The 3 Best Ways to Insert Videos in Google Docs

In Microsoft Word, you can play a video directly inside your document, whereas in Google Docs, this feature isn't available yet. The following are some workarounds you can use to embed video in your Google Doc.

View the video preview

Google Docs lets you add YouTube video links and display them differently depending on your preferences. As a result, you will be able to preview the video in your document window. Using a URL is a convenient way to access videos.

The video's link should be typed or pasted into your document. There will be a brief message asking if you want to display the video title instead of the link. To accept this message, select it or use Tab.

Hover your cursor over the link when it appears as the video title. In the video, you'll see the Smart Chip. To view a preview of the Smart Chip, move your cursor to it and click the 'Open Preview' button.

Using the Drawing Tool, copy data from Google Slides

A video can also be inserted into Google Docs using Google Slides and the drawing tool. If you have a video link or one saved to Google Drive, this method will work well.

You can add the video to a slide by choosing Insert > Video from the menu in Google Slides. Find your video using the “Search,” “By URL,” or “Google Drive” tabs. To insert it, click 'Select'.

Copy the video when it appears on the slide. On Windows and Mac, you can right-click and choose 'Copy' or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + C. Insert > Drawing > New from the menu in your document in Google Docs to create a drawing.

In the Drawing window, paste the video you have on your clipboard. Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on Mac are shortcuts for right-clicking and choosing 'Paste'.

Select 'Save and Close' when the video appears in the Drawing window. The video image will now appear in your document. Playback controls can be displayed by hovering your cursor over the video. Simply close the drawing window when you're done watching.

You can install an add-on

In case neither of the solutions above meets your needs, there is one more option to consider. The DocuTube Viewer add-on for Google Docs can be installed from third-party sources. In your document, you can play one or more videos in a sidebar.

Install the tool from the Google Workspace Marketplace just as you would any other Google Docs add-on. Place your video link in your Google Docs document. There is no limit to how many video links you can insert.

Navigate to Extensions, click DocuTube Viewer, and select 'Watch' from the pop-out menu. As soon as you click on a link in your document, all videos from that link will load into the sidebar. Click Play for the one you want, and the sidebar will display it. When you hover your cursor over the video, you can pause and resume it.

In Google Docs, you have options for inserting a video, regardless of which method you choose. Consider adding a flowchart or diagram to your documents as another way to add visuals.