Video FAQ

Why is my video not playing on mobile?

Whether a background video plays on mobile is controlled by the device/browser rather than the theme. Background videos can slow down page loading, use a lot of mobile data, and consume the device's battery.

Your device/browser may decide not to play the video if:

• Your phone is low on battery or is in 'Battery saver mode'.
• Your data signal is weak.
• The video has sound.
• The video is too large.
• The current page contains multiple video or is slow to load.
• The video has been encoded in the incorrect format (see the next FAQ for more).
• Or any combination of the above.

Read Google's Autoplay policy in Chrome article for more.

The most reliable (although not guaranteed) way to get a background video to autoplay is to upload the video file in an MP4 format to Shopify in the Content > Files area of the Shopify admin, and then copy the link and paste it into the video URL setting.

If the video still does not play, see the FAQ below.

Why is my MP4 video still not playing/showing as just black?

Temporarily change the video URL to this:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0848/3828/files/Placeholder_video_on_Vimeo_540p.mp4

If this plays, then your video has not been encoded correctly and it will need to be encoded in the h.264 formats. If you search for 'h.264 mp4 encoders' online, you should find sites that provide a facility to do this.

Why does my video have no sound?

Background videos don’t play sound. They are auto-playing videos that are designed to sit in the background to add a visual design. If you want to have videos that play sound, you can use the default video section.

Browsers don’t like auto-playing videos with sound when you land on a page, most will block the video causing issues. Also, it can be a negative experience for a customer to land on a site and be greeted with a sound that they didn’t accept to play.

Read Google's Autoplay policy in Chrome article for more.

How big should my video file be?

Keep it under 3mb if possible, although there are no limits imposed. Remember, the video can loop so if it's possible to make the loop seamless, the video can appear to be longer than it actually is.