# Intro Video > Intro video in the Kinescope player: an opener from your catalog before every video, no re-editing needed. How to enable it in player settings, choose the clip, allow skipping, add a button with a link, and what viewers see. Source: https://docs.kinescope.com/video-player/intro-video/ Updated: 2026-11-13 An intro video is an opener the player shows before the main video: a logo, a course intro, or a teaser for your own materials. You don't have to edit it into every video: you choose it once in the player settings, and it plays before every video that uses this player. You can replace or turn off the intro at any time, and the videos themselves stay unchanged. > **Info:** > > You are responsible for the clip and the link. The button usually links to your own product — that is self-promotion, not advertising. If the clip or the link promotes a third party, advertising rules in your country may apply, and complying with them is up to you. ## Who this article is for * **Online schools and course authors** — need the same opener before every lesson * **Content managers** — need to promote their materials before a video and send viewers to a link * **Marketers** — need to put a seasonal or event opener on the whole catalog for a while ## How it works * The intro video is a regular video from your catalog. Upload it to the catalog first, like any other video. * The intro is set in a player template and plays before every video that uses this player. To show the intro before your whole catalog, set it in the player all your videos use. To keep some videos without the intro, assign them a different player. * One player can have one intro video. * The intro plays every time a video starts, even if the viewer has already seen it. In a playlist, the intro plays before every video. ## How to enable the intro video 1. Go to **Settings → Players** and open the player you need. You can also open the player from the video settings: **General** tab → **Player** section → **Customize player**. Learn more about templates in [Player Customization](https://docs.kinescope.com/video-player/player-customization/). 2. On the **Basic** tab, find the **Intro video** section. 3. Turn on **Enable intro video**. 4. Click **Select video**. In the **Choose file** window, find the video in your catalog and click **Add**. 5. Set up skipping and the button with a link if needed — see below. 6. Click **Save**. ![The Intro video section in player settings: a clip is selected, the button with a link is on, and skipping is allowed after 5 seconds](https://docs.kinescope.com/video-player/images/vp-intro-video-settings-01.webp) Changes apply only after you save them. **Cancel** returns the settings to the last saved state. In the player list, a player with the intro turned on is marked **Intro video on**. > **Info:** > > The intro video does not play in the preview area of the player settings. To check it, open any video that uses this player by its link. ## Choosing the clip Once you choose a clip, the section shows its poster, title, and duration. * To replace the clip, click it and choose another video. * To remove the clip, click the trash icon next to it. There is no limit on the clip duration. > **Warning:** > > Videos from an encrypted project cannot be used as an intro. They are visible in the selection window but cannot be selected. Choose a clip from a project without encryption. If the clip has a password or domain restrictions, they don't apply while the video plays as an intro: all viewers on any page with this player will see it. If the intro clip is deleted from the catalog or moved, the player settings show **Not found** and **Video has been deleted or moved** instead of its title. Meanwhile, viewers watch the main video without the intro. Choose another clip or click **Reset** to remove the unavailable one. ## Skipping the intro **Allow to skip intro** is on by default. * **On** — the viewer sees the **Skip** button. To show the button later, click the value next to the toggle (**0s** by default) and use the slider to set how many seconds after the intro starts the button appears. At 0, the button appears right away. The maximum is 300 seconds, and the value must be shorter than the clip. * **Off** — there is no **Skip** button, and the viewer watches the intro to the end. ## Button with a link You can show a button over the intro that leads to your website, course, or landing page. 1. Turn on **Button**. 2. In the **Call to action** field, enter the button label — up to 24 characters. 3. In the **URL** field, enter the page address starting with `http://` or `https://`. If the address is invalid, **Enter a valid URL** appears under the field. The link opens in a new tab. Clicking the intro itself opens nothing: the link works only through the button. If you turn off **Button**, the button label and the URL are cleared. ## What viewers see * The intro plays before the main video. At the bottom left are the **Intro video** label and the button with a link, if you added one. * If skipping is allowed, the **Skip** button appears at the bottom right. Until it becomes available, a countdown in seconds is shown in its place. After the viewer clicks it, the main video starts from the beginning. * When the intro ends, the main video starts. ![The intro video in the player: the Intro video label, the button with a link, and the Skip button](https://docs.kinescope.com/video-player/images/vp-intro-video-viewer-02.webp) If the intro does not start playing within 5 seconds, the player goes straight to the main video. Viewers with an ad blocker don't see the intro, and the main video starts right away. ## Where the intro video works * **Works** — in the Kinescope web player: by video link, in the player embedded on a website, and in playlists. * **Works before DRM-protected videos** — the protected main video plays as usual. * **Doesn't work** — in live streams, before audio files, and in mobile SDKs. ## Availability and permissions * The intro video is available on paid plans. On the free plan, the section settings are inactive, and hovering over them shows **Available on paid plans**. * Users with the **Administrator**, **Editor Plus**, and **Editor** roles can set up the intro video. Other roles don't have permission to change player settings. * Intro views count toward the workspace traffic just like views of other videos. ## What's next? * **[Player Customization](https://docs.kinescope.com/video-player/player-customization/)** — player templates, appearance, and behavior * **[Embedding](https://docs.kinescope.com/video-player/embedding/)** — the player embed code for your website * **[Team Access Rights Management](https://docs.kinescope.com/team-management/team-access-rights/)** — user roles in the workspace Still have questions? Write to the support chat within the Kinescope interface — our specialists will help!