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How to Enable Video Autoplay Settings on Your Website - A Technical Guide
Enabling automatic video playback on your website requires careful consideration of browser policies and user experience. Here's what you need to know:
Video Autoplay Basics
Imported videos can have customized playback settings, including autoplay. For third-party hosted videos, you'll need to modify the embed code to enable autoplay. Background videos play automatically by default.
Important Considerations
- Limit one autoplay video per page to prevent simultaneous playback
- Mobile devices only support autoplay for video banners
- Video banners and GIFs automatically play on page load
- Most modern browsers restrict autoplay videos with sound
- Users can adjust their browser settings to enable autoplay
Browser-Specific Policies
- Safari and Firefox: Block autoplay for videos with sound by default
- Chrome: Prevents autoplay for videos with sound unless explicitly allowed
- Users can modify these settings in their browser preferences
Autoplay Embed Codes
YouTube: Add
?autoplay=1to the URL (or &autoplay=1 if URL already contains ?)
Vimeo: Add
?autoplay=1to the embed URL
Animoto: Enable "Autostart" in the Embedded Video settings
Background Videos
These videos automatically:
- Play on loop
- Run without sound
- Start immediately on page load
Gallery Index Support
Autoplay videos work on Gallery pages in:
- Momentum template family
- Pacific template family
Note: Grid index pages only support autoplay videos on individual Gallery pages, not in thumbnail grids.
Best Practices
- Consider user experience and bandwidth usage
- Test autoplay functionality across different browsers
- Provide alternative controls for users
- Ensure content is accessible without autoplay
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