Videos are a great way to enhance your posts and pages.

How you add a video depends on if you are using the block editor or the classic editor.

Allowed video file types are mp4, m4v (MPEG-4), mov, wmv and avi. The maximum file upload size is 50 MB. Videos recorded on phones are often larger than the maximum file upload size and these need to be uploaded to a video sharing website like YouTube, Vimeo or Google Drive and added using their embed code.

Block Editor

You add video to a post or page using a video block if you are using the block editor.

To add a video block you click on the + icon at the right of any empty block or at the top left of the editor then search for video and click on the video block icon.

Video block

The video block has three options:

  • Upload: upload a new video file from your device.
  • Media Library: select a video file that is already uploaded to your site’s media library.
  • Insert from URL: link to the location of video on the Internet.
Video block

Click on Upload or Media Library to add your video. Or click on Insert from URL if you want to linked to the location of a video on the Internet.

You can add optional text caption underneath the player and choosing align right or left allows you to place another block alongside the video block.

Caption on video

You can customize the video player using the editor sidebar.

If you don’t see the editor sidebar, click on the cog next to Publish/Update button. 

Block settings sidebar

Video Settings:

  • Autoplay: allows you to set the video file to auto play when someone visits the post or page.
  • Loop: lets you choose if the video file repeats once it is finished.
  • Muted: disables auto when the video file plays.
  • Playback controls: give the viewer a play button, volume controls, HD mode, playback speed, and full screen options.

The Preload controls how much of the video file is downloaded when the post or page is loaded:

  • Auto: the entire video file is downloaded automatically without the visitor clicking on the play button. This setting is not recommended as it will slow down your page’s load speed.
  • Metadata: only basic information about the video file is downloaded automatically.
  • None: nothing about the video file is downloaded automatically. The download of the video file only begins when your visitor clicks the Play button. This is the fastest setting.

Poster image is used to add an image that displays before a video is set to play. This is helpful if the first frame of the video isn’t appealing or indicative of the video content.

Classic Editor

Your Add Media button on your classic editor is used to add video files to a post or page.

Place your cursor where you want the video to be inserted and then click on the Add Media button.

Add Media

This launches the Add Media window where you’ll see three options for adding video:

  • Upload Files: upload a new video file from your device.
  • Media Library: select a video file that is already uploaded to your site’s media library.
  • Insert from URL: linking to the location of video on the Internet.
Select Files

Click on Select Files to upload from your computer or select Media Library to add an existing video file from your site’s media library, check Embed Media Player is selected and then click Insert into Post.

Once the file is selected you add the title, description and choose your Embed or Link to option in attachment details and then click Insert into Post.

Complete video attachment details
  • Title:  The title which displays when the video is added as a link to the media file or when the video is view on its attachment page.
  • Caption:  Captions aren’t displayed on video files.
  • Description:  Displayed below the link to the video file on the attachment page.
  • Embed or Link to:  Controls whether the video is embedded within an Embed Media Player or added as a link.  Choices are:
    • Embed Media Player – embeds video within a video player.
    • Link to Media File – inserts the video as a link.  Readers click on the link  to watch the video or download the video onto their computer.
    • Attachment page – links video to its attachment page