How can I add a video to my homepage using the Debut theme?

Store Design

Topic summary

Goal: add a video to the homepage using the Debut theme (video file is 15 MB, under Shopify’s 20 MB asset limit). The poster can’t upload/use the mp4 directly on the homepage and notes there’s no “Show HTML” option.

Key clarification: while you can upload files to Shopify (e.g., for selling digital products), Debut’s homepage video section requires a YouTube or Vimeo URL. Directly hosting/embedding the mp4 for homepage display isn’t supported and is discouraged for performance reasons (page speed and potential technical issues).

Theme context: Debut is a Vintage theme. Older themes often require HTML embedding via the Rich Text Editor for certain placements, which can be limiting.

Suggested path:

  • Host the video on YouTube or Vimeo and add it to the Debut homepage via the Video section.
  • Consider migrating to Online Store 2.0 (e.g., the Dawn theme) for more flexible, built-in video sections across pages without custom HTML.

Status: guidance provided; no confirmation of implementation yet. Discussion remains open.

Summarized with AI on March 1. AI used: gpt-5.
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I would like to add a video to my homepage. I am using Debut theme & basic Shopify plan. My video is 15 MB. My video is less than the 20 MB max that can be stored on Shopify. So Help docs say I should be able to upload this mp4 file to Shopify. But I cannot seem to copy the video to Shopify, or to add it to the home page.

Previous exchanges on community have asked for store address. I am not sure what format to use in providing the address of my store that is still under construction. My basic address is spray2ndstory.com My store is password protected by password “euluiz”

I am new to Shopify, so keep your comments simple.

And note that there is no "Show HTML’ button at any point in any process I have tried. This is similar to the exchanges on this forum in July where the helper seemed to be unable to understand this problem.

Best regards,

Pat Seethoff...seethoff@outlook.com

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Hi @197Opalms ,

It’s great that you’re adding video to your homepage! Visual content like that really engages visitors and is an important part of a successful content strategy.

You can certainly upload videos to your store in order to use if you want to sell digital products on Shopify.

However, in order to display a video on your homepage or website, you will need to use a YouTube or Vimeo link. There are several reasons why Shopify offers this, as opposed to hosting the video directly on your website, but the principal reason is to ensure that your website is as fast as possible.

If you embed a video directly into your theme or website, it could slow down the loading of your page significantly - not to mention the possible additional technical issues you could experience.

I know you mentioned that you’re using the Debut theme, which is a Vintage theme. You’re totally welcome to continue using Debut, but I just wanted to alert you to the fact that Shopify is now offering Online Store 2.0. This is an enhanced customization and editing platform, allowing you to do things like display videos on pages other than the Homepage on your store without having to embed them in the HTML like you currently have to through the Rich Text Editor on older themes.

I think this might really work for your own business because I had a look at your website and can see that you want to provide your visitors with enough information to make their decision (which is a great instinct to have!).

You could start with adding a theme to your store - the Dawn theme is our first Online Store 2.0 offering.

I’d highly recommend giving that a look and letting me know what you think.

If you have any other questions, I’m happy to answer them!

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