The HTML <embed>
element embeds external content at the specified point in the document. This content is provided by an external application or other source of interactive content such as a browser plug-in.
Note: This topic documents only the element that is defined as part of HTML5. It does not address earlier, non-standardized implementation of the element.
Keep in mind that most modern browsers have deprecated and removed support for browser plug-ins, so relying upon <embed>
is generally not wise if you want your site to be operable on the average user's browser.
Content categories | Flow content, phrasing content, embedded content, interactive content, palpable content. |
---|---|
Permitted content | None, it is an empty element. |
Tag omission | Must have a start tag, and must not have an end tag. |
Permitted parents | Any element that accepts embedded content. |
Implicit ARIA role | No corresponding role |
Permitted ARIA roles | application , document , img , none , presentation |
DOM interface | HTMLEmbedElement |
Attributes
This element's attributes include the global attributes.
height
- The displayed height of the resource, in CSS pixels. This must be an absolute value; percentages are not allowed.
src
- The URL of the resource being embedded.
type
- The MIME type to use to select the plug-in to instantiate.
width
- The displayed width of the resource, in CSS pixels. This must be an absolute value; percentages are not allowed.
Usage notes
You can use the object-position
property to adjust the positioning of the embedded object within the element's frame, and the object-fit
property to control how the object's size is adjusted to fit within the frame.
Examples
<embed type="video/quicktime" src="movie.mov" width="640" height="480" title="Title of my video">
Accessibility concerns
Use the title
attribute on an embed
element to label its content so that people navigating with assistive technology such as a screen reader can understand what it contains. The title's value should concisely describe the embedded content. Without a title, they may not be able to determine what its embedded content is. This context shift can be confusing and time-consuming, especially if the embed
element contains interactive content like video or audio.
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
HTML Living Standard The definition of '<embed>' in that specification. |
Living Standard | |
HTML5 The definition of '<embed>' in that specification. |
Recommendation |
Browser compatibility
Note: Prior to version 45, Firefox did not display content of HTML resource, but a generic message saying the content needs a plug-in (see bug 730768).
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
embed | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS ? | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
height | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS ? | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
src | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS ? | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
type | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS ? | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
width | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support 1 | IE Full support Yes | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support 4 | Opera Android ? | Safari iOS ? | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support
- Compatibility unknown
- Compatibility unknown
See also
- Other elements that are used for embedding content of various types include
<audio>
,<canvas>
,<iframe>
,<img>
,<math>
,<object>
,<svg>
, and<video>
. - Positioning and sizing the embedded content within its frame:
object-position
andobject-fit