Insert Online Videos in Microsoft Word and Troubleshooting Tips

Posted on: 03/18/2022

Inserting videos from the web inside a Word document is easy. You can link to a video from a document, using the Insert Hyperlink function, but you are also able to insert the actual video in Word, so it shows the thumbnail and you can access playback.

The problem is with videos, they won't play inside the document by default. I get this question all the time, maybe it's got to do with security options. But in this tutorial, I walk you through a few ways of inserting videos in Word documents and how to link to them, access them, find them, play them.

You will see how much better the Word document looks with videos embedded in it, thumbnails and links. I also show you how to add heading styles above the videos so that people can find them quickly, in Word and in PDF, if you decide to save your Word document as a PDF.

I show a quick troubleshooting for when the video doesn't play, and how to open it in the browser.

YouTube video

Steps to insert online video

Copy the URL of the video you want to put in MS Word
In Word, click the Insert Tab
Click Online Videos in the Meda group.
Paste the URL into the dialog box
Click Insert
Optional: Add a Heading 2 styles above the video.

Video Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
00:27 Add video with Insert Hyperlink
01:20 Insert online video directly
02:00 Find videos in doc with heading styles
02:55 The Navigation Pane
03:26 Video doesn't play inside document
03:37 Open video in browser
03:59 Save as PDF with video
05:07 Closing remarks

Save Word document as a PDF file

In Word, click File - Export
Select Create PDF/XPS Document
Click Create PDF/XPS Document on the right.
Name you PDF file and click Publish.

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Chris Menard

Chris Menard is a certified Microsoft Trainer (MCT) and works as a full-time Trainer at BakerHostetler - one of the largest law firms in the US. He runs a YouTube channel with 900+ technology videos that cover various tools such as Excel, Word, Zoom, Teams, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Outlook. To date, the channel has helped over 20 million viewers. Menard also does 2 to 3 public speaking events every year, presenting at the Administrative Professional Conference (APC), the EA Ignite Conference, the Support Staff Conference, the University of Georgia, and CPA conferences. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://chrismenardtraining.com/linkedin or watch his videos on YouTube at https://chrismenardtraining.com/youtube.