Where can you host course videos on Shopify?
Alva Courses is a Shopify app for building and selling online courses inside your store, and every video lesson in it plays from one of three places: Shopify's own file storage, a video platform you embed from, or Alva Video Hosting. All three play inside the same storefront course player, so the choice comes down to limits, cost and privacy.
Recording and editing are covered in how to make course videos. The sections below start where that leaves off: the file is exported and needs a home.
Option 1: Shopify Files (Shopify-hosted video)
Shopify Files is the storage built into every Shopify store, and the Alva Courses Video block can upload to it on both plans. Shopify caps each video at 1 GB and 10 minutes, accepts MOV, MP4 and WebM, and processes the file before it plays. It costs nothing extra and suits short clips.
The limits that actually apply
- Per video: 1 GB and 10 minutes, at up to UHD resolution, according to Shopify's own file requirements.
- Per store: a video allowance set by your Shopify plan. As of October 2026, Shopify lists 250 videos and 3D models and 50 GB of video storage for Basic stores.
- Trial stores: a Shopify store on a trial plan cannot upload video at all. The Video block warns you and suggests a YouTube, Vimeo or Loom link instead.
Shopify processes every upload into web-ready versions, which can take several minutes. Alva Courses waits for that to finish. If it runs long, the block tells you to copy the video's link from Content > Files later and paste it in.
Ten minutes is the real cap
For most lessons the clock runs out before the file size does. 1 GB over 10 minutes averages about 13 megabits per second, well above what a 1080p lesson needs, so a 25-minute lecture fails on length, not size.
Splitting a long lecture into short parts works, and short lessons are easier to finish anyway. It stops working when a topic needs 30 unbroken minutes, such as a full workout or a start-to-finish demonstration.
Privacy is the weak spot
A Shopify-hosted video plays from a permanent public address on Shopify's CDN. Alva Courses only shows a paid lesson to students with access, but anyone who copies the video's address can share it, and it keeps working while the file exists.
That makes Shopify Files a good home for trailers, welcome videos and short demos. The Shopify video limits help article covers the same caps from the admin side.
Option 2: Embed from YouTube, Vimeo or Loom
Embedding means the video stays on YouTube, Vimeo or Loom and Alva Courses shows that platform's player inside the lesson. Shopify's caps do not apply, because nothing is stored in Shopify. You paste a link, and privacy comes from the platform's own settings, which differ more than most merchants expect.
Alva Courses has YouTube and Vimeo blocks, and the Video block's Or paste video URL field accepts YouTube, Vimeo and Loom links. Paste the normal share link and the player is built for you, with no embed code to edit.
YouTube: use Unlisted, never Private
YouTube is free and its player adjusts quality to each student's connection. Set paid lessons to Unlisted so they stay out of search and off your channel page. Private videos can only be watched by you and people you invite, so they are not practical for a course.
Unlisted is not private, though. YouTube's own help centre says unlisted videos can be seen and shared by anyone with the link. YouTube also keeps its branding on the player and suggests other videos when a lesson ends.
Unverified YouTube accounts can upload 15 minutes per video. The Alva Courses YouTube block embeds through YouTube's privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com player; a YouTube link pasted into the Video block uses the standard player.
Vimeo: hide the video and lock it to your domain
Vimeo has the strongest embed controls of the three. On a paid Vimeo plan, set the video's privacy to Embed only (formerly Hide from Vimeo) so it cannot be watched on vimeo.com, then set Where can this be embedded? to Specific domains and add your store's domain.
Use Embed only rather than Unlisted for lessons. Vimeo needs an extra privacy code to play an unlisted video on another site, and Alva Courses builds the Vimeo player from the video number in your link, so Embed only is the dependable choice.
A domain-restricted video only plays on the domains you list, so test the lesson from your storefront. The editor preview inside the Shopify admin runs on a different domain and may show Vimeo's privacy message instead.
Loom: fastest for screen recordings
Loom suits quick walkthroughs and software tutorials: record, copy the share link, paste it into a Video block. Set link access so anyone with the link can view, because your students are not members of your Loom workspace.
As of October 2026, Loom's free Starter plan limits each recording to 5 minutes and each person to 25 videos, so a full course usually needs a paid Loom plan.
Step-by-step instructions are in the help article on embedding YouTube, Vimeo and Loom videos.
Option 3: Alva Video Hosting on Unlimited Pro
Alva Video Hosting stores your videos with Alva Courses instead of Shopify. It comes with the Unlimited Pro plan at $14.99 a month and includes 50 GB of storage, no per-video size or length limit beyond that space, and MP4, MOV, WebM and M4V uploads. Each video sits in a library you can reuse across lessons.
Uploading
Upload from Videos in the app menu or from a lesson's Video block. Large files go up in parts and dropped connections are retried, but an upload does not survive a page reload, so keep the tab open.
There is no encoding queue. A video shows as Ready as soon as its upload completes, and the Videos page shows how much of your 50 GB is in use.
Playback and access
Students with access to a lesson get a signed link to that one video when the lesson loads. Links expire after two hours and renew in the background while they watch, so a copied link soon stops working.
The video plays in the browser's own player with its download button hidden. That discourages casual saving, but it is not copy protection: a student who can watch a video can still save or record it.
Current limits worth knowing
Alva Video Hosting plays the file exactly as you uploaded it. It is not converted into several quality levels, so a student on a slow connection receives the same bitrate as everyone else. Export with that in mind.
Hosted videos do not get caption tracks or a custom poster image. If captions matter for a lesson, add a transcript in a Text block under the video, or host that lesson on YouTube or Vimeo, which both support caption files.
The Alva Video Hosting explained help article walks through the Video Library screen by screen.
Shopify Files vs embeds vs Alva Video Hosting
The three options trade cost against control. Shopify Files is included but short and public. Embeds avoid Shopify's caps at little or no cost, with privacy set by each platform. Alva Video Hosting costs $5 a month more than the Unlimited plan and gives you 50 GB, any video length and links that expire.
Where to host course videos on Shopify
| Shopify Files | YouTube, Vimeo, Loom | Alva Video Hosting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included in your Shopify plan; works on both Alva Courses plans | YouTube free; Vimeo domain privacy needs a paid plan; Loom's Starter tier stops at 5 minutes | Unlimited Pro, $14.99/mo, which includes everything in Unlimited |
| Per-video limit | 1 GB and 10 minutes; MOV, MP4, WebM | Set by the platform; Shopify's caps do not apply | None beyond remaining storage; MP4, MOV, WebM, M4V |
| Total space | Your Shopify plan's video allowance | The platform's | 50 GB |
| Privacy and access | Permanent public link | Platform settings: YouTube Unlisted, Vimeo Embed only and domain restriction, Loom link access | Signed links, issued only to students with access, that expire after two hours |
| Student experience | Plays in the course player after Shopify processing | Platform's own player, branding and features such as captions | Plays the uploaded file in the course player; no quality switching or captions |
| Effort | Upload in the block and wait for processing | Upload to the platform, set privacy, paste the link | Upload once, reuse from the Video Library |
How do you add a video lesson in Alva Courses?
In Alva Courses, a video is a block inside a lesson. Open the lesson, click Add Content, choose Video, then pick a source: upload to Shopify Files, paste a YouTube, Vimeo or Loom link, or, on Unlimited Pro, use a file from Alva Video Hosting. Save, then check the result in the storefront.
Open the lesson
In the Shopify admin, open Alva Courses, select your course and click the lesson that needs a video. The lesson editor opens with its content blocks and toolbar.
Add a Video block
Click Add Content and choose Video. On Unlimited Pro the block has two tabs, Shopify Files and Alva Video Hosting. On Unlimited it shows the Shopify Files upload area and the link field.
Choose the source
On Shopify Files, drop in an MP4 or MOV file of up to 1 GB and 10 minutes, or paste a link into Or paste video URL. On Alva Video Hosting, click Upload New Video or Choose from Library.
Set the size and alignment
Use Size presets (Small, Medium, Large or Full) and Alignment (Left, Center or Right) to fit the video beside your text. Alignment applies when the width is below 100%.
Save and check it in the storefront
Click Save, open the lesson in the storefront and press play. The full walkthrough is in Add a video lesson, and Video will not play covers the usual fixes.
What format and size should course videos be?
Export course videos as MP4 files with H.264 video and AAC audio at 1080p. That combination plays in practically every current browser and phone. Keep the bitrate moderate: Shopify re-encodes uploads anyway, but Alva Video Hosting plays your file as it is, so a lean export loads faster for students on slow connections.
Watch out for iPhone footage. iPhones record HEVC (H.265) video by default, and HEVC does not play in every browser. Alva Video Hosting accepts the .mov file, but convert it to H.264 MP4 first so every student can watch.
How far 50 GB goes
Storage is bitrate multiplied by running time. The figures below are rounded arithmetic for video plus audio at a constant bitrate, not a promise for any particular export setting.
- 3 Mbps, for example a screen recording: about 1.35 GB per hour, roughly 37 hours in 50 GB.
- 5 Mbps, for example a 1080p talking head: about 2.25 GB per hour, roughly 22 hours.
- 8 Mbps, for example 1080p with lots of motion: about 3.6 GB per hour, roughly 14 hours.
How do you keep course videos away from non-buyers?
Keep course videos away from non-buyers with layers rather than one lock. Alva Courses only shows a paid course's lessons to students with access, a full refund removes that access, and Alva Video Hosting adds links that expire. None of it stops a paying student from screen recording, so match the effort to the course price.
What each layer does
- Enrolment: a paid course's lessons, video blocks included, are only delivered to students who bought the course or whom you enrolled.
- Refunds: a fully refunded course line ends the student's access to that course. Refunds and course access explains the details.
- Pacing: drip scheduling and Require completion before next lesson limit how much of a course is open at once.
- Links: Alva-hosted videos use signed links that expire after two hours. Shopify-hosted files and unlisted YouTube videos have permanent links.
- Platform settings: Vimeo's domain restriction stops an embed playing on other websites.
What no setup can do
Any video a student can watch, a student can record, with screen-capture software or a phone pointed at the monitor. DRM services make capture harder on some devices, but no web video service can make a course piracy-proof.
For most course sellers the bigger risk is students who never finish. Effort spent on clear, short lessons usually pays back more than effort spent on extra locks.
What happens to hosted videos if you leave Unlimited Pro?
If your store leaves Unlimited Pro, videos already uploaded to Alva Video Hosting stay hosted and keep playing in your lessons. Nothing is deleted. Uploading new videos needs Unlimited Pro again, and you cannot browse or delete hosted videos in the Video Library until the store is back on that plan.
Shopify Files videos and embeds work on both plans, so a plan change does not touch them. Whichever option you use, keep your original exports: moving a lesson to another host means uploading the file again and changing the block's source.
Which option should you choose?
Choose by video length, privacy needs and budget. Short clips under 10 minutes fit Shopify Files. Free or low-priced courses fit unlisted YouTube. Paid courses already on Vimeo fit a domain-restricted embed. Long lectures you want kept inside your store, away from third-party players, fit Alva Video Hosting on Unlimited Pro.
- Every lesson under 10 minutes: Shopify Files on the Unlimited plan.
- A free mini-course or low-priced workshop: YouTube, set to Unlisted.
- A library already on a paid Vimeo plan: Vimeo with Embed only and Specific domains.
- Software walkthroughs recorded in Loom: Loom, with link access open to anyone with the link.
- Full-length lectures, workouts or masterclasses: Alva Video Hosting.
Mixing is fine. One course can use a Shopify-hosted trailer, a Loom walkthrough and hosted lectures side by side, because each Video block picks its own source.
Alva Courses → Videos in the app menu opens the Video Library on Unlimited Pro. To switch plans, open the app's Home page and click Upgrade on the Alva Video Hosting card under Latest updates. Billing runs through Shopify, and both plans start with a 14-day free trial. See Upgrade to Unlimited Pro and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify Files accepts videos up to 1 GB and 10 minutes long in MOV, MP4 or WebM, and a store on a Shopify trial plan cannot upload video at all. Each Shopify plan also caps how many videos a store can hold. Alva Video Hosting, on the Alva Courses Unlimited Pro plan, removes the per-video limits and provides 50 GB of storage.
Embed the video from YouTube, Vimeo or Loom, where Shopify's limits do not apply, or upload it to Alva Video Hosting on the Unlimited Pro plan, which has no per-video length or size limit beyond its 50 GB of storage. Splitting a long lecture into lessons under 10 minutes also works with Shopify Files.
It is reasonable for a free or low-priced course, but it is not private. Anyone with the link can watch and reshare an unlisted video, and the link never expires. Private YouTube videos are not an option because only you and people you invite can watch them. For paid lessons, Vimeo with domain restriction or Alva Video Hosting gives more control.
Alva Video Hosting hides the player's download button and issues links that expire after two hours, so a copied link soon stops working. That discourages casual saving but it is not copy protection: a student who can watch a video can still save or screen record it. No web video service, DRM included, can fully prevent that.
Videos already uploaded to Alva Video Hosting stay hosted and keep playing for your students, and nothing is deleted. You cannot upload new hosted videos, or browse and delete the existing ones in the Video Library, until the store is back on Unlimited Pro. Videos in Shopify Files and embedded videos are not affected.
MP4, MOV, WebM and M4V. For the widest compatibility, export MP4 files with H.264 video and AAC audio. Hosted videos play as uploaded rather than being converted, so iPhone footage recorded in HEVC may not play in every browser; convert it to H.264 before uploading.