While Microsoft Word is primarily a text-based word processor, modern versions of the software allow you to create rich, interactive multimedia documents. Instead of just pasting a plain blue hyperlink into your document and forcing your reader to open their web browser, you can embed a fully playable YouTube video directly onto the page.
How to Embed a Video
This feature requires an active internet connection. The video is not physically downloaded into your Word document; it is streamed directly from YouTube’s servers when the reader clicks “Play.”
- Open your web browser, navigate to YouTube, and find the video you want to embed.
- Copy the video’s URL from the address bar at the top of your browser (or click “Share” and copy the link).
- Open your Microsoft Word document and place your blinking text cursor exactly where you want the video to appear.
- Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu at the top of the screen.
- In the “Media” group, click on Online Video.
- A dialogue box will appear. Paste the YouTube URL you copied earlier directly into the address bar inside the box.
- Word will instantly generate a preview thumbnail of the video. Click the Insert button.
Adjusting the Video Layout
The YouTube video will now appear in your document as a large thumbnail with a play button in the center. Word treats this video player exactly like a standard image.
- You can click and drag the circles on the corners of the thumbnail to resize the video player.
- If you click on the video and select the Layout Options icon that appears next to it, you can choose how your text wraps around the video (e.g., “In Line with Text” or “Square”).
When a reader double-clicks the video thumbnail, the rest of the Word document will instantly dim, and the video will begin playing in a cinematic overlay directly inside the application.