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While Microsoft Word allows you to add and play a video directly in your document, Google Docs does not currently offer this same feature. If you want to embed a video in your Google document, we will show you some solutions to make it happen.
1. Use video preview
When you embed a YouTube video link in Google Docs, you can take an additional action to display that link differently. With this comes the option to preview the video in your document window. This is a handy way to use accessible videos with a URL.
RELATED: How to embed files and calendar events in Google Docs
Type or paste the link to the video into your document. You’ll see a short message asking if you want to display the video title instead of the link. Select this message or use Tab to accept.
When the link appears as the title of the video, hover over it. You will see the smart chip for video. Move the cursor to the smart chip, and then click “Open Preview”.
You can then watch the video in the player at the bottom right corner of your screen.
Hover over the video to display the controls. When you’re done watching, just click the X at the top right of the video to close the player.
2. Copy from Google Slides to Drawing Tool
Another option for inserting a video into Google Docs is to use a combination of Google Slides and the drawing tool. This method works well for video links or those saved to Google Drive.
RELATED: How to add videos and customize playback in Google Slides
Visit Google Slides and add the video to a slide using Insert > Video in the menu. Use the “Search”, “By URL” or “Google Drive” tab to locate your video. Then click “Select” to insert it.
When the video appears on the slide, copy it. You can do this by right-clicking and selecting “Copy” or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C on Windows or Command + C on Mac.
Go back to your document in Google Docs and create a drawing using Insert > Drawing > New from the menu.
Paste the video that is on your clipboard into the Drawing window. Right click and choose “Paste” or use the shortcut Ctrl + V on Windows or Command + V on Mac.
When the video appears in the drawing window, select “Save and Close”.
You will now see an image of the video in your document.
To play the video, double-click on that image and hit the Play button when the video opens in the drawing tool.
You can hover over the video to display the playback controls. When you’re done looking, just close the drawing window.
3. Install a plugin
If none of the above solutions meet your needs, there is one more option. You can install a third-party Google Docs plugin called DocuTube Viewer. With it, you can play one or more videos in a sidebar in your document.
RELATED: The best Google Docs plugins
Visit the Google Workspace Marketplace and install the tool as you would any other Google Docs add-on. Go back to Google Docs and put a link to your video in your document. You can even insert more than one video link if you want.
Go to Extensions in the menu, move to DocuTube Viewer and choose “View” in the popup menu.
When the plugin opens in the sidebar, click “Load Videos”.
All the videos from the links in your document are then loaded in the sidebar. Just hit play for the one you want and you can watch it in the sidebar. Hover over the video to pause and resume normally.
Whichever method you decide to use, at least you have options for inserting a video into Google Docs. If you’re looking for other ways to add images to your documents, consider inserting a flowchart or diagram.
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