Word online (in a web browser) can now embed live web content like videos from YouTube or a quiz from Forms
Embedded content is fully interactive within the Word document. Play the video, fill in the form/quiz.
No special command or ribbon button necessary. Just paste in the web link, Word will embed the content if it’s one of the known and accepted sites (see below).
Pasting in a YouTube link (then space or Enter) gets converted into two things:
- Web link with title of the page
AND
- Embedded content, in this case Peter’s Nepal video.
Click on the play button to view the video within the Word document.
Press Undo (Ctrl + Z) to reverse the embedding and leave the web link. Ctrl + Y (Redo) will restore the embedded content.
Delete or move either the text link or the embedded content. Once in the document, you can move it just like any other document object.
Sadly, there’s no direct way to format the embedded content. No resizing, wrapping around text etc. No embedding within a table either.
Embedded content or hyperlink?
After pasting, there’s a little selection pane at bottom right of the embedded content. It’s similar to the paste options selector in Word but this gives special pasting choices:
Display As
Embedded Content – the default, a full size box in the document.
Hyperlink – the pasted web link ‘in the clear’
The feature works the same way for other embedded content. For example, a Microsoft Form that can be completed within the Word document. A link is also inserted (but just as ‘Microsoft Forms’ not the form title).
Supported Content
Currently these links / content are supported.
- Youtube
- Vimeo
- TED Talks
- Microsoft Forms
- Microsoft Stream
- Microsoft Sway
- Buncee
- Wakelet
- Genial.ly
- Wizer
- Flipgrid Shorts
- SlideShare
Microsoft says that any additional sources will be listed here when/if they become available.
Word for Windows or Mac
Embedding live content isn’t supported in desktop Word or the Word mobile apps … not yet anyway.
The content shows up as a static image only – no playing or interaction is possible.
But the objects are still editable. You can move or delete them in other Word programs.
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