TL;DR: Navigate to Advanced Settings → Blocked Embedded Platforms → Select platforms to block. iFrames from selected platforms won't load until visitors consent to the appropriate cookie categories.

Overview

The iframe embed blocking feature prevents embedded content (like YouTube videos, Google Maps, social media feeds) from loading on your website until visitors provide consent. This ensures third-party platforms can't set cookies or track visitors without permission, helping you maintain GDPR and privacy law compliance.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

Time required: About 3 minutes

How to Block Embedded Platforms

Step 1: Navigate to Advanced Settings

Click the Advanced Settings tab in the top navigation menu.

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Step 2: Locate Blocked Embedded Platforms

Scroll to the Blocked Embedded Platforms section.

⚠️ Important: No platforms are selected by default. Please ensure you select the platforms you want to block.

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Step 3: Choose your blocking option

Option A: Block all embedded content

Check the Block All Embeds (iframes) checkbox to block all embedded platforms at once.

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Option B: Block specific platforms

Select individual platform checkboxes to block only certain embedded content:

  • YouTube - Video embeds

  • Facebook - Social plugins, posts, videos

  • Twitter/X - Tweet embeds, timelines

  • Google Maps - Map embeds

  • Instagram - Post and feed embeds

  • Calendly - Scheduling widgets

  • Vimeo - Video embeds

  • Spotify - Music player embeds

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Step 4: Save your settings

Your changes save automatically. Look for the confirmation message at the bottom left.

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Done!

Embedded content from selected platforms now requires visitor consent before loading.

✅ Success indicator: Selected iframes display a placeholder on your website instead of loading automatically. Once visitors consent to the relevant cookie category, the content loads normally.

How It Works

When you block an embedded platform:

  1. Before consent: Visitors see a placeholder instead of the embedded content

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  1. After consent: Once visitors accept the relevant cookie category (typically Analytics, Advertising, or Social), the iframe loads automatically

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What's Next

Now that you've configured iframe blocking:

  1. Test your banner to verify iframes are blocked correctly

  2. Configure cookie categories to ensure platforms map to the right consent types

  3. Customize your preference center to clearly explain why certain content requires consent

Troubleshooting

Embedded content still loads without consent

Why this happens: The platform might use a different embedding method, or the Consently script may not have loaded properly.

Solution:

  1. Clear your browser cache and reload the page

  2. Verify the Consently script is in your site's <head> section

  3. Check that the iframe src URL matches the platform you selected (for example, YouTube iframes should contain "youtube.com")

  4. Make sure the contents are loading via an iframe; some platforms may not use an iframe to embed content.

Some iframes are blocked, but others aren't

Why this happens: You may have selected specific platforms rather than blocking all embeds.

Solution: To block all embedded content, check the Block All Embeds (iframes) checkbox. Otherwise, verify each platform you want to block has its individual checkbox selected.

The placeholder doesn't show proper styling

Why this happens: Your site's CSS may be conflicting with Consently's placeholder styles.

Solution: The placeholder uses minimal default styling to match most sites. If you need custom styling, you can manually add CSS styling on your site by targeting the placeholder.

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