Tella stopped recording: browser storage and disk space limits
Tella needs 2 GB of free browser storage to start recording and the desktop apps refuse to start below 512 MB of disk. What each limit is, what happens to the part already recorded, and how to recover a take.
Tella has two different storage limits, one for the browser and one for the desktop apps, and both can end a recording early. They are in Tella's help centre, and worth knowing before a long take.
Why storage matters at all
Tella's help centre says that when you record, it "temporarily saves the video file to your Mac's local storage before uploading it to the cloud." The disk has to hold the whole recording first. That is the cause of everything below. It is also part of why Tella makes you wait before you can edit.
The browser limit
Tella needs at least 2 GB of free browser storage to start recording, and "your browser can run out even when your disk has space." It has separate help pages titled "Not enough browser storage to record" and "Browser storage isn't working".
The browser's quota is not your disk. A Mac with 200 GB free can still fail this check.
The desktop app limit
On the Mac and Windows apps, Tella says it "won't start a recording with less than 512 MB free and stops safely if free space drops below 256 MB; keep 5-10 GB free to be safe."
If it stops: "The recording will be shorter than planned, but Tella keeps and uploads the part recorded before it stopped."
One warning from the same page matters more than the numbers: "Don't delete anything in that folder while a video is still uploading. Those are the only copies of that recording."
If a recording was lost
Tella says a recording that was cancelled, crashed or errored before saving can usually still be recovered by its support, with conditions: do not delete it, do not clear browser site data, keep the desktop app installed, and contact support quickly.
That is a recovery route, and it depends on act-fast conditions. The same shape exists in other tools: Loom crashed and lost your recording has Loom's steps, and Cap crashed mid-recording has Cap's.
Before a long take
- Check free space against the 5 to 10 GB Tella recommends, more for 4K.
- In a browser, check the storage quota too, not only the disk.
- Do not clear site data or delete app folders until the upload finishes.
- If a take is important, do a 30-second test first.
Related problems are in why Tella's editor feels slow, Tella editor won't load and can't find your Tella recording.
Where Prequel keeps a take
Prequel keeps every take as a folder under ~/Movies/Prequel on your Mac, and the folder holds the finished files: screen.mp4, camera.mp4, mic.m4a and system.m4a. Nothing has to upload before the recording is usable. Show Recordings in Finder in the menu bar opens the folder. See where files live.
Record in Prequel and open the take folder in Finder.
Prequel needs an Apple Silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later. Download Prequel for Mac and try it free for 7 days, with no watermark on anything you export. After that it is $9 a month or $29 once. See what it costs.
Frequently asked questions
- How much free space does Tella need to record?
- Tella's help centre says the browser recorder needs at least 2 GB of free browser storage, and that a browser can run out even when the disk has space. The Mac and Windows apps will not start a recording with less than 512 MB of disk free and stop below 256 MB. Tella recommends keeping 5 to 10 GB free.
- What happens if my disk fills while Tella records?
- The app stops safely when free space drops below 256 MB. Tella says the recording will be shorter than planned, but that it keeps and uploads the part recorded before it stopped.
- Can I recover a cancelled or crashed Tella recording?
- Tella says a recording that was cancelled, crashed or errored before saving can usually still be recovered by its support. Do not delete it, do not clear browser site data, keep the desktop app installed and contact support quickly.
- Why does Tella need so much space?
- Tella's help centre says the app temporarily saves each recording to local storage in full before it uploads it to the cloud, so the disk must hold the whole take.
Keep reading
- Why Tella makes you wait before you can editTella records on your Mac, uploads, and edits in a browser tab. What its own help centre says about the order, the upload speed it asks for, the two sign-ins, and what editing on your Mac looks like instead.
- Why Tella's editor feels slowTella's editor runs in a browser on your graphics hardware and ships a Low-res mode that is on by default. What its help centre says, what users report on Reddit, and how to find out whether it is your Mac or your browser.
- Tella editor won't load: the four errors and what they meanTella's editor shows four named errors when it cannot start. What each means, why Safari needs a newer version for editing than for recording, what a virtual machine does, and what to change.
- Can't find your Tella recording: accounts and workspacesTella says a recording that will not open for editing usually means the Mac app and browser are signed in to different accounts, and a missing one usually landed in another workspace. What it says about moving videos and merging accounts.