How can I make a lightbox link play a video immediately after being clicked in Webflow, without displaying the second play button from the embedded Vimeo video?

TL;DR
  • Build a custom lightbox using div blocks and an embed component instead of Webflow’s native Lightbox.  
  • Embed the Vimeo video with parameters like autoplay=1, muted=1, and controls=0 to autoplay and hide controls.  
  • Use Webflow interactions to show the modal on click and hide it on close, optionally adding a script to reset video playback when closing.

To auto-play a Vimeo video in a Lightbox and avoid showing a second Vimeo play button, you need to modify how the video is embedded within Webflow's Lightbox component.

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1. Use a Custom Lightbox Instead of Webflow’s Native Lightbox

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  • Webflow’s native Lightbox element doesn't support modifying the embedded Vimeo URL parameters like autoplay=1 or controls=0.
  • To bypass this limitation, you need to build a custom lightbox interaction using a div block, an embed component for the video, and Webflow interactions.

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2. Prepare the Custom Lightbox Elements

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  • Create a Trigger Element: This could be a thumbnail or any clickable element.
  • Add a Lightbox Modal: Create a div block (e.g., lightbox-wrapper) that's initially hidden.
  • Inside it, add:
  • A background overlay.
  • A close button.
  • A div block for the video embed.

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3. Embed the Vimeo Video with Autoplay and Hidden Controls

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  • Use a Webflow Embed component and insert the Vimeo iframe with these URL parameters:
  • autoplay=1: Starts the video automatically.
  • background=1 or controls=0: Hides video player controls.
  • muted=1: Required by most browsers for auto-play to work.
  • Typical Vimeo embed URL:
  • https://player.vimeo.com/video/VIDEO_ID?autoplay=1&muted=1&controls=0&loop=0&title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

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Replace `VIDEOID` with your actual Vimeo video ID._

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4. Set Up Interactions in Webflow

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  • On click of the trigger element:
  • Set the lightbox-wrapper to display as flex or block.
  • Use a Show/Hide interaction to fade it in.
  • This will show the video and autoplay immediately.
  • On click of the close button:
  • Use an interaction to hide the lightbox-wrapper.
  • Optionally use jQuery (via an embed) to reset the iframe src to stop playback.

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5. Optional: Reset Video on Close

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  • In your page’s Before </body> custom code section, add this script:

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<script>
  $('.close-button').click(function() {
    var iframe = $('.vimeo-embed iframe');
    iframe.attr('src', iframe.attr('src'));
  });
</script>

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  • This reloads the video and stops playback when the modal is closed.

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Summary

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Webflow’s native Lightbox doesn't allow autoplay or hiding the second Vimeo play button. To achieve full control, build a custom lightbox using a div modal and embed the Vimeo video with autoplay=1, muted=1, and controls=0 in the URL. Use interactions to show/hide the lightbox and optionally reset playback on close.

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