How to Add Autoplay Video Backgrounds to Shopify (Without Killing Your Speed Score)

By Valkyrie Built | Updated: January 20, 2026

A static image is worth a thousand words. A video is worth a million.

If you look at the homepages of Rolex, Tesla, or Balenciaga, they almost always open with a silent, cinematic video loop. It sets a mood that a JPG simply cannot.

But most Shopify store owners are afraid of video. They think it will slow their site to a crawl. And if you do it wrong (like embedding a YouTube link or using a massive GIF), it absolutely will.

In this guide, we will show you how to implement a native HTML5 video background that loads instantly and plays automatically on mobile.

The Rule: Never Use YouTube/Vimeo Embeds

If you paste a YouTube iframe into your hero section, you are forcing the user to download the entire YouTube player, tracking scripts, and UI before they see your content. It looks cheap and loads slowly.

The Solution: You must host the video file yourself (Shopify Files) and use the raw HTML5 <video> tag.

Step 1: Compress Your Video

You cannot upload a 50MB 4K file. It needs to be under 5MB.

1. Export your video as `.mp4`.
2. Run it through a compressor (like Handbrake).
3. Remove the Audio track (this saves data and browsers require silence for autoplay).
4. Upload the file to Content > Files in Shopify.
5. Copy the URL.

Step 2: The HTML Code

Create a custom Liquid section (e.g., hero-video.liquid). We need to use specific attributes to bypass mobile "Autoplay blocking."

  
  
  

    
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Critical Attributes:

• muted: Browsers WILL NOT autoplay video if it has sound.
• playsinline: Prevents the video from going "Full Screen" automatically on iPhones.
• poster: Shows a static image while the video downloads (prevents a black screen).

Step 3: The CSS (Cover the Screen)

We need the video to act like a background image—stretching to fill the box without distorting.

.video-hero-container {
  position: relative;
  width: 100%;
  height: 90vh; /* 90% of the screen height */
  overflow: hidden;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
}

.video-background {
  position: absolute;
  top: 50%;
  left: 50%;
  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
  min-width: 100%;
  min-height: 100%;
  width: auto;
  height: auto;
  object-fit: cover; /* Keeps aspect ratio correct */
  z-index: -1;
}

.hero-content {
  z-index: 1;
  color: white;
  text-align: center;
}

Summary

Video is not the enemy of speed. Bad code is the enemy of speed.

By using the native <video> tag and compressing your assets, you can have a "Heavy" looking site that is actually "Lightweight" in code.

Want a site that looks like a movie? Let's build it.