Adding Videos

Please refer to the Adding and Customizing Images article to learn how to add and customize images for your website.

Table of Contents

Adding a Video

There are two ways to add a Video element to a page:

Option 1

Add a video from within a page section using the Add Element button.

  • In the Site Editor, hover over the desired section and click the Add Element button:

The + Add Element button at the top-left of the section is highlighted. A mouse cursor hovers over the button.

  • Choose the Video from the Add an Element sidebar that appears:

Add an Element sidebar open on the left side of the Site Editor. The Video element (play button icon in a rectangle) in the Design section is highlighted.

  • After you choose the element from the list, drag it to the desired section and drop using the grid.

Option 2

Add a video from the left sidebar Build menu.

  • Hover over the left sidebar of the Site Editor and click Build (+) button at the top:

Site Editor left sidebar with the Build (+) button at the top highlighted. The button is a blue circle with a white plus sign.

  • Choose the Video from the Add an Element sidebar that appears:

Add an Element sidebar open on the left side of the Site Editor. The Video element (play button icon in a rectangle) in the Design section is highlighted.

  • After you choose the element from the list, drag it to the desired section and drop it using the grid.

Customizing a Video

  • To customize Video, click on the element to open the editing menu:

Site Editor with a Video element selected on a page. A blue selection border with resize handles surrounds the video. The floating element toolbar above the top-right corner shows Setup, Style, Delete and More icons.

Click the Setup icon (play button icon) in the editing menu to open the Setup tab. Click the Style icon (paint palette) to open the Style tab.

Setup Tab

  • Preview: Select the image that will appear on the video preview. You can drag and drop the image onto the Video Preview placeholder or click the Add Thumbnail button to open the Upload Image dialog.
  • Video Link: Replace the sample video link with the YouTube, Vimeo, or Dailymotion video. There's no option to upload video files directly in the Website Builder.  Videos can only be added via URLs hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or Dailymotion.
  • Autoplay: Select to start playing the video as soon as the visitor accesses the page on the Internet. If Autoplay is disabled, the visitor will need to click the video to start it. The video will keep replaying until the visitor stops it.

Please Note: If you have added videos to your website and notice they don't automatically play with sound, this is likely due to browser restrictions designed to give greater control of playback to users. While muted autoplay is always allowed, playback of any media that includes audio is strictly restricted by browsers. Please refer to the Autoplay policy in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari for details.

  • Allow Full Window: Leave selected to allow users to toggle full screen. Deselect to retain the size of the video's placeholder.

Setup tab open over a selected Video element. Style tab contains Add thumbnail image button, a Video link field with helper text You can paste video from YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion, and toggles for Autoplay and Allow full window both set to Off.

Style Tab

Click the Style icon in the editing menu to access the Style settings:

  • Video progress bar color: Choose the color of the video progress bar from the dropdown (red or white).
  • Drop shadow: Click the Square icon on the top left to open the color picker and change the color of the shadow. Change the percentage value to set the shadow intensity.
  • Blur. Change the Blur intensity with the slider control.
  • Position. Change the shadow position with the Left/Right and Top/Bottom slider controls.

Style tab open over a selected Video element. Settings include Video progress bar color dropdown set to Red, and Drop shadow controls with color picker, Blur slider, and Left/Right and Top/Bottom position sliders. A Revert style changes button appears at the top right.

Please Note: If no preview image has been uploaded, the video preview will be automatically generated from the video.

Deleting the Video

To delete a video:

  • Click the Remove button [Bin] in the editing menu:

Site Editor with a Video element selected. The floating toolbar above the top-right corner of the video highlights the trash bin (Delete/Remove) icon.

  • The element will be removed immediately.

More Menu

Click the More icon in the editing menu to access the available options:

Site Editor with a Video element selected. The floating toolbar above the video highlights the More icon (three vertical dots).

  • Cut. Click Cut or Ctrl+X to cut your element.
  • Copy. Click Copy or Ctrl+C to copy your element.
  • Duplicate. Click Duplicate or Ctrl+D to duplicate your element. The duplicate will appear immediately.
  • Delete. Click Delete to remove the element. The element will be deleted immediately.
  • Move Forward. Click Move Forward or Ctrl+⇑ to move your element.
  • Move Backward. Click Move Backward or Ctrl+⇓ to move your element.

More menu dropdown open over a selected Video element, listing Cut (Ctrl+X), Copy (Ctrl+C), Duplicate (Ctrl+D), Delete, Move forward (Ctrl+⇑), and Move backward (Ctrl+⇓).

Please Note: The Move Forward or Move Backward options are available only when one element is added on top of another.

Common Questions

Can I upload a video file from my computer?

No. Website Builder does not support uploading video files (such as .mp4  , .mov  , or .avi  ) or hosting videos directly on your site. Use the Video element and paste a link from YouTube, Vimeo, or Dailymotion.

How do I change the video thumbnail?

Click the Video element, open the Setup panel, and use the Preview section. Drag an image onto the Video Preview placeholder or click Add Thumbnail to upload a custom thumbnail image. If you do not add a thumbnail, Website Builder generates one automatically from the video.

Why doesn't my video autoplay with sound?

Browsers restrict autoplay with sound to give visitors control over playback. Muted autoplay is generally allowed, but videos with audio usually require the visitor to click play. This is a browser policy, not a Website Builder limitation.

Do I need to publish after adding a video?

Yes. Changes in the Site Editor are not visible on your live site until you publish:

  • First-time publish: click Publish Website.
  • Site already live: click Update Website.