Adding animation to a website doesn’t have to mean embedding a large video file or creating complex CSS animations from scratch.

Lottie animations make it possible to add smooth, scalable motion to websites while giving developers control over playback, looping and interaction.

Whether you’re adding a loading animation, an animated illustration, a success message or an interactive UI element, getting started with Lottie on a website is relatively straightforward.

Quick overview: Get a Lottie file → Add a Lottie player → Display the animation → Configure playback → Test and optimize

In this guide, you’ll learn how to add a Lottie animation to an HTML website step by step.

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What Is a Lottie Animation?

Lottie is an animation format commonly used for lightweight, scalable animations in websites and applications.

Lottie animations are commonly distributed as JSON files, while the newer .lottie format provides a packaged way to distribute Lottie content and related resources.

Unlike GIFs, Lottie animations can be rendered as vector-based graphics, which makes them particularly useful for modern websites and user interfaces.

You can use Lottie for:

• Website hero animations
• Loading indicators
• Animated icons
• Success and error states
• Product demonstrations
• Onboarding experiences
• Empty states
• Interactive buttons
• UI microinteractions

What Do You Need to Add Lottie to HTML?

You only need a few things:

1. A Lottie animation file
2. A Lottie-compatible web player
3. A basic HTML page
4. A few lines of HTML to display the animation

You don’t need to build an animation player yourself.

Modern Lottie web players provide ready-made components that can render Lottie animation files directly in a webpage.

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Step 1: Get a Lottie Animation

Before adding Lottie to your website, you’ll need an animation.

You can either:

• Create your own Lottie animation
• Download a free Lottie animation
• Purchase a premium animation
• Export an animation from your design workflow

If you’re looking for ready-to-use animations, explore the free Lottie animation collection from Lottie Wizard.

🎨 Looking for a Lottie animation?
Browse free Lottie animations for websites, apps and UI projects before creating an animation from scratch.

Explore Free Lottie Animations →

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Step 2: Choose Your Lottie File

Your animation may be provided as either:

• .json
• .lottie

Traditional Lottie JSON files contain the animation data directly.

The .lottie format is a packaged format designed for distributing Lottie animations and related resources.

If you’re unsure which format you have, you can preview the file before adding it to your website.

🧙 Tip: Use the Lottie Wizard Viewer to preview your animation and make sure it behaves correctly before integrating it into your website.

Open Lottie Viewer →

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Step 3: Add a Lottie Web Player

The easiest way to display a Lottie animation in HTML is to use a web component provided by a Lottie player.

For example, the dotlottie-wc web component can be used to display .lottie animations.

First, add the player library to your HTML page.

<script
  src="https://unpkg.com/@lottiefiles/dotlottie-wc@0.6.2/dist/dotlottie-wc.js"
  type="module">
</script>

Then add the animation component wherever you want the animation to appear.

<dotlottie-wc
  src="your-animation.lottie"
  autoplay
  loop
  style="width: 300px; height: 300px;">
</dotlottie-wc>

Replace:

your-animation.lottie

with the path or URL of your actual animation file.

For example:

<dotlottie-wc
  src="/animations/loading.lottie"
  autoplay
  loop
  style="width: 300px; height: 300px;">
</dotlottie-wc>

Important: Make sure the animation URL is accessible from your website. If the file path is incorrect, the player won’t be able to load the animation.

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Step 4: Set the Animation Size

You can control the dimensions of your animation using CSS.

For example:

<dotlottie-wc
  src="/animations/hero-animation.lottie"
  autoplay
  loop
  style="width: 500px; height: 500px;">
</dotlottie-wc>

You can change the values depending on where the animation appears.

Example sizes

Small UI icon

80px × 80px

Loading animation

150px × 150px

Feature illustration

300px × 300px

Hero animation

500px × 500px

Don’t automatically use a large animation size just because the original artwork was exported at a high resolution.

The displayed size should match the actual design requirement.

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Step 5: Control Lottie Playback

One of the advantages of Lottie is that you can control how the animation behaves.

Common playback options include:

• Autoplay
• Loop
• Play once
• Pause
• Stop
• Speed
• Direction
• Animation state

Autoplay

If you want the animation to start automatically:

<dotlottie-wc
  src="/animations/animation.lottie"
  autoplay
  style="width: 300px; height: 300px;">
</dotlottie-wc>

Loop

For animations such as loaders, you may want the animation to repeat continuously.

<dotlottie-wc
  src="/animations/loading.lottie"
  autoplay
  loop
  style="width: 150px; height: 150px;">
</dotlottie-wc>

Play Once

Not every animation should loop.

For example, a success animation may be more appropriate when it plays once after an action is completed.

Best practice: Use looping for continuous states such as loading. Use one-time playback for events such as success, completion and confirmation.

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Step 6: Make the Animation Responsive

If you’re adding Lottie to a responsive website, don’t forget about mobile devices.

Instead of hardcoding a large width that could overflow smaller screens, use responsive CSS.

For example:

<div class="lottie-container">
  <dotlottie-wc
    src="/animations/hero-animation.lottie"
    autoplay
    loop>
  </dotlottie-wc>
</div>

Then:

.lottie-container {
  width: 100%;
  max-width: 500px;
  margin: 0 auto;
}

.lottie-container dotlottie-wc {
  width: 100%;
  height: auto;
}

This allows the animation container to adapt to different screen sizes.

Always test the final result on both desktop and mobile.

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Step 7: Test Your Lottie Animation

Before publishing your website, test the animation in the actual environment where it will be used.

Check it on:

• Desktop
• Mobile
• Different screen sizes
• Chrome
• Safari
• Firefox
• Edge
• Slow network connections

Also check whether:

• The animation loads correctly
• The animation loops correctly
• The dimensions are correct
• The animation is cropped
• Colors appear correctly
• Transparency works
• The animation affects page performance

Don’t skip this step: An animation that works perfectly in a local development environment can behave differently once it’s deployed to a production website.

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Step 8: Optimize Your Lottie File

Before putting a Lottie animation into production, check its file size.

A Lottie animation may look small visually but contain a large amount of animation data.

Large Lottie files can increase loading time and consume additional bandwidth.

Common reasons for a large Lottie file include:

• Too many keyframes
• Complex vector paths
• Unused layers
• Hidden elements
• Embedded images
• Excessive animation data
• Unnecessary precision in JSON values

You can optimize the source animation and then compress the exported file.

Try the Lottie Wizard Compressor

If your Lottie JSON file is larger than you’d like, upload it to the free Lottie Wizard Compressor.

You can reduce unnecessary data and create a more efficient animation file before deploying it.

⚡ Try it yourself: Compress your Lottie animation before adding it to production.

Compress Lottie JSON →

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Step 9: Consider Lazy Loading

Not every Lottie animation needs to load when the webpage first opens.

For example, imagine a landing page containing:

• One hero animation
• Three feature animations
• One testimonial animation
• One footer animation

Loading all six animations immediately may be unnecessary.

The animations below the fold can potentially be loaded when users approach them.

This technique is known as lazy loading.

Good candidates for lazy loading

• Feature animations below the fold
• Blog illustrations
• Footer animations
• Product sections further down the page
• Animation galleries

Be careful with hero animations

If an animation is an important part of the initial page experience, delaying it too aggressively can make the page feel incomplete.

Use lazy loading strategically rather than applying it blindly.

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Where Should You Use Lottie on a Website?

Lottie works particularly well when animation helps communicate something to the user.

1. Hero Sections

A subtle animated illustration can make a landing page more engaging while helping communicate the product.

2. Loading Indicators

Lottie is excellent for loading states because animations can loop smoothly.

Examples include:

• Data loading
• File uploads
• Content generation
• API processing

3. Success Messages

Use a short animation after an important action.

For example:

Payment successful

File uploaded

Account created

4. Error States

A small animation can draw attention to an error while supporting the written message.

Remember that the animation shouldn’t be the only way you communicate the problem.

5. Empty States

Instead of displaying an empty dashboard with only text, an illustration can make the experience more welcoming.

6. Product Walkthroughs

Lottie animations can help demonstrate product features without requiring a full video.

7. Interactive Buttons and Icons

Animations can respond to:

• Hover
• Click
• Toggle
• Completion
• User interaction

This can make interfaces feel more responsive.

Troubleshooting: Lottie Isn’t Showing on My Website

If your animation isn’t appearing, check the following.

1. Check the file path

Make sure the URL points to the correct animation file.

2. Check the browser console

Open your browser’s developer tools and look for JavaScript or network errors.

3. Check the animation file

Preview the animation separately to confirm that the file itself isn’t corrupted.

Try the Lottie Wizard Viewer →

4. Check the container dimensions

An animation may technically be loading but not appear because its container has no usable dimensions.

5. Check the file format

Make sure your selected player supports the animation format you’re trying to use.

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Final Lottie Website Checklist

Before launching your animation, check:

• Lottie file loads correctly
• Animation plays correctly
• Correct dimensions are set
• Animation works on mobile
• Looping behavior is intentional
• File size has been checked
• Lottie has been compressed where appropriate
• Non-critical animations are considered for lazy loading
• Animation doesn’t interfere with page usability
• Reduced-motion preferences have been considered
• Final animation has been tested in production

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Final Thoughts

Adding Lottie to an HTML website is relatively simple once you understand the basic workflow.

The process is:

Get a Lottie file → Add a player → Display the animation → Configure playback → Test → Optimize → Deploy

The bigger challenge isn’t getting an animation onto a webpage.

It’s using animation without hurting performance or usability.

Start with a small, purposeful animation. Preview it before implementation, optimize the file, test it on mobile and then expand your animation system as your website needs grow.

---

Troubleshooting: Lottie Isn’t Showing on My Website

If your animation isn’t appearing, check the following.

1. Check the file path

Make sure the URL points to the correct animation file.

2. Check the browser console

Open your browser’s developer tools and look for JavaScript or network errors.

3. Check the animation file

Preview the animation separately to confirm that the file itself isn’t corrupted.

Try the Lottie Wizard Viewer →

4. Check the container dimensions

An animation may technically be loading but not appear because its container has no usable dimensions.

5. Check the file format

Make sure your selected player supports the animation format you’re trying to use.

---

Final Lottie Website Checklist

Before launching your animation, check:

• Lottie file loads correctly
• Animation plays correctly
• Correct dimensions are set
• Animation works on mobile
• Looping behavior is intentional
• File size has been checked
• Lottie has been compressed where appropriate
• Non-critical animations are considered for lazy loading
• Animation doesn’t interfere with page usability
• Reduced-motion preferences have been considered
• Final animation has been tested in production

---

Final Thoughts

Adding Lottie to an HTML website is relatively simple once you understand the basic workflow.

The process is:

Get a Lottie file → Add a player → Display the animation → Configure playback → Test → Optimize → Deploy

The bigger challenge isn’t getting an animation onto a webpage.

It’s using animation without hurting performance or usability.

Start with a small, purposeful animation. Preview it before implementation, optimize the file, test it on mobile and then expand your animation system as your website needs grow.

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Useful Lottie Wizard Tools

Preview your animation: Lottie Viewer

Reduce file size: Lottie Compressor

Convert Lottie to GIF: Lottie to GIF Converter

Convert Lottie to video: Lottie to MP4 Converter

Find animations: Free Lottie Animation Library