s12 h 21 min1 h 14 min
200 Mbps22.50 MB/s6 h 10 min37 min
500 Mbps56.25 MB/s2 h 28 min15 min
1,000 Mbps112.50 MB/s1 h 14 min7 min

When proxies or an overnight sync make sense

  • Under an hour: just send it.
  • A few hours: start it before a break or when you leave for the night.
  • Up to 10 hours: an overnight sync fits. Start it after work and the files are there in the morning.
  • More than a night: send proxies first so editing can start, let the full files follow over the next nights, or compare with shipping a drive.

Assumptions

What this tool takes for granted. If one of these is wrong for you, treat the result accordingly.

  • Decimal units: 1 GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes and 1 byte is 8 bits. Some systems show sizes in binary units, so a folder can look about 7% larger than it is here.
  • The advertised speed is a best case. Overhead covers encryption, protocol headers and retransmits, and you can raise it for Wi-Fi, a VPN or a distant server.
  • The share of the line covers other people and devices using the same connection during the transfer.
  • Upload and download speeds are often different on home and small business plans. Use the upload figure when sending, and the download figure when receiving.
  • A speed test measures the path to the test server, not to yours. A real transfer to the actual destination is the best measurement.
  • The proxy size is a rough share of the original. For example, Apple's ProRes Proxy at 1080p 24p is 36 Mb/s, about 5% of ProRes 422 HQ at UHD 24p (707 Mb/s) and about 20% of ProRes 422 HQ at 1080p (176 Mb/s). Your proxies may be larger or smaller.
  • The calculation assumes the transfer keeps going and resumes where it stopped after an interruption. Many tools do this, and some start over, so check yours.

Units

1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. 1 byte = 8 bits. 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bits per second, so 1 Mbps moves 0.125 MB each second.

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Why uploads take longer than the plan says

The speed on a provider's plan is a best case under good conditions. Encryption and protocol headers use some of it, other devices on the connection use some more, and Wi-Fi, a VPN or a far-away server slow it further. That is why the calculator asks for an overhead and a share instead of using the advertised number as it is.

Many home and small business plans also have a much lower upload speed than download speed. For a remote editor sending files to a studio, the upload number is the one that counts.

When proxies or an overnight sync make sense

If a transfer finishes in under an hour, just send it. If it takes a few hours, start it before a break or when you leave for the night. If it takes more than a night, there are two common ways out: send proxies first so editing can start, and let the full files follow over the next nights, or compare the time with copying the files to a drive and shipping it.

Proxies are small copies of the footage made for editing. The editor cuts on them, then the project is relinked to the full-resolution files for finishing. The result table shows how long proxies at 5, 10 or 20 percent of the size would take at your speed.

Questions about upload times

How long does it take to upload 1 TB?

At 100 Mbps with 10% overhead, about 24 hours and 41 minutes. At 35 Mbps it takes about 70 hours, close to three days. The calculation is size in bits divided by the speed you can use: 1 TB is 8,000,000,000,000 bits, and 90 Mbps is 90,000,000 bits per second. Measure your real speed, because advertised speeds are a best case.

Why is my upload slower than the speed my provider advertises?

The advertised figure is a best case. Encryption, protocol overhead, other devices on the connection, Wi-Fi, a VPN and a distant server all take a share. Many home plans also have a much lower upload speed than download speed. A speed test to the same service you are sending to is the most useful measurement.

Is it faster to send proxies or the full files?

Proxies are much smaller, so they arrive sooner and an editor can start cutting while the full files follow. They are a stand-in, so the project is relinked to the full-resolution files for finishing. Apple's published ProRes Proxy rate at 1080p 24p is 36 Mb/s, about 5% of ProRes 422 HQ at UHD 24p.

Does an overnight sync really help?

It helps when the transfer would fit in the time you are away. A sync started after work uses a quiet connection and finishes before anyone needs it, so nobody waits on it. It works best with a tool that resumes interrupted transfers. If the transfer needs more than a night, split it into batches or send proxies first.

When should I ship a drive instead of uploading?

When the upload would take several days and the files are needed sooner than that. Compare the calculated time with a courier's delivery time and the time to copy and verify the drive. A drive also needs encryption and a tracked shipment if the footage is sensitive. For a regular need, a faster connection or a smaller set of files is usually the better long-term answer.

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