How it works
Streaming plays the file you uploaded, as it is: there's no conversion step. Each streamable file in a product has a Streaming setting with three options: Off (the default), Stream and download, or Stream only. Customers play the file on their download page, and every other delivery surface links them there.
Every rule that protects a download also protects a play: fraud review holds, delayed delivery, EU withdrawal consent, link expiry, the device limit and revoked access.
Which files can stream
Alva Digital Downloads recognises streamable files by their file extension, so a file uploaded with an unusual or missing file type still streams.
| Type | Formats | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Video | MP4, M4V, WebM, MOV, OGV | MP4 with H.264 video plays in every modern browser. A MOV recorded as HEVC or ProRes may only play in Safari. OGV doesn't play in Safari, so it can't be Stream only. |
| Audio | MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF | AIFF plays only in Safari, so it can't be Stream only. |
| Opens in a page-by-page reader. A PDF that needs a password to open can't be shown. |
Other files, such as MKV, AVI, ZIP or MIDI, can't stream and keep their download button. On the product page they show Can't stream in place of the setting. To stream an MKV or AVI video, export it as MP4 and upload the new file.
Turn on streaming for a file
1. Open the product
In the Alva admin, go to Products and open the product. Streaming is set file by file, in the product's list of files.
2. Pick a Streaming option for each file
Next to each video, audio file or PDF, choose one option in Streaming:
- Off: the default. The file downloads as it always has.
- Stream and download: customers can play or read the file in their browser and can still download it.
- Stream only: customers can play or read the file but get no download button. Read Stream-only mode before you use it.
Alva product page, file list with three files: a video set to Stream only, an audio file set to Stream and download, and an MKV file showing Can't stream. Show the Streaming select open on one file with Off, Stream and download and Stream only. No real customer data visible.
3. Save
Click Save. The change applies to everyone who bought the product, including earlier orders, the next time they open their downloads.
What your customers see
Streaming lives on the download page your delivery email already links to. Customers only see a player for files you've switched on.
- Download page. An audio file gets a small player in the file list, with play, pause, a progress bar and the time. Only one track plays at a time. A video or PDF gets a Watch or Read button that opens it on the same page, with a Back to your downloads link.
- Thank-you page, order status page and customer account. Each streaming file gets a button such as Watch lesson-1.mp4, Listen to track-01.mp3 or Read workbook.pdf. It opens the player on the download page, because Shopify doesn't allow video or audio players inside these pages.
- Delivery emails. Unchanged. The link opens the download page.
- Stream and download files stay downloadable: through their own download button, or through the product's ZIP when the product is delivered as a ZIP. If plays don't count toward your download limit and a customer has used up their downloads, the page shows only the players, with no download buttons.
Long videos keep playing
The links behind the player are short-lived, for security. So that a feature-length video or a long album plays to the end, the player fetches a fresh link when the current one is about to expire during a pause, or when playback stops with a network error, and carries on from the same point. Each refresh checks access again, so revoking an order stops playback at the next refresh. A refresh never counts as a play.
The player also remembers where the customer stopped, the position in a video or audio file or the page of a PDF, on that device and browser, so they can pick up where they left off. A new download link starts from the beginning.
Subtitles for videos
To add subtitles, attach a WebVTT file (.vtt) to the same product, named after the video: lecture.vtt for lecture.mp4, or with a language tag such as lecture.de.vtt or lecture.pt-BR.vtt for several languages. The video player offers each one as a subtitle track. A track without a language tag is labelled with your store's primary language, as set in Shopify. The .vtt file itself stays a normal download.
The PDF reader
PDFs open in a reader built into the download page. Pages load as the customer scrolls, so a long manual opens quickly, even on a phone. The document starts fitted to the screen width, a counter at the bottom shows the page (for example 12 / 300) with − and + to zoom, and links inside the PDF still work.
The reader has no download or print button. Its text stays available to screen readers, and customers can select and copy it unless the file is Stream only.
If you watermark PDFs, the reader shows the same watermarked copy the customer would download.
The reader can't open a PDF that needs a password to open: it shows This PDF needs a password. Download it to open it. Use Stream and download for those files, never Stream only. When Alva has found security restrictions on a PDF, Stream only isn't offered for it.
Browser support
Browsers play the original file, so its format decides where it plays.
- MP4 with H.264 video plays in every modern browser and is the safest choice for video.
- MOV files recorded as HEVC or ProRes may only play in Safari. Export them as H.264 MP4.
- WebM plays poorly on older versions of Safari. OGV doesn't play in Safari at all, on a Mac, iPhone or iPad, so an OGV file can't be Stream only and always keeps its download button.
- AIFF plays only in Safari, so an AIFF file always keeps its download button.
- MKV and AVI can't stream. Re-upload them as MP4.
- Checked on upload. After you upload a file, Alva reads its header. On the product page it warns you when a video is HEVC or ProRes, or an audio file is ALAC: these play only in Safari, so re-encode them as H.264 (MP4) or AAC. It also warns when an MP4 isn't web-optimised, because its index sits at the end of the file and playback is slow to start; re-export it with fast start turned on. A file that plays only in Safari can still stream, but can't be Stream only.
If a customer's browser can't play a file, the player says This file can't play in this browser. and offers the download, unless the file is Stream only. There's no adaptive quality: a 4K master can stutter on a slow phone connection, so upload a 1080p H.264 MP4 for streaming.
Plays and download limits
By default, playing a file doesn't use up a download. To count plays, turn on Plays count toward the download limit in Settings → Download Security → Download Limits. A play then counts once per product every 6 hours. Stream-only mode explains this setting in detail.
Limitations
- Paid plans only. Streaming is included on Basic, Pro and Enterprise. On the Free plan the Streaming setting shows an upgrade prompt, and if a store moves to Free, its files go back to normal downloads.
- Made-to-order files are download-only for now: personalized products don't offer streaming.
- No player inside Shopify's pages. The thank-you page, order status page and customer account link to the download page instead.
- Not copy protection. Streaming makes files easy to watch, listen to or read. It doesn't stop a determined customer from saving them; see Stream-only mode.
Frequently asked questions
Every paid plan: Basic, Pro and Enterprise. On the Free plan the Streaming setting shows an upgrade prompt.
No. Alva streams the file you uploaded. MP4 with H.264 video plays in every modern browser. MOV files recorded as HEVC or ProRes may only play in Safari, and MKV or AVI files can't stream, so export those as MP4 first.
Not by default. A play only counts toward the download limit if you turn on Plays count toward the download limit in Settings. It then counts once per product every 6 hours.
They get a Watch, Listen or Read button there, which opens the player on their download page. Shopify doesn't allow video or audio players inside those pages.
Yes. The reader opens the same watermarked copy the customer would download.
Yes. Attach a WebVTT (.vtt) file named after the video to the same product, such as lecture.vtt, which is labelled with your store's primary language, or lecture.de.vtt for German subtitles. The video player offers it as a subtitle track, and the .vtt file stays a normal download.
See also
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Last updated 2026-10-29