How to Add Video to Gallery Sections in Squarespace 7.1
Squarespace 7.1 makes it easy to showcase visuals with clean, modern Gallery Sections perfect for portfolios, product photos, or storytelling. But if you’ve ever wanted to mix videos and images in the same gallery, you’ve likely run into a roadblock: native video support just isn’t there.
The good news? With a few creative workarounds, you can still display videos seamlessly alongside images in a way that feels natural, responsive, and polished. Whether you want a clickable video thumbnail, a mixed-media layout with Summary Blocks, or a fully customizable third-party widget, there’s a method for every skill level.
The Limitation: Gallery Sections Don't Natively Support Video
In Squarespace 7.1, Gallery Sections (Grid, Slideshow, Carousel, or Stack) only allow image uploads, not direct video embeds or file uploads like .mp4.
That means you cannot upload videos into a gallery or embed YouTube/Vimeo videos directly in the same way you insert images.
But that doesn't mean it’s impossible.
With a little creativity, you can display videos and images side-by-side, maintain a gallery-like structure, and offer a polished user experience.
Method 1: Using Clickable Video Thumbnails In The Gallery
This is the most commonly used method and best-looking option. Here’s how it works:
Use Case:
Show a video in the gallery by pretending it is an image and make it show a video -Cover Image – on top of the video.
Steps:
Snap a screenshot or thumbnail of your video
Upload that image to your Gallery Section and pretend it’s a photo.
Click the image. → Include a click link (YouTube, Vimeo or custom video page)
Either allow “open in new window” or use a lightbox plug-in for a cleaner experience.
Optional Upgrade:
Embed a video lightbox (Fancybox, LightGallery, etc.) script through Code Injection and make sure that the video opens in a pop-up overlay instead of navigating away from the site.
This approach gives you responsive videos that naturally sit in your image gallery but match your gallery on mobile.
Method 2: Use a Summary Block for Mixed Media Galleries
Summary Blocks of Squarespace are a powerful feature that can pull content from blog posts, products, or portfolios.
Use Case:
Show blog posts or portfolio items with a possible image or video in each entry.
Steps:
Write several blog or portfolio posts
Some posts add images; others embed YouTube or Vimeo videos
Add a Summary Block (Grid or Carousel) to a page.
If required, you can sort by category or tag
You've got a mixed-media Summary Block that incorporates images and videos!
A brilliant way to go if you’re a creator, producer, educator or brand featuring various formats of content.
Method 3: Use a Third-Party Video Gallery Widget
If you want the fastest no-code solution with maximum design flexibility, try a third-party widget like
Elfsight Video Gallery for Squarespace
Juicer.io for social media and video streams
How to Use:
Go to the widget site (e.g., Elfsight)
Customize your gallery (video & image upload, layout, captions, controls)
Copy the embed code
Paste into a Squarespace Code Block
You’ll have complete control over transitions, captions, autoplay, and design—without touching a line of code.
What Doesn’t Work
| Attempt | Why It Fails |
|---|---|
| Uploading .mp4 videos to Gallery Sections | Not supported |
| Embedding <video> or <iframe> inside image blocks | Code gets stripped |
| Combining images & videos in native gallery blocks | No official feature support |
Bonus Tip: Create a Video Background Gallery Feel
If you want the visual vibe of a video within your gallery flow:
Use a background video in a section (Design → Edit Section → Background → Video)
Combine with images above or below in separate Gallery Sections
Adjust spacing and overlays to keep it fluid
This trick gives your layout rhythm without needing to force images and videos into the same block.
Final Thoughts
While Squarespace 7.1 does not natively allow gallery sections with videos, nothing is stopping us from finding a solution to this limitation. Using video thumbnails, Summary Blocks, or third-party widgets, you can craft a gallery that appears polished and gives your visitors the mixed-media experience they've come to expect.
The key is choosing the right approach for your needs:
Thumbnails are great for lightweight, simple galleries.
Summary Blocks are perfect for creatives with a variety of content
Third-party widgets offer the most flexibility with advanced features
With these tactics, you can take your average Squarespace gallery and reinvent it into an interactive, multimedia presentation that takes your brand to the next level and gets users playing with your content.
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. Gallery Sections in 7.1 accept images only. To include video, use a clickable thumbnail that links to YouTube/Vimeo, a Summary Block that pulls posts with embeds, or a third-party widget.
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Use a video thumbnail. Upload an image to the Gallery, set a Clickthrough URL to your YouTube/Vimeo link, and enable open-in-new-window or connect a lightbox script so it plays in an overlay.
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Build posts or portfolio items where some entries contain images and others contain video embeds, then surface them with a Summary Block (Grid or Carousel). Use tags or categories to control what appears.
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Involve a third-party widget—Elfsight Video Gallery, for example. Set up your layout, and paste the embed into a Code Block. There are controls for transitions, captions, autoplay, and styling.
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Gallery items can’t accommodate video, and embeds in Image Blocks get stripped. Instead, you can link gallery thumbnails to a hosted video, use a Summary Block for mixed media, or embed a dedicated video gallery widget.
