How to embed videos in GitHub README?

 
Step 1: Understand GitHub README rendering limitations
 

GitHub renders Markdown and supports a subset of HTML tags. You cannot use custom scripts, but you can embed videos by either hosting the video file in your repository and using the HTML

• Replace VIDEO\_ID with your actual video identifier.
• Adjust width and height to fit your README layout.
• The allow attribute enables autoplay and fullscreen features.

 
Step 4: Provide a clickable fallback or thumbnail link
 

Not all users can view embedded videos (mobile previews, email notifications, etc.). It’s best practice to include a static image or text link below your embed:

[!](https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID)[Watch the video](https://img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO_ID/0.jpg)

• This creates a clickable thumbnail that opens YouTube directly.
• Use https://img.youtube.com/vi/VIDEO\_ID/0.jpg for the default YouTube preview image.

 
Step 5: Commit and verify your README
 

After updating your README.md and adding any video files:

• Stage and commit the changes:
  

  
  git add README.md assets/videos/demo.mp4
  git commit -m "Embed demo video in README"
  git push
      

• Open your repository on GitHub and confirm the video displays correctly.
• Adjust dimensions or relative paths if you encounter broken embeds.

 
Step 6: Follow best practices for performance and accessibility
 

• Keep local video files under 25 MB to avoid bloating the repo.
• Offer captions or transcripts in the description for accessibility.
• Prefer external hosting (YouTube, Vimeo, Cloud storage) for large files.
• Use descriptive alt text or link text to aid screen readers.