You can embed videos from a third-party host on many different areas of your site. This guide reviews where you can add videos and links to specific steps for each one.
Where you can add videos
Where you can add videos depends on your site's version.
You can add videos to:
- Video Blocks
- Gallery Blocks (some site areas)
- Section backgrounds
- Lock screen backgrounds
Gallery sections don't currently support videos.
You can add videos to:
- Video Blocks
- Gallery Blocks
- Gallery Pages
- Banners (some templates)
- Project Pages
- Cover Pages
- Lock screen backgrounds
You can embed videos (not upload directly)
Squarespace supports embedding videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Animoto, and Wistia. These services are highly respected for their streaming quality, upload ease, and video playback control.
Embedding videos from another host helps your site load faster, enables visitors to share your videos, and provides multiple options for video hosting. For these reasons, there's no option to upload a video directly to Squarespace.
Hosting options for your video
Before embedding a video on your site, upload the video to a supported external hosting service. Click the links below for help with this:
Tip: Add a quick link to your YouTube or Vimeo profile page by displaying a social icon.
Keep in mind:
- Background videos only support YouTube and Vimeo.
- In addition to public videos, hidden or unlisted videos that are accessible by links or embed codes will display on your site.
- 360-degree videos aren't supported, and can cause issues with your site's speed and display.
- Vimeo's fullscreen button stays hidden while you're logged into your Squarespace site. To test the fullscreen version of your video, log out or open your site in a private or incognito window.
- Vimeo's player bar displays in the background by default. On Vimeo Plus or Pro, you can remove the bar by changing the embed code. For help with the embed code, reach out to Vimeo.
- You can embed live YouTube and Vimeo videos, but after the livestream ends, the video may not work, depending on your livestream settings.
Add videos to pages and posts
Where you can add videos depends on your site's version.
This table covers the different ways you can add videos to pages and posts and the requirements for each. For these areas, you can add your video using a URL or an embed code.
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Requirements |
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This table covers the different ways you can add videos to pages and posts and the requirements for each. For these areas, you can add your video using a URL or an embed code.
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Requirements |
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| Index Pages |
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| Cover Pages |
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Add background videos
You can display a video as the background behind page content. There are different ways to do this, depending on your site's version:
This table covers the different ways you can add videos behind page content and the options for each.
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Content area |
Video options |
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This table covers the different ways you can add videos behind page content and the options for each.
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Content area |
Video options |
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Use animated .gifs
Animated .gif images play automatically, loop, and don't include sound. You can use a .gif anywhere on your site where you can add images, including Image Blocks, banners, and Gallery Blocks.
Troubleshooting
Videos take too long to load
If a video takes a while to load, it probably needs that extra time to buffer. Many longer or HD videos require additional time to load, especially if you factor in your internet connection.
Clicking "Play" on a video starts the buffering process. If you pause the video and wait for content to load in the background, you should be able to build up the buffer and play the video with fewer issues.
Related YouTube videos are playing after mine
YouTube automatically displays related videos after a video finishes playing. This is a YouTube feature that isn't controlled by Squarespace and can't be disabled.
To prevent displaying related videos, try hosting your video on another supported service. Note that some services require a paid account to disable related videos.
Vimeo videos aren't playing in HD
To display HD Vimeo videos, use the embed code to add the video, rather than the video’s URL. Uploading 1080p HD videos to Vimeo requires their Plus or PRO membership plan.
Buttons and controls aren’t showing on Vimeo videos
Vimeo enables "Tiny Mode" when a Video Block is less than 300 pixels wide or 170 pixels tall. Tiny Mode hides buttons and additional information, such as the title, control bar, and the Watch Later/Share buttons. To prevent this, visitors can view the Video Block on a larger display.
The fullscreen button isn't appearing or working
When logged into your site, the Vimeo and YouTube players don't have a fullscreen option. You can view the fullscreen version by opening the page in a private or incognito window in your browser.
Videos are different sizes
In Video Blocks, Gallery Blocks, and Gallery Pages (version 7.0 only), video aspect ratio is determined by the thumbnail from the host site. If you're placing Video Blocks in rows or using grid galleries, the rows may be uneven.
For Video Blocks, there's not a way to change this. For Gallery Blocks, enable Crop Images to set the videos to a uniform aspect ratio. For Gallery Pages, set the Aspect Ratio to any setting except Auto.
Wistia videos are too small
On Project Pages (version 7.0 only) Wistia videos display in a smaller frame. To avoid the issue, you can use a different video hosting platform.
FAQ
Do plays on my website count?
Each video service controls when video plays count, not Squarespace. Plays of embedded videos might add to your view count, depending on where the video is hosted:
- YouTube - Doesn't count views of embedded videos. However, YouTube provides a breakdown of where viewers are finding your videos. Learn more in YouTube's Analytics series.
- Vimeo - Vimeo counts views from embedded videos. Learn more in Vimeo's documentation.
For help with other services, visit their documentation.
If Squarespace doesn't support my video host, how do I add my video?
In most cases, we recommend uploading your video to a supported service. If that isn't possible, or if you need to keep it hosted elsewhere, you still have some options.
Any video sharing service that supports the oEmbed standard can be added to these areas using its embed URL or code:
- Video Blocks
- Gallery Blocks
- Gallery Pages
- Cover Pages (except background videos)
If this doesn't work and there's no typo or other problem with the embed URL or code, it's likely that the video host doesn't support the oEmbed standard. If you can't upload it to a service that supports oEmbed, paste the code into a Code Block. Note that custom code like this falls outside of the scope of Squarespace support.