The core WordPress has a video embed feature which allows you to embed a video in WordPress very easily. This video embed feature was included in WordPress 3.6 which made it easier for you to embed a video in WordPress without having to install a plugin. In this post, I will show you how you can directly embed a remotely hosted video in WordPress or a video that you have uploaded to your WordPress media library.
How to Embed a Video in the WordPress Block Editor
The easiest way to embed a video in the WordPress block editor is to add a Video block.
You can then choose to Upload a video file, pick one from your media library, or add one with a URL. If you wish to embed an existing video from the WordPress media library choose Media Library, select the video and click Insert.
How to Autoplay a Video in the WordPress Block Editor
Once the video is embedded in the WordPress block editor, you can simply select the block and enable Autoplay under Video settings.
How to Loop a Video in the WordPress Block Editor
Once the video is embedded in the WordPress block editor, you can simply select the block and enable Loop under Video settings.
How to Mute a Video in the WordPress Block Editor
Once the video is embedded in the WordPress block editor, you can simply select the block and enable Muted under Video settings.
How to Hide Video Player Controls in the WordPress Block Editor
Video player controls are shown by default in WordPress. You can choose to hide these controls by selecting the video block and disabling Playback controls under Video settings.
How to Play a Video Inline in the WordPress Block Editor
playsinline is an attribute that tells mobile browsers to play the video right where it is instead of opening it up fullscreen. You can choose to apply playsinline to a video in WordPress by selecting the block and enabling Play inline under Video settings.
How to Add Preload to a Video in the WordPress Block Editor
Once the video is embedded in the WordPress block editor, you can customize the Preload attribute by selecting the block and choosing Metadata, Auto or None under Video settings.
How to Add a Poster Image to a Video in the WordPress Block Editor
Once the video is embedded in the WordPress block editor, you can simply select the block and click Select under Poster image to either upload a new poster image or use an existing one from the media library.
How to Embed a Video in the WordPress Classic Editor
The easiest way to embed a video in the WordPress classic editor is to copy and paste its URL into your post/page editor.
//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4Please note that this option will only work on a self-hosted WordPress site where you can install plugins/themes. So if your website is hosted elsewhere [e.g. wordpress.com], make sure to move to a managed WordPress hosting environment. If you wish to embed a video in lightbox you will need to use the Lightbox Ultimate plugin.
While you are writing content in the classic visual editor, you can click on the Add Media button to upload and insert a video into the post/page.
Once the video is embedded, you will be able to see a preview of the thumbnail even before publishing it.
How to Embed a Video Using the WordPress Video Shortcode
WordPress core comes with a video shortcode that can be used to manually embed a video. In order to embed a video using this method in the WordPress block editor, you need to add a Shortcode block.
Once the shortcode block is added, you can embed a video by inserting this shortcode.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4"]
In the WordPress classic editor you can directly insert the shortcode.
WordPress Video Shortcode Options
Embedding a video by using the video block or directly pasting the URL is easier. But if you use the video shortcode you will have more customization options.
Currently, the video shortcode supports the following options.
src
This is the source of your video file. It is recommended to use mp4 file format since it is compatible with most browsers [including browsers running on mobile devices].
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4"]
You can specify other file formats to allow for graceful fallbacks.
[video mp4="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" ogv="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.ogv" mov="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mov"]
poster
“poster” attribute defines an image to show as a placeholder before the video plays.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" poster="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/poster.jpg"]
loop
“loop” attribute allows for the looping of a video. If set to “on” the video will start over again every time it is finished.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" loop="on"]
autoplay
“autoplay” attribute causes the video to automatically play as soon as it is ready.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" autoplay="on"]
preload
“preload” attribute defines if and how the video should be load when the page loads. Default is “metadata”.
- metadata – only metadata should load when the page loads.
- none – the video should not load when the page loads.
- auto – the video should load entirely when the page loads.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" preload="auto"]
width
“width” attribute defines the width of the video.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" width="640"]
height
“height” attribute defines the height of the video.
[video src="//example.com/wp-content/uploads/myvideo.mp4" height="360"]
It’s better not to specify a width and height in the shortcode. WordPress will fit the video in the content area with the best possible width and height [keeping the aspect ratio]. This will also make the video responsive.
WordPress Video Player Skins
You can use a plugin to customize the default WordPress video player.
Skin 1
When this plugin is active, a clean player will load without a controlbar background.
A clean skin for the WordPress video player.
This one-time payment includes
- Plugin updates
- Priority support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
How to Embed a WMV Video in WordPress
WMV is a Windows Media Video file compressed with Microsoft’s video compression formats. This format is normally used in Windows to store videos on your computer. Since WMV is not an HTML5 compatible video format, it’s not possible to play this type of video file in a modern browser.
If you have a WMV video file that you wish to play on your WordPress site, you should encode it to a supported HTML5 video format instead [e.g. MP4, WebM, and Ogg]. You can do this very easily these days with a free video encoder like handbrake.
First, Select the video file on your computer and open it using Handbrake.
Now select a destination where the encoded video file will be saved. Make sure to keep the Web Optimized option enabled. Click Start Encode.
You can upload the newly generated video file to your server and embed using the above method.