Can background videos in Webflow be enabled on mobile?

Background videos in Webflow are disabled by default on mobile devices to preserve performance and data usage, and Webflow does not provide a built-in way to force-enable them on mobile.

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1. Why Background Videos Are Disabled on Mobile

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• Mobile browsers (especially Safari on iOS) restrict autoplay of background videos unless muted and without user interaction.
• Webflow automatically hides background videos on mobile (both landscape and portrait breakpoints) to ensure better load times and user experience.

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2. Workarounds for Mobile Background Video

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You cannot directly override this using Webflow’s native Background Video element, but you can create a custom workaround using a muted HTML5 video element:

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• Use a standard Video Embed or Custom Code block in place of the Background Video element.
• Ensure the video tag includes:
• muted
• playsinline
• autoplay
• loop
• Upload video to a third-party server (like Dropbox, Vimeo Pro, or AWS) and embed it via video tag in an Embed element.
• Example video tag (do not include as raw code, implement via Embed component):
• <video autoplay muted loop playsinline>

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3. Styling Considerations

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• To simulate a true background video:
• Set the video to position: absolute; and place it behind other content using z-index.
• Ensure full height and width coverage, using 100vw and 100vh for dimensions.

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4. Performance Warning

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• For mobile users on limited data or slower devices, background videos can significantly impact load speed and performance.
• Consider offering an image fallback or background gradient for better mobile optimization.

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Summary

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Webflow disables background videos on mobile by default, and there is no native way to re-enable them. However, you can simulate background video behavior by embedding a muted, autoplaying video manually via a custom HTML embed, ensuring it’s styled properly and mindful of performance impacts.