HTML5 Video

Playing Videos in HTML

Before HTML5, there was no standard for showing videos on a web page.

Before HTML5, videos could only be played with a plug-in (like flash).

The HTML5 <video> element specifies a standard way to embed a video in a web page.

Browser Support

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

The HTML <video> Element

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

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 browser does not know the size of the video. The effect will be that the page will change (or flicker) while the video loads.

Text between the <video> and </video> tags will only display in browsers that do not support the <video> element.

Multiple <source> elements can link to different video files. The browser will use the first recognized format.

HTML <video> Autoplay

To start a video automatically use the autoplay attribute:

	The autoplay attribute does not work in mobile devices like iPad and iPhone.

HTML Video - Browser Support

Currently, there are 3 supported video formats for the <video> element: MP4, WebM, and Ogg:

HTML Video - Media Types

HTML Video - Methods, Properties, and Events

HTML5 defines DOM 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.

For a full DOM reference, go to our HTML5 Audio/Video DOM Reference.

HTML5 Video Tags