LearnDash video DRM: embed Universal Player

Before you begin#

Publish a protected video in DRM-X 6.0 and copy its Content ID. Create server integration credentials with license-tokens:create permission. Keep Site ID, Site Key and Access Key in server configuration; only short-lived playback data reaches the browser.

Serve the learning site over HTTPS. HTTP localhost works only on the same computer; an HTTP LAN address does not provide the secure context required for browser DRM. Test with a supported browser and your actual content.

Install the LearnDash integration#

Install LearnDash separately using your licensed vendor package. Download the DRM-X WordPress install ZIP from this guide and upload it through Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin. Upgrade the existing DRM-X 6.0 Universal Player plugin to 1.3.0-preview.5; use only one copy of the shared WordPress plugin.

Open Settings → DRM-X 6.0, save the server credentials and choose LearnDash or automatic LMS detection. Select a default protection policy matching your encrypted package. A blank lesson policy inherits the course, site and then DRM-X environment policy.

Embed Universal Player in a lesson or topic#

Open LearnDash LMS → Courses and confirm the lesson is in the course curriculum. Then open LearnDash LMS → Lessons and edit that lesson as a WordPress administrator. For a topic, edit the topic itself and retain its parent lesson association.

In Gutenberg, add DRM-X Protected Video and enter Content ID, content type and protection policy. In the classic editor, enter these values in the DRM-X Protected Video panel below the content. Under Course and access rules, select LearnDash. A single linked course is detected automatically; for a shared step select the course whose access rules should apply.

Publish or update the lesson. With the classic editor, copy the player shortcode into the lesson content. In Gutenberg you may instead use a Shortcode block. Do not put a shortcode or encrypted manifest in LearnDash’s Video URL field. Reload the editor to confirm the mapping was saved, then open the native lesson as an enrolled learner.

Enrollment, shared steps and progression#

Both the lesson page and the playback REST endpoint check the current WordPress user, exact saved Content ID/type and actual course curriculum. The selected course and parent steps must be published. Course enrollment, expiry, prerequisites, course points, lesson and parent drip schedules, and linear progression must allow access. Additional membership restrictions still apply.

The Universal Player does not automatically mark LearnDash lessons complete or drive LearnDash Video Progression. Use the normal lesson completion workflow. Do not enable a video-completion requirement that depends on LearnDash’s separate video provider unless you implement and test a completion bridge.

Fix “Your account does not currently have access to this video”#

In the earlier DRM-X adapter, LearnDash 4.10.1 course titles were incorrectly read as course IDs, and a protected course-model method was treated as a public API. Version 1.3.0-preview.5 fixes both mismatches. Upgrade DRM-X, clear page caches, re-save the lesson mapping and confirm the linked course name.

If access is still denied, check the learner’s enrollment, expiry, prerequisites, schedule and membership requirements. For shared steps, check the explicitly selected course. Exclude protected lesson pages and /wp-json/drmx/v1/playback-session from shared caching. Keep the LMS adapter enabled when troubleshooting paid courses.

What was tested#

Using the supplied LearnDash 4.10.1 package on isolated WordPress 7.1, 24 native checks passed. The original rejection was reproduced before the fix. After the fix, an authenticated learner’s native lesson displayed Universal Player at Ready. The fixture contains no DRM-X credentials, so decrypted video playback remains to be verified with your content. Other LearnDash versions and paid extensions require separate acceptance.