Missing Video from Web Site Option in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows

Until some time ago, you could insert a video clip from a web site such as YouTube into your PowerPoint slide. Within PowerPoint 2010, this Insert Online Videos option lets you easily achieve an acceptable result. Within the Insert tab of the Ribbon, you would find a Video button. Click the button, and there would be three options in the resultant menu. This included the Video from Web Site option, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1, below.

Figure 1: Video from Web Site option within the Video drop-down gallery

But magically, it may seem—this option may have disappeared from the Video drop-down gallery within PowerPoint 2010. Many users have reported that they only see two options now, as shown in Figure 2, below.

Figure 2: Missing Video from Web Site option within the Video drop-down gallery

So where did the third option go? Were there only two options to start with? Was the third option a figment of our imagination? Well, we do have proof within Figure 1, so let's solve this puzzle!

The third option may no longer exist for you if you installed one of the automatic updates that Microsoft provides. Many times, we just accept and install all updates without being aware of what it does, and an update named KB2553145 is what renders the Video from Web Site option unavailable.

Let's look at why this happened. As you all may be aware, the most popular site for inserting online videos is YouTube, which is owned by Google. Now Google often changes the embed code for YouTube videos to make them work better on web pages. Some of these changes crippled the option to insert online YouTube videos in PowerPoint.

Until this problem is fixed, Microsoft decided that it might be better to remove this option altogether rather than end up inserting videos that do not work! Hence, the KB2553145 update dated September 10, 2013.

You can get this option back if you uninstall this update, and Microsoft does provide a solution on their Description of the PowerPoint 2010 update: September 10, 2013 page.

Once you uninstall this update, you will restore the Video from Web Site option, as shown in Figure 1, previously on this page.

Even hereafter, any online videos you insert from YouTube may not work. To resolve these issues, follow these steps:

1. Open your presentation and navigate to the slide where you want to insert the online video clip.
2. Now, access the Insert tab of the Ribbon, and within the Media group, click the down-arrow of the Video button to bring up a drop-down gallery, as shown in Figure 1, above. From the drop-down gallery choose the Video from Web Site option.
3. Doing so brings up the Insert Video From Web Site dialog box, as shown in Figure 3, below.
4. 
   Figure 3: Insert Video From Web Site dialog box
4. Browse the YouTube web site for this tutorial we have used one of Indezine's uploaded videos. Within the YouTube web site page click the Share button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4, below. Thereafter, click the Embed button, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 4.
5. 
   Figure 4: Share and Embed buttons within YouTube
5. Doing so brings up the embed code using the new iframe code, characterized by the <iframe... opening tag, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 5, below. PowerPoint does not support the iframe embed code. Therefore you need to choose YouTube's older embed code which uses the object tag, characterized by the <object... opening tag. To get the old embed code, select the Use old embed code check-box, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 5.
6. 
   Figure 5: New embed code in YouTube

Two Styles of Embed Codes

In YouTube there are two styles of embed codes available for videos. The new embed code begins with <iframe... and supports both Flash and HTML5 video. The older style embed code begins with <object... and only supports Flash playback.
6. This step now shows the older embed code with the object tag, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 6, below. You can also choose the embed video dimensions from the available sizes or you can even opt for custom dimensions, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 6. Note that the code changes based on your selection.
7. 
   Figure 6: Old embed code in YouTube
7. As explained previously, even this embed code will not work, and you need to make some tweaks. Copy the embed code and paste it into Notepad or another text editor, as shown in Figure 7, below. Within the pasted embed code you need to change the version=3 parameters to version=2 (there are two instances highlighted in pink), and also add http: before the two instances of the YouTube hyperlinks (text highlighted in yellow). Figure 7 shows the code provided by YouTube.
8. 
   Figure 7: Old embed code copied within Notepad
8. Figure 8, below shows changes made to the embed code. Note that the two instances of version=3 are changed to version=2 (text highlighted in pink). And http: is added before the two instances of the YouTube hyperlinks (text highlighted in yellow). Compare Figures 7 and 8.
9. 
   Figure 8: Changed embed code in Notepad
9. Now, copy the changed embed code and paste it into Insert Video From Web Site dialog box, as shown in Figure 9, below. Once done, click the Insert button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 9.
10. 
    Figure 9: Changed embed code pasted within the Insert Video From Web Site dialog box

Certificate Message Warning

If you get a certificate message warning, you may go ahead and click the Yes button. Make sure that you do ask your system administrator if this is OK?
10. Doing so will place the online video into your PowerPoint slide, as shown in Figure 10, below. You can resize this video as required, by dragging the handles.
11. 
    Figure 10: Online video inserted on PowerPoint slide
11. Now, run in slide show view to test the video playing. There will likely be a delay while your video loads.

Connected Online

You must be connected to the internet when you play your movie within the presentation. Also, do remember that any video formatting you add such as shapes or video effects will not work with inserted web videos.
12. Save your presentation often.