Sharing videos online has become extremely popular in recent years. With video hosting sites like YouTube and Vimeo, it’s easier than ever to embed and share videos across the internet. One of the most common ways to share a video is simply by copying and pasting the video’s URL (the web address). Here’s a step-by-step guide to sharing a video using its URL.
Find the Video’s URL
The first step is locating the actual video URL that you’ll share. Here’s how to find it on some major video sites:
YouTube
- Navigate to the YouTube video you want to share
- Click the “Share” button below the video (it has a arrow pointing outward icon)
- A box will appear with the video’s URL – copy this by clicking the copy button next to it
Vimeo
- Navigate to the Vimeo video you want to share
- Click the “Share” button below the video (it has a arrow pointing outward icon)
- A box will appear with the video URL – copy this by highlighting it and right-clicking to copy
Other Video Sites
The process is similar on other video hosting sites. Look for a “Share” button somewhere on the video page – this will reveal the URL. Once you have the URL copied, you’re ready to paste it wherever you want to share the video.
Paste the Video URL
Now that you’ve copied the video’s URL, you can share it in a few different ways:
- Compose a new email in your email client
- Paste the video URL into the email body
- The video URL will appear as a clickable link that the recipient can follow to watch the video
Text/Messaging Apps
- Open up a text/messaging app like SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc
- Paste in the video URL and send it to your contact
- They will see the clickable video link in your message
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc)
- Create a new post in your social media account
- Paste the video URL into the post text
- The video link will appear in your post for people to click and watch
Forums/Message Boards
- When creating a new post on a forum or message board, paste the video URL
- The link will appear clickable in your post for other users to access
The process is essentially the same across any website or app that allows text formatting and links. Just paste the URL in the appropriate text field and the video link will appear live for users to click on and play.
Embed a Video Player
Another popular way to share videos is by embedding a video player directly into a web page. This displays and plays the video right on the page without the need to click away to a video site. Here’s how to embed videos from major platforms:
YouTube
- Navigate to the YouTube video you want to embed
- Click the “Share” button below the video
- A box will appear – click the “Embed” tab
- Highlight and copy the embed code
- Paste the embed code into your web page’s HTML
Vimeo
- Navigate to the Vimeo video you want to embed
- Click the “Share” button below the video
- A box will appear – click the “Embed” tab
- Highlight and copy the embed code
- Paste the embed code into your web page’s HTML
Other Sites
The process is similar for other video platforms. Look for an “Embed” option after clicking share, and copy the provided embed code. Paste this into your HTML where you want the video to display.
Adjust Embed Options
Most video sites allow you to customize embed options for greater control over the player size, autoplay settings, related video display, and more. For example:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Size | Sets player width and height in pixels |
| Autoplay | Choose whether video autoplays when the page loads |
| Loop | Sets the video to replay continuously |
Explore the embed customization settings to tailor the player to your needs. The settings will be different depending on the video platform.
Share Videos Privately
There may be situations where you want to share videos with only certain people and don’t want the video accessible publicly. Many video platforms offer privacy options to handle this:
YouTube
- Click the “Share” button below the YouTube video
- Click “Private” to toggle the setting on
- Check “Unlisted” to make the video only accessible by the provided link
Vimeo
- Navigate to your video settings
- Under privacy, choose “Only people with a password” or “Only me”
- You can then share the password or video link privately
Other Sites
Check for “Private”, “Unlisted”, or similar sharing options to control access. You can then selectively share the private video URL.
Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some troubleshooting tips if you have any issues sharing videos by URL:
- Double check that you’ve copied the entire video URL – it should begin with “http”
- Try re-copying the URL in case it wasn’t fully copied initially
- Make sure any spaces were not accidentally added to the beginning or end of the URL when pasting
- Check that the video has not been deleted or removed by the user who uploaded it
- For embeds, validate that the embed code was copied fully and accurately
- If sharing privately, confirm any privacy settings were properly enabled
- Try clearing browser cookies/cache in case outdated page data is interfering
Conclusion
Sharing videos through URLs and embeds has made it easier than ever to distribute and watch content online. All you need is the video’s web address or embed code to paste virtually anywhere you can insert a link. Customize player settings to control the user experience. And utilize privacy options to selectively share videos when needed. With the wide range of options available today, you can share videos exactly how you want.