How to Embed a YouTube Video Into Your WordPress Blog

Enrich your WordPress blog with embedded YouTube videos

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Updated on March 11, 2021

Embedding YouTube videos in your WordPress blog is an excellent way to keep your visitors engaged and interested. Whether you wish to embed your video content or someone else's, WordPress makes the process straightforward and hassle-free.

This article applies to both self-hosted (wordpress.org) and free-hosted (wordpress.com) blogs.

How to Embed a YouTube Video in WordPress

You can copy and paste the video URL into the WordPress editor. No additional code is necessary.

From the WordPress Dashboard, select Posts > Add new.
Select the + icon to add a new block, then select YouTube.
Go to the YouTube video you want to embed, select Share, then select Copy.
Go back to your WordPress post, paste the video URL, then select Embed.

You can also paste the YouTube URL into the content editor in both visual and text view.
Select Publish to make your video go live.

How to Embed a YouTube Video in the Sidebar

If you prefer to place a YouTube video in your blog's sidebar, use the video widget.

From the WordPress Dashboard, select Appearance > Widgets.
Drag the Video widget to the blog sidebar.
Give the video a title, then select Add Video.
Select Insert from URL in the upper-left corner.
Enter the video URL, then select Add to Widget after the video appears.
Select Save.

How to Embed a YouTube Video With the Iframe Element

YouTube offers a wide variety of player parameters to customize the playback experience. Embedding videos with iframes allows you to customize how the video player looks and functions with options like autoplay, language preference, video width and height, looping, playlist, and more.

From the WordPress content editor, select HTML.
Go to the YouTube video you wish to embed, select Share, then select Embed.
Select Copy.
Paste the iframe code into the HTML box in WordPress, then select Preview.
Select Update if the video looks right.

Experiment with different Player Parameters within the iframe code for full customization. Add each parameter after the source (src) URL.

How to Embed YouTube Videos With WordPress Plugins

Using a plugin is another reliable method for embedding YouTube videos. Some plugins give you a range of additional features to customize how the video appears on the page.

From the WordPress Dashboard, select Plugins > Add New.
Enter youtube embed into the plugin search box, choose a plugin, then select Install Now.
Select Activate after the plugin installs.