How can the appearance of the play button in the Webflow video module be customized to have a circle background instead of the default Vimeo rectangle shape?
TL;DR
- Use a custom embed block instead of Webflow’s native video element to allow customization.
- Create a thumbnail with a centered circular play button overlay using styled divs.
- Use Webflow interactions to hide the overlay and load the Vimeo video with autoplay on click.
- Add
loading="lazy"to the iframe for better performance.
To customize the appearance of the play button in a Webflow video module so that it has a circular background instead of the default Vimeo rectangle, follow these steps:
1. Use a Custom Vimeo Embed Instead of Webflow’s Native Video Element
- Webflow’s native Video component uses an iframe that doesn’t allow for customizing the play button.
- To gain control over the play button’s appearance, embed the video using a custom embed block instead.
- Go to Components → Embed, then paste the Vimeo iframe embed code (from Vimeo’s share options).
2. Add a Custom Overlay with Your Own Play Button
- Instead of relying on Vimeo’s default player UI, create your own thumbnail and play button overlay.
- Upload a static image (screenshot or thumbnail of the video) and place a div block with a circle background and play icon over it.
- Style the div:
- Width/Height: e.g., 60px each
- Border Radius: 100% (to make it a circle)
- Background Color: your desired color
- Positioning: Absolute Center (add position: absolute and set top: 50% / left:50% with transform: translate(-50%, -50%))
3. Add Interactions to Load the Video on Click
- Use Webflow Interactions to:
- Hide the overlay and
- Replace the thumbnail with the actual Vimeo embed when the circle play button is clicked.
- Alternatively, dynamically load the video using
?autoplay=1in the Vimeo URL: - Prepare an embed block with the iframe code like
https://player.vimeo.com/video/VIDEO_ID?autoplay=1 - On click, replace the overlay with this iframe using Webflow interactions or custom code.
4. Optional: Use Lazy Loading for Performance
- In the iframe, add
loading="lazy"to improve load time.
Summary
To create a circular play button instead of Vimeo's default rectangle, avoid Webflow’s native video element and use a custom embed with your own styled play button overlay. Trigger loading the Vimeo video on click using interactions or autoplay in the iframe.