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HTML <audio> preload Attribute

< HTML <audio> tag

Example

Author thinks that the sound should NOT be loaded when the page loads:

<audio controls preload="none">
  <source src="horse.ogg" type="audio/ogg">
  <source src="horse.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
  Your browser does not support the audio element.
</audio>
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Definition and Usage

The preload attribute specifies if and how the author thinks that the audio file should be loaded when the page loads.

The preload attribute allows the author to provide a hint to the browser about what he/she thinks will lead to the best user experience. This attribute may be ignored in some instances.

Note: The preload attribute is ignored if autoplay is present.


Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the attribute.

Attribute
preload 4.0 9.0 4.0 4.0 10.5

Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5

The <audio> tag is new in HTML5.


Syntax

<audio preload="auto|metadata|none">

Attribute Values

Value Description
auto The author thinks that the browser should load the entire audio file when the page loads
metadata The author thinks that the browser should load only metadata when the page loads
none The author thinks that the browser should NOT load the audio file when the page loads

< HTML <audio> tag