If people can watch your video, some of them will try to keep it. Most do it in one of five ways, and each one needs a different fix. A password on the page doesn’t stop any of them on its own.
The short answer
To stop people downloading your videos:
- Stream them, don’t serve a file. No download button, right-click turned off.
- Lock them to your site. Restrict playback to your domain and turn off any public watch page.
- Use DRM. It’s the only thing that stops download tools from saving a copy that plays.
- Add a viewer watermark. Nothing blocks a screen recording, but a watermark makes a leak traceable.
The table shows each method and what stops it. The sections below go through them one by one.
| How the video gets taken | How it works | What stops it | In Spotlightr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download button or right-click | The video is a plain MP4 file, so the player or browser offers "Save video as" | Stream the video instead of serving a file, with no download option and right-click turned off | No download option; right-click disabled |
| Copied embed code or watch page | Someone takes the embed code or the video's watch page link and uses it elsewhere | Lock playback to your own domain and turn off the public watch page | Domain restriction; watch page switched off |
| Browser extensions and download tools | A tool captures the stream as it plays and saves it as a file | DRM, so a saved copy won't play | DRM (Widevine and FairPlay) on every plan, with Force DRM |
| Shared links and logins | A paying viewer passes on the page link, or their password | Limit how many devices one account can use, and make sign-in personal | Device limits; one-time sign-in codes |
| Screen recording | Someone records the screen, or films it with a phone | Nothing blocks it. A watermark makes a leaked copy traceable | Viewer watermark (name, email or IP address) |
1. Download buttons and right-click
If your video is a plain MP4 file — uploaded to your WordPress media library, attached to a page, or linked directly — anyone can save it. The browser’s own video controls and right-click menu offer “Save video as”, and the file URL sits in the page source.
What stops it: host the video somewhere that streams it instead of handing over a file, with no download option in the player and right-click turned off. That stops casual saving. It doesn’t stop tools built to capture streams, which is what number 3 is about.
On WordPress specifically, see how to prevent video downloads in WordPress.
2. Copied embed codes and watch pages
Most video hosts give every video a public watch page, and every embed code can be pasted anywhere. So anyone who copies your embed code, or finds the watch page link in your page source, can play the video somewhere you didn’t put it.
What stops it: restrict playback to your own domain, so the embed code won’t play anywhere else, and switch off the public watch page so there’s no second door. In Spotlightr, both are settings on the video.
3. Browser extensions and download tools
This is how whole courses get ripped. Download extensions and tools capture the video stream as it plays and save it as a file. They’re free, easy to use, and they work on most video hosting, including encrypted streams.
What stops it: DRM. Spotlightr includes DRM (Widevine and FairPlay) on every plan. DRM protects playback wherever the device supports it; Force DRM blocks playback everywhere else. A download tool can still save the data, but the copy won’t play.
Basic stream encryption on its own isn’t enough here. For why, see what HLS encryption does and where it falls short.
4. Shared links and logins
Even a page behind a login can be shared: a paying viewer sends a friend the link, and their password with it. A password on a video is the same problem, one step removed.
What stops it: make access personal. Spotlightr’s device limits cap how many devices one account can watch on, and one-time sign-in codes send a fresh code to the viewer’s email instead of relying on a reusable password. For time-limited access, such as rentals or passes, access can expire on its own.
5. Screen recording
Some screen-recording software can be blocked, but nothing stops someone pointing a phone at the monitor. The quality is poor, but for a leaked course the content is what matters.
What stops it: nothing completely, on any platform. What you can do is make a recording traceable. Spotlightr’s viewer watermark puts the viewer’s name, email or IP address on the video, so a leaked copy leads back to whoever recorded it. It’s off until you switch it on. For more, see our guide to video watermarks.
Already found your video somewhere it shouldn’t be? Our video piracy guide covers takedowns as well as prevention.
On your platform
You don’t have to change platforms to protect your videos. Host them on Spotlightr and embed them where your course already lives.
– WordPress: see how to prevent video downloads in WordPress.
– LearnDash: see LearnDash video hosting: options, setup and security.
– Thinkific: see Spotlightr video hosting on your Thinkific courses.
Kajabi
Kajabi doesn’t host video itself. Its help center says Wistia hosts all video content on Kajabi pages and products, and Wistia doesn’t publish any DRM support. Download tools aimed at Kajabi course videos are openly advertised, so assume anyone who can watch a lesson can save it.
To protect a Kajabi course without leaving Kajabi:
- Upload your videos to Spotlightr. Kajabi lets you download your originals one at a time from each lesson’s Video Actions → Download Video menu.
- Turn on Force DRM, restrict playback to your Kajabi domain, and add a viewer watermark if you want one.
- Copy each video’s embed code from Spotlightr.
- In Kajabi, open Products, the course and the lesson. In the Lesson body, open the source code editor, paste the embed code, and save.
Your course, checkout and student logins stay on Kajabi. Only the video moves.
Stop downloads without changing platforms
DRM on every plan, domain restriction and a viewer watermark. Embed your videos in WordPress, Kajabi, Thinkific or your LMS, and keep everything else where it is.
No credit card required.
Frequently asked questions
Can you completely stop people downloading your videos?
You can stop downloading. DRM stops download tools from saving a copy that plays, and streaming with no download option and right-click turned off stops casual saving. You can’t stop screen recording, on any platform. A viewer watermark makes a recording traceable to whoever made it.
How do I stop people downloading videos from my website?
Don’t put the video file on your website. Host it on a video platform that streams it with no download option, restrict playback to your domain, turn off the public watch page, and use DRM so download tools can’t save a working copy.
Does disabling right-click stop video downloads?
Only casual ones. Disabling right-click removes “Save video as”, but browser extensions and download tools don’t need the right-click menu. Stopping those takes DRM.
Is HLS encryption enough to stop downloads?
No. HLS encryption keeps the stream encrypted in transit, but the player has to be given the key to play it, and download tools can use the same key. DRM keeps the key out of reach. DRM protects playback wherever the device supports it; Force DRM blocks playback everywhere else.
Can people screen record my videos?
Yes. Some screen-recording software can be blocked, but nothing stops someone filming the screen. A viewer watermark that shows the viewer’s name, email or IP address means a leaked recording can be traced back.
Bill is the founder of Spotlightr, a video platform used by course creators, membership sites and marketers who need their video hosted properly rather than uploaded somewhere and hoped for. He writes about instructional video from the inside — what creators actually publish, where students actually stop watching, and what the platforms in this category actually charge. He’s currently building Spotlightr Courses, a course product built around the video rather than bolted on top of it.