HTML <audio> Tag
Example
Play a sound:
<audio controls>
<source src="horse.ogg" type="audio/ogg">
<source src="horse.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
Your browser does not support the audio tag.
</audio>
Try it yourself »
Definition and Usage
The <audio> tag defines sound, such as music or other audio streams.
Currently, there are 3 supported file formats for the <audio> element: MP3, Wav, and Ogg:
| Browser | MP3 | Wav | Ogg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Explorer | YES | NO | NO |
| Chrome | YES | YES | YES |
| Firefox | YES | YES | YES |
| Safari | YES | YES | NO |
| Opera | YES | YES | YES |
MIME Types for Audio Formats
| Format | MIME-type |
|---|---|
| MP3 | audio/mpeg |
| Ogg | audio/ogg |
| Wav | audio/wav |
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the element.
| Element | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <audio> | 4.0 | 9.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 10.5 |
Note: The <audio> tag is not supported in Internet Explorer 8 and earlier versions.
Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5
The <audio> tag is new in HTML5.
Tips and Notes
Tip: Any text inside the between <audio> and </audio> will be displayed in browsers that do not support the <audio> tag.
Attributes
= New in HTML5.
| Attribute | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| autoplay | autoplay | Specifies that the audio will start playing as soon as it is ready |
| controls | controls | Specifies that audio controls should be displayed (such as a play/pause button etc) |
| loop | loop | Specifies that the audio will start over again, every time it is finished |
| muted | muted | Specifies that the audio output should be muted |
| preload | auto metadata none |
Specifies if and how the author thinks the audio should be loaded when the page loads |
| src | URL | Specifies the URL of the audio file |
Global Attributes
The <audio> tag also supports the Global Attributes in HTML.
Event Attributes
The <audio> tag also supports the Event Attributes in HTML.
Related Pages
HTML DOM reference: HTML Audio/Video DOM Reference
Default CSS Settings
None.
