Audio blocks

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Audio blocks

Last updated August 20, 2026 19:38

Use audio blocks to add a playable audio file to a page or blog post. You can upload a file from your computer or link to an externally hosted file.

Tip: To add SoundCloud audio to your site, use SoundCloud blocks instead.

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Audio file format

Only .mp3 and .m4a files are supported. For best performance across all browsers and devices, we recommend compressing your audio files using these specifications:

  • Format: .mp3 or .m4a
  • Bit Depth: 16bit
  • Bitrate: 128 kbps max (96 kbps recommended for spoken word)
  • Channels: Mono or Stereo
  • File Size: An uploaded file must be 160 MB or smaller. To use a larger file, link to an external host.

Note: On iOS devices, audio blocks open on a new page when played. There's not a built-in way to prevent this, but this topic has come up on the Squarespace Forum. To learn more, visit this post. Keep in mind, custom code modifications fall outside the scope of our support. This means we're unable to help you set up or troubleshoot code-based solutions.

Add an audio block

To add an audio block:

  1. Edit a page or post.
  2. Hover over the section and click Add block or + to open the block menu, then click Audio.
  3. Open the block editor by clicking the pencil icon on the block.
  4. In the Content tab, upload an audio file or link to an external file.
  5. Switch the Download toggle on to add a download link.
  6. If you're setting up a podcast, click Podcasting and add Apple Podcasts metadata tags.
  7. Click Design to change the appearance of the audio block.

Note: Audio blocks added in Fluid Engine have a minimum height of two rows. If you resize the block to a smaller size, it will automatically resize to its minimum when you save changes.

Add an audio file

You can upload an .mp3 or .m4a file directly to the audio block or link to an externally hosted .mp3 or .m4a file.

Upload a file

To upload the file to the audio block from your computer:

  1. In the Contenttab, click the Upload File button.
  2. Drag your audio file into the uploader. You can also click Upload File in the uploader to choose a file from your computer.
  3. After adding the audio file, the file name and file size will appear in the uploader. The Title and Author / Artist fields populate based on the file's metadata, but you can edit them manually to change what displays in the block.

Note: If you upload a new file to the same audio block, you'll need to update the fields manually as the Titleand Author / Artist fields won't update automatically.

Use an external file

If your audio file is larger than 160 MB, upload it to an external service, then click Add File Link in the audio block editor and add its public URL under Link.

Your public URL should have https:// at the beginning and .mp3 or .m4a at the end. If your host only supports http:// links, the file won't load in the audio block.

You can then enter the following information:

  • File Size (in Bytes)
  • Audio File Mime Type
  • Title
  • Author / Artist

Note: Audio blocks don't support Dropbox URLs or SoundCloud URLs. For SoundCloud audio, use SoundCloud blocks instead.

To add a link for visitors to download the track, switch the Download toggle onin the Content tab. This option is always disabled by default. The download link will display to the right of the audio block.

Externally hosted files may not download successfully with this method, so we recommend only using this option with uploaded files.

Keep in mind, even if the download link is disabled, visitors may have other ways of downloading the file. If it's important to prevent downloading, review our tips for protecting audio on your site.

Note: In Safari browsers on mobile devices, the download link opens the audio track, but doesn't download it to the device.

Add Apple Podcasts metadata tags

In the Content tab, click Podcasting to set up metadata tags for a podcast. The information you add to the fields becomes metadata tags for your RSS feed. You only need to add metadata tags if you're using audio blocks for a podcast. To learn more, visit Podcasting with Squarespace overview

Keep in mind:

  • To set up a podcast, you must add audio blocks to a blog page. Audio blocks added to other pages can't be used for podcasts.
  • The size (in bytes) and MIME type are automatically detected for uploaded files. For externally hosted files, manually enter those values to use the file for podcasting on Apple Podcasts.

Change the design

In the Design tab, you can style your audio block. Under Player Style, choose between Minimal and Classic.

For Minimal, you can set the Player Color to Light or Dark.

Both the light color player and the dark color player from the Minimal design style are shown.

For Classic, you can't change the color.

The classic style player is displayed which is dark in color with light colored text.

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Audio blocks