Storyblocks splits uploading in two: a web uploader capped at 100 files at a time, and an FTP route for anything larger. The split matters more than it sounds, because the credentials are not the same on both paths, release forms cannot travel over FTP at all, and anything you leave sitting untagged is deleted after 30 days.
The two routes, and the thresholds between them
Storyblocks publishes three numbers that between them decide how you upload, and they sit in different help articles.
- Up to 100 files: the web uploader. The uploader inside the contributor dashboard handles up to 100 files in one go. That is the stated ceiling, not a guideline, and it applies to templates and animations the same way it applies to video clips.
- Above 100 files: FTP. Storyblocks' video article points contributors at an sFTP client connecting to contributor-upload.storyblocks.com. This is the only documented way to move a batch bigger than the uploader will take.
- Above 5,000 items in one go: ask first. Two separate help pages say that if you are going to upload more than 5,000 items at one time, contact [email protected]. It is phrased as a request rather than a hard block, but it is repeated often enough to read as a real operational limit.
The credentials question Storyblocks answers twice, differently
This is the part that catches people, and it is worth reading carefully because the two official articles do not agree.
The video clip article says to connect an sFTP client to contributor-upload.storyblocks.com using the same login as the Contributor Portal website. The templates and animations article describes a different path entirely: on your content page choose Upload Media, scroll to View FTP Settings in the pop-up, and use the credentials you find there. It states plainly that this login is temporary, that it differs from your normal login, and that it is retired 48 hours after last use, with new credentials available from the same pop-up.
One page also says sFTP while the other says FTP. Both are Storyblocks' own help centre, so there is no second-hand source to blame. The practical reading is to start from the View FTP Settings pop-up rather than guessing: it shows you whichever credentials your account is actually issued, and if an automated batch suddenly fails authentication on a Monday morning after a quiet weekend, a 48-hour expiry is the first thing to check.
That expiry has a consequence most contributors only meet once. Any scheduled job holding a saved Storyblocks password will work for as long as you keep uploading and break the moment you pause for two days. If you run nightly deliveries, the credential refresh has to be part of the routine rather than something you do when it breaks.
A Storyblocks batch, step by step
The documented Storyblocks path for a batch above the 100-file web uploader cap: pull FTP settings from the Upload Media pop-up, deliver over FTP, upload release forms separately in the portal, then tag within the 30-day window.
What cannot travel over FTP
Release forms. Both the video article and the templates article state it in the same words: release forms must be uploaded through the Contributor Portal website, and they cannot be uploaded to the FTP. If your workflow puts the signed release next to the clip in the same folder, that folder arrives with a stray document Storyblocks will not process and a clip whose release is still missing.
The rights side sits alongside it. Storyblocks requires you to hold full rights to everything you submit, including any releases that are needed, and says all music samples must be fully cleared. Those are the terms of entry rather than review criteria, which means a rights problem is not something a reviewer negotiates with you about.
The 30-day clock on Ready to Tag
This is the single most expensive thing to learn late. Content that lands in Ready to Tag is deleted 30 days after upload. Storyblocks adds that you can re-upload at any time, which softens the loss but not the cost: for a large video batch the transfer is the slow part, and paying for it twice because the tagging slipped a month is a bad trade.
Read in combination with the 5,000-item threshold, this points to a working rhythm rather than a dump-and-forget approach. FTP on Storyblocks is a staging area with an expiry date, not storage. The batch size that makes sense is the batch you can tag, not the batch your connection can push overnight.
The Storyblocks upload clock
Three Storyblocks-stated deadlines on one timeline: FTP credentials retired 48 hours after last use, Ready to Tag content deleted 30 days after upload, and a request to contact support before any single upload above 5,000 items.
Sizing a batch that will not expire
- Work out how many clips you genuinely tag in a sitting, then make that the batch size. The 100-file uploader cap is often closer to a sustainable rhythm than the 5,000-item ceiling is.
- Prepare metadata before the transfer, not after it. The 30-day window is for tagging in the portal, and arriving at it with titles and keywords already written turns a week of work into an afternoon.
- Keep releases in a separate upload queue from media, since the two routes are different by design.
- Refresh FTP credentials as a first step of every run rather than storing them, given the stated 48-hour retirement.
What goes in the fields once you are tagging is a separate subject, and a larger one: the field-by-field specification is in the Storyblocks metadata requirements reference, and the tagging conventions the platform actually rewards are covered in Storyblocks keywording rules.
How this differs from the FTP routes you already run
Most agency FTP endpoints are set up once and left alone: the credentials persist until you change them, and a saved connection keeps working for years. The Shutterstock route is a good example of that pattern, walked through in uploading to Shutterstock via FTP. Storyblocks' documented template route behaves the opposite way, and a time-limited credential is the kind of difference that quietly breaks an otherwise reliable pipeline.
That is the real argument for treating multi-agency delivery as one system rather than a folder of saved FTP profiles: each destination has its own credential model, its own batch ceiling and, in this case, its own expiry clock. The general problem is covered in reliable tools for large nightly FTP batches. Rastock.ai generates the metadata, holds each platform's rules, and delivers over FTP and SFTP to more than ten agencies without a revenue share or any claim on your files, which the feature overview sets out in detail.
If video is the bulk of what you ship, the tagging bottleneck is usually the thing worth attacking first, since that is what the 30-day clock is counting. Pricing includes a 14-day free trial with no card required, which is enough to run one real batch end to end.
Frequently asked questions
Does Storyblocks support FTP uploads?
Yes, for batches larger than the web uploader will take. Storyblocks' video article points contributors at an sFTP client connecting to contributor-upload.storyblocks.com, while its templates and animations article routes you through View FTP Settings in the Upload Media pop-up on your content page. The two articles use different wording, so start from the pop-up to see what your account is actually issued.
How many files can I upload to Storyblocks at once?
The web uploader inside the contributor dashboard handles up to 100 files at one time. Above that you need the FTP route. Storyblocks separately asks contributors planning to upload more than 5,000 items in a single go to contact [email protected] beforehand, a request repeated across more than one help article.
Why did my Storyblocks FTP login stop working?
Most likely because it expired. The templates and animations article states that the FTP login is temporary, differs from your normal Contributor Portal login, and is retired 48 hours after last use. New credentials are available from the same View FTP Settings pop-up. Any scheduled job holding a saved password will fail after a pause of more than two days.
Can I upload release forms over Storyblocks FTP?
No. Storyblocks states that release forms must be uploaded through the Contributor Portal website and cannot be uploaded to the FTP. Media and paperwork travel on separate routes, so a batch of released content is not fully delivered until the forms have been added in the portal as a distinct step.
How long does content stay in Storyblocks Ready to Tag?
Thirty days. Content in Ready to Tag is deleted 30 days after upload, and Storyblocks notes you can re-upload at any time. Because the transfer is the slow part of a video batch, the practical deadline for tagging is well inside the month, and batch size is better set by how much you can tag than by what your connection can push.
Is the Storyblocks process different for templates and animations?
The upload mechanics are the same. Storyblocks' own article says uploading templates and animations works the same way as the video process: the 100-file web uploader for smaller batches, FTP for larger ones, and release forms through the portal. Where the two articles diverge is in how they describe the FTP credentials, not in the route itself.