#  OpenCast Video Embed Tool 

 





*Videos hosted in DCE OpenCast can be embedded directly in your DCE Canvas site pages for use in modules, assignments, and more.*



 

July 07, 2026

 

 

 

*A video tutorial of this topic,* [***Using the OpenCast Embed Tool in Canvas***](https://teachingandlearning.knowledgeowl.com/docs/opencast-video-embed-tool)*, is also available.*



 

##  How to embed the OpenCast video player in your Canvas page 

To embed an [OpenCast](https://teach.dce.harvard.edu/news/2026/03/what-opencast-and-why-should-i-use-it) video in your Canvas page, go to the page where you will want the video, and click “Edit” to enter edit mode. Place your cursor where you would like to insert a video player.



 

    ![A home page in Canvas. Near the top of the page content are two gray buttons, labeled “Assign To” and “Edit”. The Edit button is circled in red.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-07/edit_page.png?itok=1D92TUgn) 

 



 

  

##  Locating the Embed Tool App 

Look for the “Apps” button, which is an icon of an electrical plug. If you don’t see it, click the 3 dots icon for “More”.



 

  ![A Canvas page in edit mode. Above the text editing field is a row of tool buttons for formatting text, including boldface, italic, text color, etc. On the far right, circled in red, is a button with three dots stacked vertically.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/2026-07/more_dots.png)

 



 

  

 

  ![A Canvas page in edit mode. Above the text editing field are several rows of tool buttons. Among them, circled in red, is a button with an icon of an electrical plug.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/2026-07/plug_icon.png)

 



 

  

 

 

 

 

When you click on the plug, you should get a dropdown menu with the apps that are available. If you do not see “Opencast Video Embed Tool”, select “View All”, and choose it from the list of apps.



 

  ![A dropdown menu below a button with an electrical plug icon. Menu options are “Opencast Video Embed Tool” and “View All.”](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/2026-07/tool_dropdown.png)

 



 

  

 

  ![A window titled “All Apps.” Below the title is a search bar, followed by a list including “Library Reserves,” “Opencast Video Embed Tool,” “Vimeo,” and “YouTube.”](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/2026-07/all_apps.png)

 



 

  

 

 

 

 

Select the tool, and a popup window will open.



 

##  Choosing the video 

If there are already OpenCast videos associated with this particular semester’s offering of your course, you will see them listed. If no episodes are found, and you are not already working with the Classroom Video Production and OpenCast Services team for your video hosting, please reach out for assistance in uploading your material or retrieving it from archives.



 

  ![A window titled “Opencast Video Embed Tool.” Below the title are two tabs, currently on the one titled “Episodes.” To the right is an unselected tab circled in red, titled “Series.” On the current tab below the title is a text field reading “Filter,” and a Search button, followed by a checked box labeled “Filtered by PSYC E-1358 Section 1 (26283) this course’s recordings.” The area below reads “No episodes found. 0 items.”](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/2026-07/no_episodes_found.png)

 



 

  

 

  ![A window titled “Opencast Video Embed Tool.” Below the title are two tabs, currently on the one titled “Series.” To the left is an unselected tab titled “Episodes.” On the current tab below the title is a text field reading “PSYC E-1356,” and a Search button. The area below contains a tile which reads “PSYC E-1356, Evolutionary Psychology, Max Krasnow, CRN 26283 (1999-01)”, with a blue “Select” button. The text reading “1999-01” is circled in red.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/2026-07/Series_1999-01.png)

 



 

  

 

 

 

 

If you have been working with Classroom Video Production, your videos are probably located in a series which is not associated with any particular semester, so they will remain in our active catalog for re-use. Go to the “Series” tab, and if necessary, filter to your course number or the series number given to you by your video producer. You are looking for the instance that has 1999-01 listed as the semester. Click “Select.”

You should now see tiles for each video available in that series.



 

    ![Three video tiles, each containing the video title, a thumbnail image, file metadata, and two blue buttons labeled “Select” and “Preview”. Metadata lists a person’s name, course title, date, time, and video length.](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-07/video_tiles.png?itok=TbJMdEZd) 

 



 

  

Once you find the video you want, click “Select” to embed the entire video.

If you instead click “Preview,” an editor window opens where you can play the video to confirm the content. If you want to embed only a portion of the video, such as a certain topic within a lecture, you can set the start and end points of your clip here.



 

##  Editing the embedded video 

 

    ![A video player containing an image of three blue smiley faces holding hammers, with arrows drawn between them. Controls at the bottom of the player include a Play icon, icons to rewind 10 seconds or advance 30 seconds, icon for audio, volume indicator, video timestamp, video length, keyboard shortcut icon, closed captions icon, video layout icon, and gear icon. Below the player text reads “Range shown: 00:00:45 - 00:07:19, Range duration: 00:06:34.” Under the text is a gray bar with two sliders. The area be](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-07/embed_editor.png?itok=TbFsbWOo) 

 



 

  

When the preview video appears, play the video and find the beginning and end of the section you want. Note the times shown in the player for these in and out points. Then drag the two sliders along the blue bar to those points according to “Range Shown.” You can check that your selection is correct by playing the video again, and you should now see only the portion you wanted.

When you are satisfied with your start and end points, click “Select,” and the edited video will appear in your page editor.

When finished, don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the editing page and save your work.



 

    ![A horizontal row of three buttons. The left button is labeled with the Canvas accessibility tool icon. The center button is labeled “Cancel.” The right button is labeled “Save.”](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-07/save_button.png?itok=55YB6P10) 

 



 

  

##  Playback restrictions 

Why does it say on the video selection tile that students in your class may not be able to access these recordings, and to check with the Classroom Video Production and OpenCast Services team?



 

    ![A yellow box which contains text that reads “Students in PSYC E-1356 Section 1 (26283) may not be able to access recordings in this series (19990126283). Email production @dce.harvard.edu to verify access.”](/sites/g/files/omnuum4411/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2026-07/access_warning.png?itok=s-C08TUt) 

 



 

  

One of the advantages of the OpenCast system is the ability to limit playback access to only certain groups of users. By default, they will be locked down to just you and the staff associated with OpenCast Services. This prevents other instructors or Canvas administrators who may find your videos from using them on other sites without permission. However, if you do not update your access request to include your own current semester’s group of students, they will not be able to play the video either, even if you embed it.

The most secure way to set your video access for students is to request every time that the current or upcoming semester’s cohort be added to the access. For this setting, include the course number and semester of the course using it, or a link to your Canvas site.

Alternatively, you can request that all HarvardKey users be able to play your videos. In this case you will not need to contact us again to update the access groups every time you use the videos, but it is possible that they could be used by others at Harvard.



 

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##  Contact 

For questions or assistance with OpenCast Embed Tool for Canvas, or to update or check status of your video access parameters, contact Classroom Video Production and OpenCast Services at production @dce.harvard.edu

Article by Kriss Barnhart, Associate Director for Classroom Video Production and OpenCast Services, Harvard Division of Continuing Education, April 2026