The HTML <video> element is used to show a video on a web page.
The HTML <video> Element
To show a video in HTML, use the <video> element:
Example
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <body> <video width="320" height="240" controls> <source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4"> <source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg"> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video> </body> </html>
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 <video> Autoplay
To start a video automatically, use the autoplay attribute:
Example
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <body> <video width="320" height="240" autoplay> <source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4"> <source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg"> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video> </body> </html>
Add muted after autoplay to let your video start playing automatically (but muted):
Example
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <body> <video width="320" height="240" autoplay muted> <source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4"> <source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg"> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video> </body> </html>
HTML Video Formats
There are three supported video formats: MP4, WebM, and Ogg. The browser support for the different formats is:
| Browser | MP4 | WebM | Ogg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge | YES | YES | YES |
| Chrome | YES | YES | YES |
| Firefox | YES | YES | YES |
| Safari | YES | YES | NO |
| Opera | YES | YES | YES |
HTML Video – Media Types
| File Format | Media Type |
|---|---|
| MP4 | video/mp4 |
| WebM | video/webm |
| Ogg | video/ogg |
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.