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8.5 HTML Audio
The HTML element is used to play an audio file on a web page.
The HTML <audio> Element
To play an audio file in HTML, use the element:
Example 1: The audio element
<audio controls> <source src="horse.ogg" type="audio/ogg"> <source src="horse.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"> Your browser does not support the audio element. </audio>
HTML Audio - How It Works
- The attribute adds audio controls, like play, pause, and volume.
- The 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 and tags will only be displayed in browsers that do not support the element.
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 |
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 | NO | NO |
| 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 element.
- This allows you to load, play, and pause audios, as well as set duration and volume.
- There are also DOM events that can notify you when an audio begins to play, is paused, etc.
- For a full DOM reference, go to the HTML Audio/Video DOM Reference.
HTML Audio Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <audio> | Defines sound content |
| <source> | Defines multiple media resources for media elements, such as <video> and <audio> |