Shopify Product Videos: Requirements, Upload, What to Film
To add a product video on Shopify, open the product, and in the Media section either upload the file with Upload new or embed a YouTube or Vimeo video with Select existing > Add from URL. Uploaded videos can run up to 10 minutes and 1 GB, in MP4, MOV or WebM, and your theme has to support video for it to play on the product page. Aim for a clip of 30 to 60 seconds that shows the product in use; save the two-minute brand film for your About page.
Video requirements on Shopify
From Shopify’s Help Center pages on product media types and adding media, read on October 23, 2026:
| Uploaded video | YouTube or Vimeo embed | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Up to 10 minutes | Set by the platform |
| File size | Up to 1 GB | Not applicable |
| Resolution | Up to 4K (4096 × 2160 px) | Set by the platform |
| Formats | .mp4, .mov, .webm; Shopify serves every video as MP4 or HLS |
YouTube and Vimeo URLs only |
| Playback | Streams at 480p, 720p or 1080p depending on the viewer’s connection | The platform’s own player |
| Privacy setting needed | None | YouTube: Public or Unlisted; Vimeo: embedding on external sites allowed |
A product can hold up to 250 images, 3D models and videos in total, and video hosting has limits by Shopify plan. The first media item is the featured one, shown on collection pages, in the cart, at checkout and on the home page, so a video in first place changes all of those. Keeping a photo first and the video second avoids that.
All Online Store 2.0 themes built by Shopify and every Horizon theme support video; for a third-party theme, check its documentation or ask the developer. If you embed Vimeo, Shopify names Craft, Crave, Dawn and Sense as themes updated for better Vimeo playback.
Upload or embed
Upload when the video is made for the product page. Shopify hosts it, streams it at the quality the shopper’s connection allows, and nothing on the page points to another site.
- Go to Products and open the product.
- In the Media section, click Upload new and choose the file, or drag it into the section.
- Drag the video to the position you want, usually second after the main photo.
- Save, then open the product page on a phone to check that it plays.
Embed when the video already lives on YouTube or Vimeo and gets views there, such as a review or a tutorial.
- In the product’s Media section, click Select existing, then Add from URL.
- Paste the video’s page URL (not a channel or playlist link).
- Save and check the page.
An embedded YouTube video can show other videos when it ends, and a click there takes the buyer to YouTube. For a product page, an uploaded clip keeps the shopper on your store.
To remove a video from the store entirely, delete it under Content > Files; removing it from the product only takes it off that product.
What to film: a 45-second plan
We record product tutorials for our own apps on a demo store, with a voice-over and captions, and the same rules hold for a physical product. Plan the clip before you pick up the camera:
- 0 to 5 seconds: the product in use, no logo animation, so the first frame already shows what the video is about.
- 5 to 20 seconds: the detail a photo cannot show. How the fabric moves, how the lid clicks shut, how big the bag is on a shoulder, how the lamp looks switched on at night.
- 20 to 35 seconds: scale and fit. Hands, a person, a common object next to it. State the size in a caption.
- 35 to 45 seconds: what is in the box, or the product from every side.
Film in daylight or soft, even light, on a steady phone or tripod, in vertical or square format if most of your traffic is on phones. Add on-screen text for the key facts, so the clip works with the sound off, and captions for any speech, so it works for deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. Keep the music quiet or leave it out.
Photography rules carry over to video: the same light, the same backgrounds as your photos, so the gallery looks like one set. The photo side is in product photography, and a 3D model is the alternative for products a buyer wants to turn around, covered in 3D and AR media.
Video without slowing the page
A video is usually the heaviest item on a product page. Keep it short, keep it out of the first media slot unless it is the best first impression you have, and export it at 1080p: in browsers that support streaming, Shopify plays video at 480p, 720p or 1080p, so a 4K upload mostly adds file size. Check Shopify’s Web Performance reports before and after you add video to your best sellers, and see images and video without slowdown for the rest. Other catalog and store guides are in the running a store hub.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a Shopify product video be? An uploaded product video can be up to 10 minutes and 1 GB, at up to 4K resolution. Embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos follow the platform’s own limits.
Can I use YouTube videos? You can embed a YouTube video through Select existing > Add from URL in the product’s Media section. The video must be set to Public or Unlisted, and only YouTube and Vimeo URLs are supported.
Does video autoplay on Shopify? Autoplay depends on your theme: some themes have a setting for it in the theme editor, and browsers usually allow autoplay only for muted video. Check the product page section settings in your theme editor.