Viewer Requirements
Wistia medias work pretty much everywhere on the web, but if you want to double check this is the right place to look!
Wistia Media Viewing Requirements
As you begin to add Wistia-hosted media to your marketing materials, you might wonder, “What does someone need to watch Wistia medias?” No worries, we’ve got you covered.
Our Player
This is the Wistia video player:
And here are the video controls:
This is the Wistia audio player:
And here are the audio controls:
If you can watch this media — hurrah! Your computer and browser are in great shape to view Wistia medias. If not, check out our supported browsers section below.
Operating Systems Supported
No worries about which operating system your viewers are using - Wistia is friendly with almost every OS on every planet we are aware of, including Mac OS, Windows, and Linux. Wistia medias also play smoothly on mobile devices and tablets. As long as you’re viewing the content in a supported browser, you’re all set.
It’s important to note, there are some nuances when it comes to Windows. Check those out below.
Browsers Supported
There are two different ways we support browsers in Wistia: playback and in-app (within your account) support.
Supported Browsers (Playback)
Wistia medias will work on any browser that supports HTML5 (for videos specifically, HTML5 will be in the form of MP4 video with an h.264). Wistia (and most of the internet, really) defaults to HTML5 in most cases.
For media playback we work with all of the major browsers and versions of Internet Explorer (as far back as IE8), Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.




Note About Windows Support
There’s some nuance to what and how we support different Windows browsers and environments, so we want to be as clear as possible. Microsoft has abandoned support for the following:
- As of 2014, they have stopped supporting Windows XP.
- They have also decided to abandon support for IE.
- Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 7 in 2020.
Supported Browsers (Using Your Wistia Account)
Your Wistia account will work in the latest version of most major browsers. These include:
- Google Chrome (which auto-updates)
- Safari
- Firefox (which auto-updates)
- Microsoft Edge
Mobile OS Support
Most mobile devices only support HTML5 playback, which is Wistia’s default for mobile. This includes Android phones and tablets (4.1 and up), and iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.
Just so we say it: we have found the most consistent support on all iOS devices, and Android devices running version 2.2 or later.
If you’re still one of the lost souls using a Blackberry (just kidding, we love you 😘 ), Blackberry does support HTML5 media playback. Wistia medias should work great in this environment, but let us know if you’re seeing something different.
Keep in mind that a mobile device will generally force video playback through its native player. Make sure to familiarize yourself with how controls work on mobile.
Internet Connection Speed
The minimum viable connection speed to stream Wistia media reliably is about 768 kilobits per second (equal to .768 megabits per second). We recommend a connection speed of at least 5 megabits per second for an optimal experience with HD capability.
For more information on how to prepare your media for the best performance and details on how Wistia optimizes the playback experience for each viewer, be sure to review the Optimal Export Settings guide. It’s quite helpful!