How to Add a Video to a Lesson

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On any Thinkific plan, we'll host your video content for you. How to add a video to a lesson depends on which course builder you are using. In the New Course Builder, video is added as a content block within a lesson. In the Classic Course Builder, video is its own lesson type.

If your site was created on or after January 28, 2026, you have access to the new course builder, in addition to the classic course builder. Learn about new features, improvements, and how to try it out: Introducing Thinkific's New Course Builder

How to Add a Video in the New Course Builder

In the New Course Builder, lessons are a blank canvas — there are no separate lesson types. You can add video, text, images, and other content directly within a single lesson.

  1. In your lesson, select Video from the content menu on the right-hand side.
  2. Drag and drop your video file, or browse and select it from your device.

Supported file types: .mp4, .mov, .m4v (max file size 2GB).

To replace a video, hover over it, click Replace, then follow the steps above.

To view or edit the video's settings, click Video settings from the block's menu.

Videos you upload are added to your Video Library automatically. Video Library access is not yet available in the New Course Builder — videos must be uploaded directly in lessons.

Embedding an Externally Hosted Video in the New Course Builder

If your video is hosted on an external platform such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Loom, you can embed it directly in your lesson using the Video block's embed option.

  1. Select Video from the content menu on the right-hand side.
  2. Click Embed link.
  3. Paste your video link into the Paste link field.
  4. Click Embed.

How to Add a Video Lesson in the Classic Course Builder

In the Classic Course Builder, video content is added as a dedicated Video lesson type.

  1. From your Admin Dashboard, select Products.
  2. Select Courses.
  3. Select the course you want to edit by clicking on the course card image.
  4. On the left-hand side, click Add Lesson.
  5. Select Video.
  6. Enter a name under Lesson Title.
  7. Check off any desired Lesson settings.
  8. Under Choose a video, select a video from your Video Library, Drag & drop a video file, or Select file to choose a file from your computer.
  9. (Optional) Add text to appear beneath the video in the Course Player.
  10. (Optional) Add downloads to attach files for students.
  11. Click Save.

When you first upload a video, it will take some time to process. If you see an error when previewing your course, check your Video Library for the current processing status. All videos are added to your Video Library regardless of where they were originally uploaded.

How to Convert a Text Lesson Into a Video Lesson

You can convert an existing Text Lesson into a Video Lesson by uploading a video directly from the lesson editor. This option is only available in the Classic Course Builder.

  1. From your Admin Dashboard, select Products.
  2. Select Courses.
  3. Select the course you want to edit by clicking on the course card image.
  4. On the left-hand side, click on the Text Lesson you want to convert.
  5. Next to "Video" at the top of the lesson, click Upload file.
  6. Drag and drop your video, or click to locate it on your computer.
  7. Click Upload.

Once the video has finished uploading, the Text Lesson is automatically converted into a Video Lesson. Any text in the lesson editor will remain under the Add text section and can continue to be edited.

Embedding an Externally Hosted Video in the Classic Course Builder

In the Classic Course Builder, externally hosted video is added via a Multimedia lesson rather than a Video lesson — Video lessons only support uploaded files. This means you'll follow the Multimedia lesson steps to embed video from platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Loom.

  1. From your Admin Dashboard, select Products.
  2. Select Courses.
  3. Select the course you want to edit by clicking on the course card image.
  4. In the course's Curriculum, select + Add lesson.
  5. Select Multimedia.
  6. Enter a lesson name under Lesson Title.
  7. Make sure Use externally hosted content is selected.
  8. Paste your video link into the URL field.
  9. Click Save lesson.

Note: some platforms (such as YouTube) require an embed URL rather than a standard share link. If you see an error after adding your link, verify that you have used the correct URL format. See: Why is my embedded content not working?

Important Considerations

  • All Thinkific plans have a monthly bandwidth limit on videos. This applies to videos uploaded directly to Thinkific only — externally hosted videos embedded via a link (such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Loom) are served by the external platform and do not count toward your Thinkific bandwidth limit. Learn more: Understanding Video Bandwidth Limits.
  • There is a 2GB file size limit per video uploaded directly to Thinkific. This limit does not apply to externally hosted videos embedded via a link.
  • Adding text and downloads to a video lesson is not available in the Legacy Course Player. See how to update your Course Player.

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