How to add a video to a Shopify product page
Open the product in your Shopify admin, go to the Media section and upload a video file or add a YouTube or Vimeo link; the video then appears in the product gallery of any theme that supports video, including Dawn and Horizon. Drag it to the position you want, usually right after the main photo, so the first thing shoppers see is still your best photo.
Checked 2026-10-09 · iteractive.ai
What you need before you start
You need a video file in MP4, MOV or WebM format, up to 1 GB and up to 10 minutes long, or a public or unlisted YouTube video, or a Vimeo video that allows embedding. These are the limits in Shopify's product media requirements. The guide on video size, format and length covers them in more detail.
You also need a theme that shows video in the product gallery. Shopify's own help page says your theme must support video for it to appear in the store. Dawn and Horizon, Shopify's free themes, both do: they show the video with a play button in the gallery (Dawn source, Horizon source).
Where the video should sit in the gallery
The first media item is the product's featured media. Themes show it on the product page, in collection grids and in search results, so most stores keep a clean photo there.
Putting the video second keeps that photo in front and makes the video the next thing a shopper sees when they swipe or click through the gallery. A product can hold up to 250 images, videos and 3D models combined, so a video does not push any photo out.
Dawn: loop the video
In Dawn, a gallery video starts when the shopper presses play. If you want it to repeat, open Online Store, Themes, Customize, choose the default product template, select the Product information section and turn on Enable video looping. The setting is in Dawn's product section and applies to every product that uses that template.
Horizon: loop the video
Horizon renders gallery videos through its product media block, which has its own loop setting. Open the theme editor on a product, select the media gallery and check the video settings there. As in Dawn, the shopper starts the video from the poster image.
By hand or with an app
Doing it by hand is free and works well for a handful of products. You need a video for each product, and someone has to upload it, move it to the right position and check it on the store.
An app makes sense when the catalog is larger than you want to film, or when you add products every week. Autopilot: Product SEO & Video makes the video from your product photos and adds it to the gallery right after the main photo, in one click. A simple motion video moves your own photos, so the product looks exactly as you shot it. A professional lifestyle video shows the product in a real scene, the way people use it: a moving camera, a 5-second loop, checked against your photo; you approve each one before it goes live.
Your first 3 videos are free. The Store plan ($9 a month, 7-day trial) puts a motion video on every product with a photo and gives new products a video on their own. Lifestyle videos cost $1.49 each, or 10 for $12.90 and 50 for $54, and the credits never expire. The comparison of motion, lifestyle and filmed video goes through which one fits which product.
Step by step
- Open the product. In your Shopify admin, go to Products and click the product.
- Add the video. In the Media section, click Upload new and choose the file, or drag the file onto Media. For YouTube or Vimeo, click Select existing, then Add from URL, and paste the link.
- Use the right link format. YouTube links must look like youtube.com/watch?v= followed by the video ID. Convert YouTube Shorts links to that format first.
- Put it after the main photo. Drag the video to the second position so the main photo stays first.
- Save and check the store. Save the product, open it on your store and play the video on a phone and on a computer.
Try it on three products
Autopilot: Product SEO & Video puts a short video into the product gallery, right after the main photo, in one click. Your first 3 videos are free and stay in your store.
Questions
Why does my video not show on the product page?
Shopify shows product videos only in themes that support video. Dawn and Horizon do. With an older or custom theme, check the theme's documentation or ask its developer.
Can a video be the first item in the gallery?
Yes, drag it to the first position. Keep in mind that themes use the first media item in collection grids and search, where they show a still image of it, so a photo usually works better there.
Can I add a YouTube Shorts link?
Not as it is. Shopify asks you to convert a Shorts link to the standard youtube.com/watch?v= format before you add it.
Do product videos play in collection pages too?
Not in Dawn or Horizon by default. Collection cards show a still image. The guide on collection page videos explains why and what an app embed changes.
How many videos can one product have?
A product can have up to 250 images, videos and 3D models combined.