How do I proveI posted a video first?
Put three things side by side: the public upload date of your post, the dates of every copy, and the original file and raw footage only you have. The dates show the order; the original file — full resolution, longer, with its recording metadata — shows the footage is yours, which is what a platform actually asks for. Free scan. You only pay if we find something worth opening — you see the price first.
- Finds the copies so you can line their dates up against yours.
- Flags the earliest appearance found when pages carry a date.
- Your original file is the strongest proof, and you already have it.
A link checks the first ~5 seconds. To check the whole video, upload the file.
uploading the file searches the whole video
Not a real result — try your own video above ↑ unlock each page so you can compare dates
Every copy, its date, and yours.
Find every copy
Upload your original. The search lists the public pages carrying the same footage, across platforms.
Write down the dates
Open each page and note the upload date it shows. Keep a screenshot of each, with the URL visible.
Add what only you have
The original file, the longer take, the other angles. Dates show order; the source material shows authorship.
Proof is needed once. So is the payment.
You need to show you were first when a dispute starts, not every month. A $7.00 monthly plan is the wrong shape for that.
One search is $2.90 if you unlock its links. Top up from $2.90 and keep whatever is left for the next dispute.
- Retrace
- $2.90
- Competitor (1 month)
- $7.00
- Competitor (1 year,
never cancelled) - $84.00
Building the proof yourself.
Everything below is free. Do it before you file anything, because a reposter who deletes their copy also deletes your evidence of it.
1.Screenshot your own post with its date
On TikTok and Instagram, the date shows under the caption; on YouTube, under the title. Capture it on a desktop browser so the URL is in the shot.
2.Do the same for each copy
Open every repost, screenshot it with its date and URL, and paste the links into a list. Note the view count too; it helps show the harm.
3.Check the archives
Paste each URL into the Wayback Machine. A snapshot shows the page as it was on that date, which backs up the date the post itself shows.
4.Gather the source material
Your untouched original file, the uncut take, other clips from the same shoot, project files from your editor. Keep copies off your phone.
For the full method of reading dates across platforms, see our guide on who posted a video first. This page is about turning that into proof you can hand to a platform.
Finding the copies to put on the timeline.
A timeline is only as good as its list of copies. Retrace searches up to 24 frames from your file across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X and the open web, so you are not relying on the one repost a follower happened to send you.
Copies whose thumbnail lines up with your frames are marked confirmed. When the pages expose a date, the results show the earliest appearance found, which tells you which copies to look at first.
The scan is free. Unlocking the links is $2.90. Results are kept for 30 days; you can have them emailed to you as a permanent link.
What this cannot prove for you.
Proof of authorship is something you assemble. A search helps, within these limits:
It does not certify dates
We report the dates pages show. We do not timestamp, notarise or certify anything.
Private and deleted posts
A copy on a private account, or one removed before it was indexed, will not appear in any search.
The earliest found is not always the first
The true first upload may be private, deleted or not indexed. Treat the earliest result as a lead.
Not legal advice
If a dispute goes beyond a platform report, talk to a lawyer about what evidence counts where you live.
Where to go next.
- Wayback Machine — Check whether a page was archived, and on what date.
- U.S. Copyright Office: the DMCA — Background on the takedown process most platforms follow.
Straight answers.
The free scan shows whether copies exist before you start building the timeline.
Find the copies free →How do I prove I posted a video first?
Compare the upload date of your post with the dates of every copy, and keep screenshots with the URLs visible. Then back it up with what only the creator has: the original full-resolution file, its recording metadata, the longer take and other footage from the same moment.
Is the earliest upload date enough proof?
It is strong evidence, not proof. Dates can be hidden, posts can be deleted and reuploaded, and the first public copy is not always the creator's. The original file and raw footage are what settle authorship.
Does Retrace tell me who posted first?
It finds the copies and, when pages carry a date, flags the earliest appearance it found. That is a lead to check against the pages themselves, not a verdict on who made the video.
Can the Wayback Machine prove when a video was posted?
Sometimes. If a snapshot of your post's page exists, it shows the page as it was on that date. Many social posts were never archived, so a missing snapshot proves nothing either way.
My original post is deleted. Can I still prove it?
Yes, with the original file and its metadata, any backup or draft, and messages or uploads that show you had it before the copies. Search the file to find the copies and their dates.
What metadata shows I filmed it?
Phone and camera files usually record a creation date, the device model and sometimes the location. Social platforms strip most of this from uploads, which is why the untouched original file is the useful one.