HTML Video

The HTML <video> element is used to show a video on a web page.

Video

Example

Courtesy of Big Buck Bunny:

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

The HTML Element

To show a video in HTML, use the <video> element:

Example

How it Works

The controls attribute adds video controls, like play, pause, and volume.

It is a good idea to always include width and height attributes. If height and width are not set, the page might flicker while the video loads.

The <source> element allows you to specify alternative video files which the browser may choose from. The browser will use the first recognized format.

The text between the <video> and </video> tags will only be displayed in browsers that do not support the <video> element.

HTML Autoplay

To start a video automatically, use the autoplay attribute:

Example

Note: Chromium browsers do not allow autoplay in most cases. However, muted autoplay is always allowed.

Add muted after autoplay to let your video start playing automatically (but muted):

Example

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the <video> element.

HTML Video Formats

There are three supported video formats: MP4, WebM, and Ogg. The browser support for the different formats is:

HTML Video - Media Types

HTML Video - Methods, Properties, and Events

The HTML DOM defines methods, properties, and events for the <video> element.

This allows you to load, play, and pause videos, as well as setting duration and volume.

There are also DOM events that can notify you when a video begins to play, is paused, etc.

Example: Using JavaScript

Play/Pause Big Small Normal

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

Video courtesy of Big Buck Bunny.

For a full DOM reference, go to our HTML Audio/Video DOM Reference.

HTML Video Tags