HTMLMediaElement: preload property

{{APIRef("HTML DOM")}}

The preload property of the {{domxref("HTMLMediaElement")}} interface is a string that provides a hint to the browser about what the author thinks will lead to the best user experience.

It reflects the preload attribute of the {{HTMLElement("audio")}} element and the {{HTMLElement("video")}} element.

Value

A string. Possible values are as follows:

• none
  • : Indicates that the media should not be preloaded.
• metadata
  • : Indicates that only media metadata (e.g., length) is fetched.
• auto
  • : Indicates that the whole media file can be downloaded, even if the user is not expected to use it.
• empty string
  • : A synonym of the auto value.

Examples

<video
  id="el"
  controls
  src="https://example.com/media.mp4"
  poster="https://example.com/media.jpg"
  width="800"
  height="600"
  preload="metadata">
  Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos, but don't worry, you can
  <a href="https://example.com/media.mp4" download="media.mp4">download it</a>
  and watch it with your favorite video player!
</video>

const el = document.getElementById("el");
console.log(el.preload); // Output: "metadata"

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}