Can Webflow allow a GIF to play only once instead of looping indefinitely?

Webflow does not provide built-in controls to prevent a GIF from looping. GIFs will always loop when embedded via an Image element or background image.

1. Why GIFs Loop in Webflow

• The GIF format inherently loops unless encoded differently.
• Webflow doesn't offer image behavior settings to stop animation after one play.
• Even if manually encoded to play once, many browsers will ignore that and continue looping.

2. Solution: Convert GIF to Video Format

To control playback (like playing only once), convert the GIF to a video file and embed it instead.

• Use tools like Adobe Media Encoder, VEED.io, or EZGIF.com to convert your GIF to MP4.
• MP4 files support controls like loop off, autoplay, and muted.

3. Embed the Video in Webflow

• Add a Video element in Webflow (use the native Video component with a hosted video URL like from YouTube or Vimeo).
• To control autoplay and loop, use the HTML embed element in Webflow and insert a custom video tag:
• Insert a video tag with attributes like autoplay playsinline muted and omit loop to make it play only once.
• Note: This requires hosting your video externally (e.g. Amazon S3, Dropbox, or your own hosting).

4. Alternatives Using Lottie Animation

• If the animation is vector-based, consider exporting it as a Lottie animation from After Effects via Bodymovin.
• Lottie files in Webflow allow precise playback control (e.g., no loop, play on scroll, play once on load).

Summary

Webflow cannot prevent GIFs from looping by default. To play an animation only once, either convert the GIF to a video and embed it without the loop attribute, or use a Lottie animation for more control.