Why does one Vimeo video not display in the Webflow preview, even though it is set to public and embeddable, while other Vimeo videos work fine and can be embedded using the HTML Embed widget?
TL;DR
- Ensure the Vimeo video is public or unlisted, with embedding allowed for your Webflow domain.
- Use the correct iframe embed URL format (
https://player.vimeo.com/video/VIDEO_ID) and test outside Webflow or in incognito mode to rule out caching or browser errors.
If one Vimeo video doesn't display in Webflow preview while others do, the issue is likely caused by specific restrictions on that video's settings or embed parameters.
1. Check Vimeo Video Privacy Settings
- Ensure the video is set to Public or at least unlisted with embedding allowed.
- In Vimeo, go to Video Settings > Privacy, verify:
- Who can watch is set to Anyone or People with the link.
- Where can this video be embedded is set to Anywhere or Specific domains (and includes
webflow.ioif using Webflow preview). - If it's set to Specific domains, make sure you've added
webflow.ioand your custom domain (if applicable).
2. Confirm Allow Embedding Is Enabled
- Under Privacy > Where can this be embedded, ensure embedding is not disabled.
- Even if the video is public, it won’t render in an iframe (e.g., via Webflow’s HTML Embed) if embedding is disabled.
3. Inspect the Embed Link or URL
- In the Webflow Embed element, make sure the iframe src is correctly formatted (like
https://player.vimeo.com/video/VIDEO_ID). - Do not use share links like
https://vimeo.com/VIDEO_ID—they won't work in iframe. - Check for unusual characters or parameters in the embed code that might interfere in Webflow.
4. Use Incognito Mode or Browser Console
- Test the video in the Webflow Designer preview and live site in an incognito browser to ensure it's not a cached issue.
- Open the browser’s developer tools (Inspector > Console) to see if there are cross-origin errors, 403 (Forbidden), or other relevant logs when the video attempts to load.
5. Try the Video Outside Webflow
- Test the embed code directly in a blank HTML file outside Webflow to ensure Vimeo isn’t blocking it regardless of Webflow use.
- If it fails outside too, the issue is 100% at Vimeo’s end (likely privacy or embed restrictions).
Summary
The Vimeo video likely has restrictive embed settings—check that it's public or unlisted, and embedding is allowed anywhere or at least from your Webflow domain. Also make sure the embed URL is correct. Other videos work because their settings are less restrictive.