Access Restrictions
Control which customer groups can see private videos, and limit video visibility to logged-in customers only.
Available since v3.0.0
Overview
Product Video gives you two layers of access control that work together. First, you mark individual videos as private — that flag lives on the video itself, set per product. Second, you define store-wide which customer groups are allowed to see those private videos.
The result is fine-grained control: you can restrict a product demonstration to wholesale buyers, show a tutorial only to registered members, or hide a bonus clip from guests while leaving all other videos public. Videos that are not marked private are always visible to everyone, including guests, regardless of these settings.
Note that the guest group (unidentified visitors) and the PrestaShop "Guest" group are excluded from the customer group picker — access restrictions only apply to registered, logged-in customers.
Configuration
Step 1 — Choose which customer groups can see private videos
- Go to Modules > Module Manager, find Product Video, and click Configure.
- Navigate to the Additional Options tab.
- Under Private Videos — Videos available only to registered users, check every customer group that should have access to private videos.
- Click Save.
| Setting | Values | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Videos — customer groups | Checkboxes for each registered customer group in your store | All registered groups checked | Groups that are checked can see videos marked as "Registered customers only". Unchecked groups cannot. Guest and visitor groups are not shown — they can never see private videos. |
If no groups are checked, no logged-in customer can see private videos. Public videos (without the private flag) are unaffected and remain visible to everyone.
Step 2 — Mark individual videos as private
The group permission above applies only to videos you individually mark as private. To mark a video:
- Go to Catalog > Products and edit the product.
- Open the Product Video tab.
- Find the video entry and enable the Registered customers only toggle.
- Save the product.
Repeat for each video you want to restrict. Videos without this flag are always public.
How It Works
When a product page loads, the module checks every video assigned to that product. For each video flagged as private (reg_only = 1), the module runs an access check:
- It verifies the current visitor is logged in (has a valid
id_customerin the session cookie). - It retrieves the customer's group memberships and compares them against the list of allowed groups saved in Private Videos — customer groups.
- If the visitor is logged in and belongs to at least one allowed group, the private video is included in the page output.
- If the visitor is a guest, or is logged in but belongs only to groups that are not checked, the video is completely omitted from the HTML — it is not hidden with CSS, it is never rendered.
Public videos (private flag off) bypass this check entirely and always appear for all visitors.
The access check result is cached for the duration of the page request, so checking many private videos on the same page does not cause multiple database lookups.
Behavior in product listings
The same check applies when the module shows a video thumbnail or icon in product listing pages. Private videos are hidden from the listing for visitors who do not meet the access requirements.
Admin preview
Store administrators previewing a product in the Back Office always see all videos, including private ones, regardless of group settings. The access check is bypassed for admin sessions.
Usage Examples
Example: Wholesale-only product video
You sell both retail and wholesale. Create a "Wholesale" customer group in Customers > Groups and assign your B2B accounts to it. In Additional Options > Private Videos, check only "Wholesale". On each product with a reseller tutorial video, mark that video as "Registered customers only". Retail customers and guests see the product page without the video; wholesale accounts see it after logging in.
Example: Logged-in customers only, any group
Leave all customer groups checked in Private Videos — customer groups. Mark the video as "Registered customers only". Now any logged-in customer — regardless of group — can see the video, but guests cannot. Useful for exclusive content gated behind account creation.
Example: Mixed public and private videos on one product
Assign two videos to a product. Leave the first video public (private flag off — a product overview anyone can watch). Mark the second video "Registered customers only" (a detailed assembly guide for buyers). Guests and unregistered visitors see the overview. Logged-in customers in allowed groups see both.
Important Notes
- The "Registered customers only" flag is per video, per product. There is no global "make all videos private" switch — you mark each video individually on each product's edit page.
- Guest customers (unidentified visitors and PrestaShop Guest group) always fail the private video check. Those groups do not appear in the group picker and cannot be granted access.
- The customer group permission setting is global across all shops in a multi-shop setup. It is not configurable per shop.
- CSV import and export include the
reg_onlycolumn, so you can set the private flag in bulk via a spreadsheet import. - Bulk Video Management also exposes the "Registered customers only" option, letting you apply or clear the flag on many products at once without editing each product individually.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| A logged-in customer cannot see a private video | Check which groups are ticked in Additional Options > Private Videos. Then go to Customers > Groups and confirm that customer belongs to one of the ticked groups. |
| A private video is visible to guests | The video's "Registered customers only" flag may not be saved. Edit the product, open the Product Video tab, verify the toggle is on, and save again. |
| All private videos disappeared for everyone | Check Private Videos — customer groups — if all groups are unchecked, no logged-in customer can see private videos. Tick the appropriate groups and save. |
| Private flag not retained after CSV import | Confirm the import file includes a reg_only column with values 0 or 1. The importer defaults missing columns to 0 (public). |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make all videos on my store private with one setting, without editing each product?
No. The private flag is set per video on each product's edit page. The customer group setting in Additional Options controls *who* can see private videos, not *which* videos are private. Use Bulk Video Management or CSV import to apply the flag to many products at once without opening each product individually.
What happens if I uncheck all customer groups in Private Videos?
No logged-in customer can see any private video. Public videos (those without the "Registered customers only" flag) are unaffected and remain visible to all visitors, including guests.
Does the restriction apply in product listing pages as well as the product detail page?
Yes. The access check runs wherever the module displays videos, including listing pages. A private video thumbnail or play icon will not appear in a category listing for a visitor who does not meet the access requirements.
Can I grant access to the built-in "Guest" or "Visitor" groups?
No. Those groups represent non-logged-in visitors and are intentionally excluded from the picker. Access to private videos always requires a logged-in session.
If a customer belongs to multiple groups and only one is checked, can they see private videos?
Yes. The check passes as soon as the customer belongs to *at least one* allowed group. Belonging to other unchecked groups does not prevent access.
Related Features
- Bulk Video Management — Apply or clear the private flag across many products at once
- CSV Import & Export — Set the
reg_onlycolumn in bulk via spreadsheet