HTML Audio
The HTML <audio> Element
To play an audio file in HTML, use the <audio> element:
How it Works
The controls attribute adds audio controls, like play, pause, and volume.
The <source> element allows you to specify alternative audio files which the browser may choose from. The browser will use the first recognized format.
The text between the <audio> and </audio> tags will only be displayed in browsers that do not support the <audio> element.
HTML <audio> Autoplay
To start an audio file automatically, use the autoplay attribute:
Add muted after autoplay to let your audio file start playing automatically (but muted):
Note: Chromium browsers do not allow autoplay in most cases. However, muted autoplay is always allowed.
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the<audio> element.
| Element | Chrome | Internet Explorer / Edge | Firefox | Safari | Opera |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <audio> | 4.0 | 9.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 10.5 |
HTML Audio Formats
There are three supported audio formats: MP3, WAV, and OGG. The browser support for the different formats is:
| Browser | MP3 | WAV | OGG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge/IE | YES | YES* | YES* |
| Chrome | YES | YES | YES |
| Firefox | YES | YES | YES |
| Safari | YES | YES | NO |
| Opera | YES | YES | YES |
HTML audio - Media Types
| File Format | Media Type |
|---|---|
| MP3 | audio/mpeg |
| OGG | audio/ogg |
| WAV | audio/wav |
HTML Audio - Methods, Properties, and Events
The HTML DOM defines methods, properties, and events for the <audio> element.
This allows you to load, play, and pause audios, as well as setting duration and volume.
There are also DOM events that can notify you when a audio begins to play, is paused, etc.
HTML Audio Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <audio> | Defines sound content |
| <source> | Defines multiple media resources for media elements, such as <video> and <audio> |
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