Install SmartVideo on LifterLMS

LifterLMS is a popular WordPress LMS plugin for building and selling courses. Because LifterLMS runs on WordPress, you can use the SmartVideo WordPress plugin’s built-in [smartvideo] shortcode to deliver ad-free, optimized video straight into your lessons - no YouTube branding or “recommended videos” pulling students away from your course.

If you don’t have a SmartVideo account yet, create one at dash.swarmify.com/signup. Once you’re registered, head back here to get set up.

Step 1: Install the SmartVideo WordPress plugin

1. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New.
2. Search for SmartVideo and install the plugin published by Swarmify.
3. Activate the plugin.
4. Copy the Swarm CDN Key from the Dashboard tab, the first screen after you log in to your Swarmify Dashboard.
5. From the WordPress admin sidebar, click SmartVideo, paste your unique Swarm CDN Key into the field on the Setup tab, and click Enable SmartVideo.

The plugin handles the JavaScript snippet for you, so you don’t need to paste anything into your theme header.

Already have lesson videos on Vimeo? With the plugin activated and Vimeo auto-conversion on, existing Vimeo embeds convert automatically — no embed code changes required. SmartVideo imports Vimeo videos whose Who can watch setting is Anyone; password-protected and Only me videos stay on Vimeo. Open each lesson page containing a Vimeo embed once while logged in. See Migrating from Vimeo to SmartVideo.

Step 2: Add the [smartvideo] shortcode to your lesson

In the lesson editor, paste the shortcode anywhere in the lesson’s content body:

[smartvideo src="https://your-video.example.com/file.mp4"]

Replace the src value with the direct URL of your hosted MP4 (your own server, S3, Dropbox direct link, your WordPress Media Library, etc.). Swarmify fetches, optimizes, and delivers it from there.

The source must return the video bytes to an anonymous request, without a login, and remain available for as long as the video is embedded. Do not use an expiring or signed URL.

That source URL is written into your page’s HTML, so anyone viewing your page source can find it. If keeping the original out of reach matters to you, upload the video to your SmartVideo Library and embed the swarmify:// reference instead.

That’s it - the player renders right in the lesson, and SmartVideo’s script loads only on pages that contain a video.

A note on the “Video Embed URL” field: LifterLMS’s dedicated video field (in the lesson’s settings) only accepts embed URLs from oEmbed providers like YouTube or Vimeo - it won’t render a shortcode. Put the [smartvideo] shortcode in the lesson content body instead; it displays in the same place visually for most themes.

A note on the Advanced Videos add-on: LifterLMS’s optional Advanced Videos add-on ties lesson completion to watch progress for its supported providers only. SmartVideo lessons use LifterLMS’s standard mark-complete flow, which works normally.

Optional shortcode attributes

If you need them, the [smartvideo] shortcode supports the same attributes as the HTML tag:

[smartvideo src="https://your-video.example.com/file.mp4"
            poster="https://your-video.example.com/cover.jpg"
            controls="true"]

Supported attributes: poster, width, height, aspect_ratio, responsive, autoplay, muted, loop, controls, playsinline, preload.

What happens after I install?

The first time a lesson loads, Swarmify fetches your source MP4 and starts re-encoding it for optimized delivery. This usually takes about as long as the video runs, so a 10-minute lesson video takes about 10 minutes. While it’s processing, the player still works - it just serves the original until the optimized version is ready.

If a lesson video doesn’t appear after publishing:

• Make sure the src URL points to a direct video file (.mp4, .webm, etc.), not a YouTube or Vimeo page URL.
• Check that the SmartVideo plugin is activated and connected under SmartVideo in your WordPress admin sidebar.
• If the lesson is restricted to enrolled students, preview it while logged in as a test student - LifterLMS hides lesson content (including the video) from visitors who aren’t enrolled.

Related articles

• Install SmartVideo on WordPress
• Install SmartVideo on TutorLMS
• How to configure SmartVideo to work with LearnDash Video Progression

Hosting course video? See the LMS video hosting overview.

Keywords: lifterlms, lifter lms, lms, course, lesson, shortcode, [smartvideo], wordpress lms, online course